Posts Tagged ‘Life Cover’

Types Of Life Insurance Policies

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

All life insurance policies are either term, whole, or some combination of these two types of policies. However, there are many different forms that life insurance can take, even within these types.

Universal life insurance allows you to adjust the premium and policy amount to what you feel you need.

For someone who wants to have control over the financial and investing aspect of their insurance, the variable life insurance policy will be the best option.

So what’s a term life insurance policy?

The term life insurance policy provides insurance protection for a particular period of time. The term may be extended to 5, 10, or 20 years. When the term ends the policy also expires without any benefits and without any saved or accumulated cash value. But if you die during this term then the death benefit will be paid. The term insurance policy can be said as insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.?

Usually the premiums on the term insurance are not that big, but as you grow older you will have to pay more. So considering the profits a term life insurance policy is more economical when bought at a younger age along with a longer term. Even though the short term renewable policies are substantially lower when people are young, it will be highly expensive when purchased after middle age.

Below is an example of premium costs on an annual renewable term insurance policy. The policy in the example has a $200,000 death benefit, and the annual premiums are by age. Remember that these are only examples, to help illustrate how rates can change with age.

$300 / year age 35

$900 / year age 50

$2,500 / year age 65

Now we shall see what is a Whole Life Insurance Policy.

Whole life is the most common type of life insurance. The policy remains in effect until you die or reach age 100, assuming you pay the scheduled premium. Whole life insurance is also known as ‘ordinary life’ or ‘permanent’ insurance. They feature level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a high degree of safety. Whole life insurance has a guaranteed cash value, through which a living benefit is built. Because of this, the owner can access the cash for emergencies, or use it as a supplement to retirement income if necessary.

Whole life insurance includes both insurance and savings: whole life policies are often used in long-term financial planning. The level premiums of whole life policies also mean that the premium will never change. This gives you the peace of mind of always knowing how much your premium will be; it will not increase as you grow older.

There are different risks involved for companies which provide whole life insurance policies and those which offer auto policies, for example. With an auto policy the insurance company hopes the policyholder will be a safe driver and never be in an accident. On the other hand, when an insurance company issues a whole life policy it knows it will someday have to pay the claim.

The internet has made researching and comparing different life insurance companies very easy. By doing your research online, you can ensure that you have the best policy at the best premium to meet your needs. It’s also a good idea to see how the companies you’re researching are rated with the Better Business Bureau. Also be sure to check each company’s financial stability before you sign up for a policy. If you work to get all the information you need before buying, it will be very easy to get the best possible life insurance policy online.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

Covering Your Debts With Life Insurance

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Most average people don’t have enough money saved up to pay for a burial and a funeral let alone a burial and a funeral due to an unexpected early death. Many people take the path of life insurance to help their families avoid having to pay for a funeral and burial as well as other bills that may surface. Life insurance is able to pay for not only the burial and the funeral but many other bills that will arise after your death. The biggest problem is that your debts may be passed on to your family and life insurance can help prevent this.

Usually people consider getting life insurance to help their family avoid having to pay for a funeral. Normally a funeral will cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars which is more than most people have in their savings account. Many life insurance policies cover the costs of the funeral and even more. This of course depends on the size of the policy that you have chosen. You will have to be picky when it comes to choosing such a policy as not all policies are as good as they may seem at first. Some policies are term life insurance policies that will terminate after a period of time, the term. Although they usually cost less they usually don’t cover as much as other policies.

They will also terminate the policy after a certain amount of time. Individuals that are older that have used plans such as these have a hard time finding an affordable plan as they become a higher risk for the company by being older. Therefore you should ensure that your original plan will cover you until you have passed.

After the funeral costs have been paid for a life insurance policy may have money left over. If there’s extra money left over it should be first used for any outstanding debts that you still have. This is because credit companies will take your debts and put them on your spouse or children (if they are of legal age). Since this is not illegal your family will be faced with your debts and may get their credit damaged if they are unable to pay them off. To avoid this, you should have a plan that will have a large enough payout to your family to cover the cost of your funeral, medical bills, and debts.

After you’ve factored in your debts you will also want to factor in any money that you want for an inheritance. This inheritance will be split among the listed beneficiaries. If you want different amounts to go to different beneficiaries then you should specific this in your plan and will.

Otherwise your family may have to use the inheritance money to cover the costs of the medical bills rather than have it for themselves. As long as you plan it out ahead of time and take the time to search for life insurance plans you should have no problem finding a life insurance plan that will meet your family’s needs.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Life Insurance Policies And Your Rights

Friday, August 13th, 2010

It?s important to know how your rights will affect you and your family when it comes to life insurance. You will want to understand your rights so that you can purchase a life insurance policy that will fit you and your family?s needs. You should remember that it?s easier to find a policy than it is to try to change one.

The rights you have when it comes to life insurance are related to the type of insurance that you get. The most known type of life insurance is whole life insurance. This insurance provides your family with a monthly rate of money until the total is paid out. The other main type of life insurance is term life insurance. This type of insurance has lower premium rates however it expires after a certain number of years.

Both types of life insurance are protected by the free look period under state law. In every state you will be entitled somewhere between 10 and 30 days to cancel your policy if you don?t like the terms and agreements. You should review the policy and make sure you understand what everything means. If you decide that you no longer want the policy then you can cancel it by the final day by returning the papers with a written statement that says that you?re canceling your policy. The company is then forced to refund anything you?ve paid them and void your contract.

