Cheap Insurance Life
Permanent life insurance provides lifetime insurance protection (does not expire), but the premiums must be paid on time. Most permanent policies offer a savings or investment component combined with the insurance coverage. This component, in turn, causes premiums to be higher than those of term insurance. The investment may offer a fixed interest rate or may be in the form of money market securities, bonds or mutual funds. This savings portion of the policy allows the policy owner to build a cash value within the policy which can be borrowed or distributed at some time in the future.
The characteristics of Permanent Life Insurance are: permanent insurance protection, it is more expensive to own; it builds cash value, loans are permitted against the policy; it has favorable tax treatment of policy earnings and it has
level premiums.
There are three basic types of permanent insurance: whole life, variable life and universal life. The two most common are whole life and universal life. Whole life insurance provides lifetime protection, for which you pay a predetermined premium. Cash values usually have a minimum guaranteed rate of interest and the death benefit is a fixed amount. Whole life insurance is the most expensive life-insurance product available. “Universal life insurance separates the investment and the death benefit portions. The investment choices available usually include some type of equity investments, which may make your cash value accumulate quicker. As the you can usually change your premiums and death benefits to suit your current budget”.
Final Tips
• Consider buying a “break point” level of insurance coverage – better premium rates are given at coverage levels of $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000.
• Make sure you obtain an illustration for the policy that you have chosen. If the insurer will not provide you with one, look for another insurance company.
• Always shop for a level-premium policy. Nobody likes a surprise increase in their premium payments! So, before you buy term or permanent insurance make sure your illustration shows that your premium payment is guaranteed not to increase over the duration of your coverage.
• Don’t be sold on permanent insurance for the investment or cash-value feature. For the first two to 10 years, your premiums are paying the agent’s commission anyways. Most policies don’t start to build respectable cash value until their 12th year, so ask yourself if the feature is really worth it.
• Determine your desired duration of coverage so that you purchase the correct type of policy and keep your premium payments affordable. If you only need insurance for 10 years, then buy term. Also, check out multiple-quality insurance companies for their rates.
• Don’t be taken with riders. A very few number of policies ever pay under these riders, so avoid things like the accidental death and waiver of premium riders since they will only jack up your premiums.
• For 24 hours before your medical exam, keep sugar and caffeine out of your system. It’s best to schedule your exam early in the morning, and don’t consume anything but water for at least eight hours beforehand.
• If your premiums are much too high due to medical reasons or you are denied coverage, check if a group plan is available through your company. These group plans require no medical exam or physical.
When seeking insurance, don’t rush into buying expensive permanent life insurance before considering if term life insurance sufficiently meets your needs. Unfortunately, in many cases the fees charged for policies with investment features far outweigh the benefits. When you purchase life insurance, you’re betting that you’ll live, but also securing peace of mind in case you’re wrong. Don’t leave your family unprotected in the sudden event of your death – after all, they are your most important assets.
Cheap Insurance Secrets
Can you find cheap insurance? Yes. You can not only spend less on all types of insurance, but you can get more of the coverages you need for less. Here are a few insider secrets to help you out.
Cheap Life Insurance
– Purchase multiple policies. Instead of buying one large policy, save money by buying two, or even three, and staggering the terms. Have one run until the kids are out of the house, for example, and the other until your retirement fund kicks in.
– Investigate the company. Visit www.naic.org/cis, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners site. It has links to check out companies, including their financial condition, and the complaints filed against them.
– Ask about rebates. Some states allow agents to rebate a portion of their commission to you. Check online or by phone. You don’t have to be from the state to buy insurance there.
Cheap Auto Insurance
Get several quotes, of course. You probably know that having as high a deductible as you can afford will also reduce the rate. Here are some money-saving tips you may not have known.
– Get the legal minimum for liability coverage if you have few or no assets. Many companies try to sell their “company-recommended minimums” on liability, and even pass them off as the legal minimums. Just get the legal minimums. If you have no assets, you’re not a target for a lawsuit.
– Once a year, review your policies. Have a policy review and get new quotes every year or so. If the ticket you had is past the three year mark (or whatever the company thinks is important) they will drop the rate, but not automatically, so ask.
– Remove your kids from your policy. If your kids are at a college that’s more than 100 miles away, you can have them taken off the insurance policy and save a lot of money. You can’t let them drive the car when they come home to visit though.
Other Cheap Insurance Secrets
– Health insurance tip: Find a group to join. If you don’t have health insurance through your employer, join a group that enables you to get a better policy rate. A fraternal organization or the chamber of commerce sometimes have arranged for group policies.
– Home owners insurance tip: Consider higher deductibles. Insurance is for disasters, not small stuff. Plan to pay the first $1000 someday when something happens. In the meantime you’ll save money every year on your policy.
– Credit life insurance tip: Just say no. These policies pay the balance of your auto, home or other loan if you die. If you feel you need it, regular life insurance for the same amount is much cheaper.
Whatever type of insurance you are buying, be sure to get several quotes. Ask questions about every part of the policy, and don’t pay for things you don’t need. Ask about any special discounts you might be eligible for. Asking many questions and really understanding the policy is the key to getting cheap insurance.
A Guide To What to Expect From Your Life Insurance Policy
The average life insurance policy isn’t hard to understand – you take out this kind of policy to basically get life insurance cover to protect your family. So, if you die unexpectedly, the insurer you are signed up with will pay out on the policy to give your next of kin a lump sum or an income according to the terms of your agreement. In most cases you will pay for your life insurance policy on a monthly basis for as long as the policy is in force – the payments here are usually referred to as premiums.
All this may simply be common sense but there are other things you need to know about a life insurance policy before you take one out. For a start it is vital that you read the terms and conditions of any policy before you buy it as this is where you will find all the information that you need to know before you proceed. The terms and conditions will give you an exact idea of what your policy will cover you against and what it won’t.
The fact is that your life insurance policy may not give you fully comprehensive cover unless you ask for it and, in some cases, you may need a special policy. The majority of policies will generally cover you against death by accident or illness, but they will also take your past medical history into consideration before you’ll get cover for everything. So, for example, if you have had an illness in the past then you may well find that your policy won’t cover you for death that relates to this illness. Don’t, however, be tempted to lie about your medical history just to get the cover you need – if you do die and your insurer discovers that you haven’t told them the truth then you’ll invalidate your policy and they won’t have to necessarily make the payment on the policy.
These particular clauses are generally known as exclusions. In most cases the majority of insurers will have the same kind of general exclusions but not all will be exactly the same. So, there are some specialist insurance companies out there, for example, that will be able to give you cover for existing medical conditions in certain circumstances if you do have problems finding a standard insurer that will help you out. These specialist insurers, as you might imagine, may charge you a little extra for being more flexible but the extra cost is usually worth the peace of mind of knowing that you have fully comprehensive cover in place. And, if you shop around for a life insurance policy on the Internet to find the cheapest deal then it’s perfectly possible to get a really good deal even if you do have an existing medical condition or problem.