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Life Insurance Basics

Although you purchase life insurance for yourself, your dependents are the ones who typically benefit from it. The primary purpose of life insurance is to enable your dependents to protect the family home should you die. The proceeds from life insurance policies, referred to as the death benefit, provide the financial resources for the family home to continue to run as closely to normal as possible.

Additionally, the proceeds from life insurance policies are often essential to replace the income that is lost by the death of a loved one. The money that is realized from life insurance enables the family to repay any debts that have accumulated.

Term life insurance provides this protection for a specific amount of time. The term varies according to the policy and the provider. Typically, the policy is renewable upon the conclusion of a term. Terms can last for as little as one year and as long as twenty years.

The premium due on a term policy generally varies according to the individual’s age. Typically, the premium is a lesser amount in the earlier years of the policy. This is usually helpful to individuals who are younger and have a large amount of debt. The lower premium allows the individual to acquire a larger policy with a greater amount of coverage for what amounts to an affordable cost.

Permanent insurance policies go by several different names including whole, universal, variable, ordinary, and adjustable. Permanent life insurance policies are designed to last for a long time. As long as the premium is paid, the policy stays in effect. If you don’t intend to hold onto the life insurance policy for a long time, it might be better for you to go with term insurance.

Many whole life policies feature a cash value. This is also referred to as a cash surrender value. In the event that the policy holder needs some ready cash and decides to turn in his policy, he can redeem it for the cash value that it has earned to date.

In order to determine which type of life insurance policy is best for you, consider your needs. Are you getting the policy to cover household expenses for remaining family? Do you want the policy to enable your spouse to raise your children in the family home in the event of your death? Do you want a term life insurance policy to be in effect simply to pay off your debts should you die? Think about these and other questions before deciding which policy is the right one for you.
 
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NOTE: Information contained on this website is general in nature and may not be relevant to your individual personal and financial circumstances. The material does not represent any recommendation, legal or taxation advice. You should obtain professional advice before doing anything in reliance on this information or opinions. Please refer to the Product Disclosure Statements of individual insurers before deciding to purchase any financial product mentioned on this website.
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