Life insurance Part One: An Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Ever wonder what may happen in the future to yourself or others close to you and the outcome it may have in the event of a loss?  Life insurance is one best option that protects against one’s loss of life; it can act as a protective aspect for your loved ones or yourself. Life insurance is not a scheme for making money; rather, it’s an investment for the near unpredictable future. 

What is life Insurance?

Life insurance is a contract between you and an insurance company.  Most commonly, after you’ve passed away, your family and loved ones can benefit from this insurance policy.  Your loved ones can use this money to either invest for a better future for their beneficiaries, pay for final expenses, or use it however they may like.

An insurance company performs underwriting on the applicant that will determine the amount after some time in exchange for premiums that the insurance company benefits from.  It’s a give and take relationship established under various conditions.

A question that arises quite a lot now is whether life insurance still pays for suicidal deaths, and yes, they do if the person who commits suicide has purchased it outside of the designated time frame the insurance company finds suitable usually within a few years are the conditions.

If you’ve committed an illegal activity that causes sudden death during your lifetime, then life insurance is useless to you and your beneficiaries. 

Why is life insurance important?

Life is unpredictable, and one needs to think of the future of their children and loved ones all around; life insurance is a smart way of life investment for your loved ones, so hence we can say it is important, who knows what financial crisis a person can be in at what point in their life it’s important to have life insurance as a backup.

Life insurance can play a big part in paying off debts. Half of the world’s population suffers from not paying off debts and accumulating debt throughout their lives, from student loans to bank loans. If an individual dies without paying off their debt, this can cause harm to any family if they decide to claim belongings in their loved one’s estate especially to the family of the poor person, as the debt owed needs to be played off by the years’ worth of life insurance saved.

You’re giving your family a financially stable upcoming future with life insurance a happy and comfortable lifestyle. After retirement, people use their life insurance to pay themselves every month to get by, which is also why insurance can be important.

We all know the time and even money that goes into making cash. You won’t want to contribute to any stock marketing investment when you make money after so much hard work and are finally stable enough. Rather you’d treat your family with love and care and give it out to needy people; insurance can be less susceptible to value fluctuation.

If you have a family business and want reinsurance that it will flourish in your absence there are options for you to take. Your passing away can cause a riot to your company and business. Your employees and business buddies could be thrown into a dried-out crisis because of you. Life insurance can give your business a financial boost if needed, even after your death. 

It’s always better to think five steps ahead and be prepared for the near future’s unexpected event. 

Types of life insurance:

  1. Term life insurance

Term life insurance is the cheapest, most affordable life insurance; it is also the most popular life insurance among all the categories.  Your loved ones can receive the term life insurance money if you suddenly pass away by claiming it, and it can be beneficial as it will be tax-free.   Term life insurance can be renewed for another year ahead, but the only problem is the more time, the more the money. 

  1. Permanent life insurance

If it’s permanent, it’s automatically more expensive; in this case, it’s a lot more expensive than term life insurance, but permanent life insurance can last you till the end of your lifetime.  If you wish to deposit the cash value of your policy before the period is up, you can do so, and from that insurance money, all your pre debts or policy money will be deducted, and the rest will be handed to you. Many people wish to purchase permanent life insurance, but of course, not everyone can afford it, so term life insurance is their first choice. 

  1. Whole life insurance

In addition to permanent life insurance, we have a few other types that come with it, which are also very beneficial first one being the whole life insurance. Whole life insurance has a fixed cash rate, and you can receive the whole life insurance before the time is up with the same cons of having deducted cash for any previously owed money. 

  1. Universal life insurance

Universal life insurance is a tad bit more beneficial than a whole life insurance policy. You can easily make a few alterations to your insurance within a given limit, of course. Your cash will increase depending on the policy type you have chosen in universal life insurance. 

  1. Burial insurance

All the death costs, such as the funeral cost, coffin, etc., are covered with this money. It’s somewhere between 20,000$ to 25,000$ enough to cover them all over the funeral expenses. 

Who is life insurance primarily designed for?

