While most of us do not like to think of the subject of our own death, the fact of the matter is that death is a part of life and in order to protect our families we need to give some thought to the subject of life insurance. The more you understand about life insurance the better you can prepare not only for your final expenses and protect your family.
First, understand there are different types of life insurance. The type that is best for you will depend on a variety of factors including your current age and health condition. The two major types of life insurance policies that you need to concern yourself with are term life insurance and permanent life insurance.
Term life insurance provides coverage for a specified period of time. This type of coverage will usually be less expensive than permanent life insurance. Policy periods are usually divided up into easy periods such as one, ten or twenty years. In the event you die within that time period, the death benefit will be paid to your beneficiaries. On the other hand, if you should reach the end of the time period and you are still alive your protection will end unless you elect to renew the policy. The option of building up cash value is not available with this type of insurance policy.
Individuals who only need temporary life insurance and those who need a large amount of coverage but who cant afford to spend a lot benefit from this type of policy the most.
Permanent life insurance is designed to provide coverage for the duration of your life, although in some cases, the policy may be limited up until a specific age. When you reach that age, the cash value of the policy will be paid to you. Because you are building a cash value with permanent life insurance you can also withdraw from the policy in order to pay for important expenses such as education or home improvement costs. Another major advantage to permanent life insurance is that it allows you to build up cash value that is tax-deferred. This generally only applies while the policy is in force; however.
There are two divisions of permanent life insurance; whole life and universal life. A whole life policy will pay dividends under certain circumstances and also has the advantage of premiums that do not fluctuate.
With a universal life insurance the premium payments can be changed by the owner of the policy. This type of flexibility can be advantageous when you have a life changing event.
Permanent life insurance works well for individuals who are interested in long term insurance and who like the idea of building up cash value with their policy they can use to meet future needs. It is important to recognize this type of insurance is more expensive than term insurance. It should also be noted that if you take out a loan against your policy, your death benefit will be reduced.
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Life Insurance and Life Assurance are not the same!
The average man in the street assumes that Life Insurance and Life Assurance are names for the same form of insurance. How wrong they are! But don’t hang your head in shame, many financial commentators get it wrong too! Life Insurance and Life Assurance perform different financial roles and are poles apart in cost – so it helps to surf for the correct product.
Life Insurance provides you with insurance cover for a specific period of time (known as the policys term). Then, if you were to die whilst the policy is in force, the insurance company pays out a tax-free sum. If you survive to the end of the term, the policy is finished and has no residual value whatsoever. It only has a value if there is a claim in that context its just like your car insurance!
Life Assurance is different. It is a hybrid mix of investment and insurance. A Life Assurance policy pays out a sum equal to the higher of either a guaranteed minimum underwritten by the policy’s insurance provisions or its investment valuation. The value of the investment element is then a reliant on the Insurance Companys investment performance and length of time you have been paying the premiums.
Each year the insurance company adds an annual bonus to the guaranteed value of your life assurance policy and there is normally an extra terminal bonus at the end. Therefore, as the years go by your life assurance policy increases in value as the investment bonuses accumulate. The value of these bonuses are then determined by the insurance companys investment performance. Once investment value has been assigned to the policy, you can cash it in with the insurance company. However, most people get a far better price for their life assurance policy by selling it to a specialist investment broker rather than cashing it in with the insurance company.
If you were to die during a Life Assurance policys term, the policy pays out the higher of either the guaranteed minimum sum or the accumulated value of the annual investment bonuses. However, if you are still living when the policy terminates, you usually get a bigger payout. This is because with most insurance companies, an additional terminal bonus is awarded.
There is a also a specialised form of life assurance called “Whole of Life”. These policies remain in force for as long as you live and as such, have no preset term.
There is also a practical difference for the internet user. Whereas you can buy life insurance online, the Financial Services Authority view life assurance as fundamentally an investment product. As such they believe it is best suited to being sold by a Financial Adviser with advice based on the Advisors full understanding of your personal details. Therefore, you will be unable to buy life assurance online. However, you can use the internet to find a suitable financial adviser with whom you can meet and discuss your requirements.
What are Life Insurance polices and Life Assurance policies used for?
Life Insurance is usually a focal point of the family’s financial protection. It is ideally suited to ensure that known debts such as a mortgage, are repaid in full in the event of the policyholders death.
When it comes to providing a lump sum for general use in the event that the policyholder were to die whilst the policy was in force, either life insurance or life assurance can be used. The differences are that with life insurance the size of payout would be preset whereas with life assurance it would depend on the guaranteed minimum and the insurance company’s investment performance. But remember, at the end of the policy’s term life insurance is worthless, whereas life assurance should payout a sizeable investment sum. In this context Life Assurance seems far more worthwhile but in practice more people elect for life insurance. Why? It’s a matter of cost. Life Insurance is considerably cheaper than Life Assurance. Furthermore, in recent years, investment returns on Life Assurance policies have fallen significantly and many insurance companies have placed penalties for cashing in policies early. This has adversely affected the resale value of Life Assurance policies.
Finally, if you want a product to provide a lump sum on your death whenever that is with a minimum payout guaranteed, you’ll probably elect for Whole of Life insurance. It’s really a form of lifetime investment with the benefit of a guaranteed minimum. They’re particularly useful for Inheritance Tax Planning.
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