Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Need for Term Life Insurance

By Barbara Olson

Term life insurance provides insurance for a specific period of time. Once that time period is up the person being insured can drop the policy or pay annually increasing premiums to extend the coverage. If the insured should pass away then the beneficiary will receive the death benefit money. In most families the major bread winner will have a term life insurance policy as it can be very damaging to families when the main means of financial support is cut off.

It is always difficult to determine if you should carry term or permanent life insurance. Term life insurance really only offers death benefits such as funeral costs etc, so if you die then it is worth having the policy. If you outlive the policy then it was a waste of money. Permanent life insurance offers both death benefits as well as something like a "savings account". So if you die you will get back at least some of the money you put into the policy. If you only want your policy to last 10 years or less then you should go with term life insurance. If your policy is for 20 years or more then permanent is the best, though permanent life insurance is more expensive then term.

If you are interested in just receiving death benefits then term life insurance is the best option. Term life insurance has monthly or quarterly payments and as long as you do not miss a payment you can make a claim on your policy. For the type of insurance you are receiving term life insurance is the simplest type of insurance.

Term life insurance is available for long time periods at very low prices. You can take out a term policy to cover a specific time, such as the time needed to pay off a loan. Many individuals take out a term policy when a major life change has occurred such as having children or buying a home or taking out a mortgage. You can normally renew your term life insurance policy until your mid eighties.

The main benefit from term life insurance is that you receive large payouts after a short time period. Having term insurance coverage is great if you are carrying debt as it can cover the debt instead of leaving your debt to your nearest relative. No matter why you have taken out the coverage it is a great way to ensure your loved ones are taken care on if something should happen to you. - 15275

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