Life insurance protects your loved ones financially in the event of your death. There are various types of life insurance policies. An important part of purchasing a policy or any product would be first finding out the difference between them and buying the one that suits you best.
A few types of life insurance policies are as follows.
1. Term insurance: As its name suggests it is only good for a certain period of time. It is the simplest form of insurance, and is usually the most inexpensive form of life insurance. Here you get coverage for a particular period of time which is your term. This term could be 10, 20 or 30 years and can be renewed after the term expires. This type of policy does not have any cash value; the only way your family will get anything is if you die within the term. Every year a premium has to be paid, this covers the risk of death in that year. In the event of your death your beneficiary gets the money without any income tax.
2. Whole life: This type of life insurance is similar to term insurance but comes with a slight variation. In this case the policy covers your whole life and not just a particular period. The premiums that you have to pay will remain same through out the life of the policy. Some part of the premium gives cash value. You can borrow up to 90% of your policy’s cash value that too free of tax.
3. Universal life: This insurance policy comes with the advantage of higher earnings on savings. It is similar to whole life insurance, with only slight differences. It is very flexible in terms of premium; they can be increased or decreased as and when required. These policies offer a guaranteed return on cash back value. This policy has a drawback, the fees is usually very high.
4. Variable life: This policy is generally characterized by fixed premium. It also provides control over your policy’s cash value. Your cash value is invested as per your desires. If your investment choices are good then your cash values and death benefits will rise and vice versa. You must also keep in mind that fees for such policies may be even greater than the fees for universal life policies.