If anything, the last three years have taught us that life is unpredictable; the pandemic has taken a toll on so many lives, from the deaths of many people, and being unemployed and losing their jobs; this teaches us we should be prepared for the future and have a plan for our loved ones.

Investment is an all-around great and smart choice; no certain age set for anyone to invest. 

The younger you start, the more beneficial it will be. When you start at a young age, your premium value is a lot less than if you were to start in your 40s; yes, you read that right, your premium values get locked in after a couple of years till the day you take the insurance money permanently.

We can say that life insurance is primarily for anyone who has a plan for long-term investment and a near-future taste to benefit themselves or their loved ones; life insurance is also for independent single people who lead their lives alone until death. 

Life insurance can help you manage and save taxes and makes sure you are financially stable at the same pace. 

Not saying life insurance should start at a certain age, don’t think you can’t invest after you’ve turned 40 or 50. If you choose the right insurance company to work with, you can make changes to your policy by contacting them, but of course, every change comes at a greater cost depending on what the insurance company requires you to pay out to them.

Best life insurance options

The best life insurance options include companies that can help you secure enough coverage to replace your income. Help the family financially with after-death benefits and settle debts. It can also cover future expenses in the person’s absence, like paying for the children’s education and foster homes.

Permanent life insurance

Permanent life insurance ensures a secure, tension-free, validated future for the family members and all pending affairs or debts that follow the person after death or during sickness life insurance can benefit the person if the expenses are vast and the income is not enough or even in cases where more is required. This can benefit the various generations of the family for ages to come. 

Pros of life insurance

  • Can be updated to whole life insurance
  • Family or beneficiaries will receive huge death payouts
  • Lesser premiums when younger

Cons of life insurance

  • Temporary coverage
  • Needs to be readjusted at the end of the term
  • Tough to qualify if a health issue is met

Why will you need life insurance? 

Lifetime insurance can guarantee a lifetime support system that is beneficial in the long run after retirement or in case of a major mishap in life. Life can turn at any time towards good and just as easily towards the bad, a beneficial insurance system that can support a person in the ups and downs of life, through thick and thin. Life is unpredictable, but insurance is a safe guarantee for a safe and secure life. 

Life insurance drawbacks and when it’s not worth it 

Here is a simple truth, you invest in life insurance your whole life, a chunk of your salary goes into your life in investment so that after your death, the people you live are taken care of and have a source of income, which would’ve been yours if you didn’t pass away the simple harsh but realistic truth. You save so much money your whole life only to die to give it away.

The word insurance doesn’t insure anything. When you invest in life insurance, do it with a mindset you’re not doing it only for yourself at the end of the day. Death can’t be defeated.  You’re doing it to help the others in your life should something happen to you.

When is it ideal for getting life insurance?

The ideal time to buy life insurance is the younger; putting an age on younger doesn’t matter whenever you are financially stable enough to buy an insurance policy is the best time. When you buy it at a young age you have a bit more advantage but nothing too crazy.

Here is a list of 4 ideal times to get life insurance: 

  1. Many people tend to get into adult life after their 30s, but the best time to purchase life insurance is in your 20s. The earliest, the better. 
  2. When you start to support a family of your own or even just your parents or a relative, life insurance is much needed.
  3. If you work a stable job and get to buy lavishly, this is one of the ideal times for investments, whether purchasing businesses or buying life insurance. This will ensure that the rocky and unpredictable life ahead isn’t met with any financial crisis.
  4. Another ideal time in your life to get life insurance is when you’re going to have children or already have children, and your investment needs to be no more than 50$ to 100$ to make sure your family’s life ahead is well planned and set. 

Benefits of getting life insurance

Life insurance can guarantee financial stability for your loved ones in the near future.  As we already know about the two life insurance policies, a quick overview of the two-term policy is a limited time life insurance; let’s say you buy 20-year long life insurance; if you die in that period, the insurance can be claimed, death apart it can be claimed otherwise.

Conclusion

Life insurance is a lifetime support system that can benefit anyone with the will to gain a secure future for themselves and their family. It has various benefits with a few shortcomings, but in the long run, a good and well-thought-out life insurance policy is worth the effort, and the success rate for future generations is immense.