What is Life Insurance?
Life insurance is a type of insurance that guarantees payment of a death benefit to your beneficiaries in the event of your death. It will help secure your family’s financial security after you pass away as the money can be used to pay bills, mortgage payments, and even paying for your child’s college education. It can also be used to cover funeral costs. Some types of life insurance can even be used as a savings and investments plan.
Life insurance differs from health insurance in terms of coverage. It will protect not only you but also your loved ones. The following are some of the reasons to buy life insurance:
- Safety and Security – Make sure your family and loved ones are financially secure long though you’ve passed away.
- Added Value – Some life insurance plans also provide you with the opportunity to earn money. In addition to life insurance, invest in a variety of investment groups that have better risk-adjusted returns.
- Save Tax – Receive dual tax benefits with your annual fee being deducted from your gross income, lowering your tax bill.
- Cheaper Than You Think – Examine all of your insurer’s special offers and you’ll find plenty that you can’t pass up.
- Tax Free – Payments to your beneficiaries are tax-free if you die during the term of the policy.
There are several forms of life insurance you can choose. Life insurance can be very flexible as you can tailor your policies to your specific requirements and budget. You also don’t have to buy something you don’t need. Life insurance can assist you at various stages of your life, including ensuring your children’s education, covering financial costs, obtaining tax benefits, and planning for retirement.
Key Points
- Term life insurance and whole of life insurance are two of the main types of life insurance.
- Some types of life insurance include a cash value amount that functions similarly to a savings or investment account.
- Life insurance can assist you at various stages of your life, including ensuring your children’s education, covering financial costs, obtaining tax benefits, and planning for retirement.
Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance is a form of life insurance policy that covers you for a certain number of years or for a set period of time (usually 20 to 30 years). Hence, the name “term” life insurance. If you pass away during this period, your chosen beneficiaries, such as your children or spouse will receive a payout from your term life insurance policy.
As opposed to permanent life insurance, term life insurance is much more economical because, unlike most forms of permanent insurance, term life insurance has no cash value before you or your partner passes away. The only worth is the policy’s assured death benefit.
The following are some of the benefits of term life insurance:
- Death Benefit – Term life insurance ensures that if you die during the policy’s term time, the beneficiaries will receive a set sum of money.
- Less Costly – Since it only pays out for a set period of time and only provides a death payout, term life insurance is usually the least costly form of life insurance.
- Premium Cost – If you want a lot of coverage at a reasonable price and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have a safety net in case the worst happens, term life insurance is for you.
- Flexible – You can have several choices when it comes to level term life insurance since you can be insured for a year or a month. Auto-renewals are also available if you need to extend for a longer period of time.
- Peace of Mind – Knowing that your loved ones will be financially secure after you pass away will provide peace of mind to the whole family.
Young adults with children are eligible for term life insurance. Parents would be able to provide a large amount of coverage at a reasonable price. When a parent passes away, the large benefit can be used to help make up for the income loss. These plans are also suitable for those that need only a small amount of life insurance for a limited period of time.
Whole of Life Insurance
Whole life insurance is a form of long-term insurance that protects you throughout your life. In addition to paying a death benefit, it has a savings and investment feature that can accumulate cash value. Unlike term life insurance that expires after a certain period of time, whole life insurance is a safe way to protect your loved ones financially without having to worry about policy expiration dates. Your beneficiaries will receive a death payout from your whole life insurance should you pass away.
In return for reliable and consistent on-time premium payments, whole life insurance ensures payment of a death benefit to beneficiaries. In addition to the death benefit, the policy includes a savings feature called “cash value.” Interest would grow tax-deferred in the investment portion and whole life insurance has a growing cash value.
Whole life insurance is a secure option for high-earners or those with long-term financial obligations.
Here’s how you can put your use the payout from whole life insurance:
- Trust Funds – After you pass away, whole life insurance can be used to establish a fund to support your children.
- Taxpaying – If you want to help your heirs cover any inheritance taxes you owe after you die, whole life insurance makes sense.
- Buy-Sell Agreement – If you and a partner own a corporation together, whole life insurance may be used to pay for the purchase of each other’s shares in the company after you die.
- Fixed Benefit for Beneficiaries – When you die, the death benefit is a set sum of money that is guaranteed to go to your heirs or other designated causes.
- Retirement Funds – A whole life insurance policy may be used to supplement retirement income efficiently. You’ll be able to use the money in a tax-advantaged way if you’ve got the policy long enough to build up its cash value.