Why should I buy life insurance?
Life insurance is designed to replace your income and provide your family
with financial security in the event of an unfortunate accident or terminal
illness. In the event that you should pass on, it should cover both immediate
and long-term expenses. For example, you should consider questions like
how your mortgage will get paid or your children's college expenses will
get funded. What about your outstanding credit card debt or even your
final burial expenses? All of these are important considerations and must
be factored in to your plans.
What is term vs. permanent insurance?
Term life insurance is an inexpensive way to cover you and your loved
ones for a specific period of time or term. The length of coverage is
one year or more, with typical policy terms issued for 10, 15, 20, 25
and 30 years. With term insurance, you will receive a death benefit only
if you die while you are insured. Permanent life insurance is any policy
other than term. This type of life insurance can be much more expensive
and usually grows in cash value while term carries no cash value other
than the death benefit. One common form of permanent insurance is whole
life.
What is the correct term length for me to purchase?
What is guaranteed level term vs. renewable term?
With guaranteed level term insurance, the policy premiums are guaranteed
to remain constant (level) for the entire term of the policy as long as
the policy remains in force. Renewable term insurance allows the holder
the opportunity to renew coverage at the end of the term without presenting
evidence of insurability, however, the premiums may increase at the time
of renewal.
How much insurance should I buy?
If something unfortunate happens to you, life insurance is designed to
replace that lost income. It needs to be able to cover both immediate
and long-term expenses. There are two methods that can help you calculate
the amount of insurance you should buy. Estimates range from 8 to twenty
times your yearly income. Generally speaking the younger you are, the
more life insurance you should have. As an example, it's recommended that
someone between the ages of 18 - 30 with an income of $50,000 should carry
15 to 20 times their salary or $750,000 to $1,000,000. While the general
guideline for someone between the ages of 51-65 should consider a policy
8 to 10 times his or her income. For someone in that age profile earning
$50,000 an insurance policy worth $400,000 to $500,000 would be appropriate.Please
use our free calculator by clicking here.
The other way to calculate an appropriate level of life insurance is
the needs based method. Using this procedure you would analyze what you
want your policy to cover, taking into consideration basic living expenses,
assets like your home or investments, and liabilities like your mortgage
or credit card debt.
How much will term life insurance cost?
Cost is dependent on numerous factors, including a potential policyholder's
medical history, height, weight, family health background, age, and in
some cases, careers. Generally speaking, with all factors being equal,
younger people will have lower rates than older people. The best way to
investigate costs is to get quotes from multiple carriers.
Should I insure my spouse? My children?
In most families both husband and wife have life insurance coverage.
Even if only one spouse is employed, the loss for a family of either parent
can cause hardship due to lost work hours, increased childcare costs,
and a change in household expenses. Children may be insured to establish
eligibility for life insurance in later years and to cover expenses incurred
by an untimely death.
What companies do you represent?
We only represent companies that are financially sound and have received
a rating of A or higher from AM Best.
How do I know the insurance company I select is financially stable?
In selecting an insurance company it's important to consider that you
are making a commitment of up to 30 years. You expect the insurance company
to do the same. You want a financially stable company that will be able
to provide you coverage for the entire term. Various companies, including
Standards & Poor's, Moody's, Fitch, and AM Best rate insurers financial
states. These ratings indicate an insurance company's ability to provide
service for the long-term. It's suggested that consideration be given
to companies rated A or higher.
How do I know I am getting the best price?
You'll discover the best price for the amount of insurance you need by
requesting quotes from multiple companies with similar ratings.