This free look period is especially important if you?re a busy person or just don?t understand all of the fine print. While life insurance policies are supposed to be easy to read they may not be and you may have to take your policy to your lawyer to have him decode it for you. You should also note that the free look period changes based on what state you?re in. While some states offer 30 days some only offer 10. Make sure that you mark this number down so that you don?t forget to cancel your policy if you decide not to stick with it.

Understand that it will be harder for you to get life insurance down the road if you decide to get term life insurance now. Since older individuals are not expected to life as long they are usually subject to higher rates. It usually costs a fair amount of money but you can arrange the payouts and monthly payments to your liking. Also if you?re an older individual looking for life insurance then you should consider offering an initial lump sum of money to the insurance company. This will not only lower your monthly payments but it will help you get a policy with that company. Educate your family so that they know that they may be able to negotiate the payment policy even after you?ve passed away.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover website.

Life Insurance VS A Retirement Policy

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

There are too many people who have insufficient retirement packages offered from their jobs and their security for financial well being is compromised for their old age. Some people do not have any type of retirement package and will be forced to live off of their social security payments. Social security alone is not enough for anyone to live the lifestyle they were accustomed to while working. Many people will be forced to sell their homes and their value of living will decrease incredibly.

When you hear about a life insurance policy you automatically assume it is only to be used for death benefits. The fact is that many life insurance policy pay out retirement benefits that are tax free. You can find the policy with mutual funds, stocks or bonds, and even with cash from your bank account.

Death benefits are important but having a proper retirement package that offers peace of mind after you stop working is a top priority for most people. The policies can be customized to pay out specific amounts for a specific period of time after retirement or to pay out from the cash reserves over a period of a lifetime. The payments are not counted as income from the government and this will act as a huge advantage for most people.

You can use the benefits packages in many ways. You can borrow cash amounts from the policies or have annual payments made, each will have pros and cons to their methods.

Money that is accumulated in a life insurance retirement policy will be able to be withdrawn at retirement age without paying tax or taking any penalties. If you are using an IRA for retirement you can expect payments to be made to you but you will have that amount taxed as income. The tax free money is a huge advantage to the life insurance retirement policy.

You have to be careful if you are borrowing cash from a retirement policy such as an IRA to avoid the taxes on the money. If the policy terminates you will have to pay huge capital gains tax on any amount you paid over the premium cost for the life of the policy. For someone who has been paying on a policy for 40 years or more and adding extra income this taxable amount could be astounding. Having the policy terminate at age 80 and finding out you have to pay this money in taxes can put you in the poor house.

You may have been shown a great retirement package from the agent you bought the policy from and then find out when you retire it is less than what it should have been. The rates change and if you had a great rate at the time of purchase and they have since fell you will not have the benefits you once though. With a standard retirement package you may be able to have more security in knowing what your benefits will be but they will be taxable and you have less chance to increase them over time. With the insurance policy you can add as much cash to your policy as you wish and you will never be taxed on your payments after retirement but you do have a slightly larger risk involved with your money.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Getting Life Insurance If Your Are HIV Positive

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Life insurance is an important part of planning for your future. If you have dependants or loved ones who rely on you for their financial well being then life insurance can offer you a peace of mind and some comfort knowing they will be taken care of after your death. Finding out you are HIV positive can be stressful enough but when you try to obtain a life insurance policy it can create more stress when you are rejected on the spot. There are way to protect your loved ones after you pass away, some insurance companies will offer burial costs to you but very seldom will you be offered lump sum payments.

You may have life insurance policies already in place and you should locate them and start reviewing them to see if they include any riders. Your employer may have a life insurance policy included in your employment package or you could have one that is linked to your home mortgage. Any existing policies should be kept active and be very careful not to allow them to terminate or lapse, upon doing so you may find that you cannot get them back with your HIV status.

You may have social security benefits available to you and by visiting your local social security office they will be able to explain if you do and give you the amount in which will be paid. You can make any changes that are necessary concerning your beneficiaries at the office during your visit as well.

If you need more information on your current death benefits or need help in selecting your beneficiaries an attorney can be helpful. You can have any questions answered that you might be confused about as well as make any changes to your will with their assistance.

Your employers human resource department can be extremely helpful in assisting with finding any available programs or life insurance policies that are part of their employment package. Several employers have a group life insurance policy program that is automatically extended to their employees and will require no pre qualification or underwriting to be accepted. The policies pay out a percentage of your wages to the beneficiaries you name on the policy at the time of your death. If you are not on this policy and it is available the human resource department will assist in getting you started.

If your job does not offer any type of life insurance policy with the employment benefit package you might consider finding a job that will. You could possibly earn less and you may not be doing what you were trained to do but having the peace of mind that your loved ones will be cared for is worth it.

Your HIV AIDS counselor will also be able to help with finding you programs or life insurance companies that may be able to assist you in your search for peace of mind. There are several insurance companies that are now accepting clients that are HIV positive because of the great results the AIDS medications has on their life span.

Here are guaranteed life insurance policies available through certain companies and they will insure anyone, even the terminally ill. The pay outs will be much less in most cases it will only cover the cost of a funeral and the premiums will be much higher than a standard policy.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.