Before buying life insurance, you should always consider looking through all the details. Below are the frequently asked questions about life insurance policies. They assist with understanding which type of policy to purchase and when you should consider getting a life insurance policy.
Why buy life insurance?
There are many reasons why one would need life insurance. For example, if you’re starting a family or having a baby, you should consider having life insurance. It assists in saving some time and money since you won’t have lots of dependents already.
More reasons why you should consider buying life insurance will entail:
- You have extreme hobbies
- You are in debt
- You are supporting elderly parents financially
- You have a high-risk job
- You work for yourself
- You’re planning ahead
Who should buy life insurance?
Life insurance aims to protect your family and other dependents by awarding them with a death benefit. Besides this, you can use life insurance for tax-free investments or as a wealth-building option. Attaining life insurance assists your dependents with finances after your death. Life insurance is excellent for single-parent families, new families, and established families.
When should I buy life insurance?
Buying life insurance will vary from person to person. However, you can buy life insurance in your twenties. However, there are some factors to consider for you to know if it’s the best time to get life insurance. These include:
- You want a cash value component because holding the insurance longer grows the cash value
- You have financial dependents
Remember that buying the policy sooner will save you money. Life insurance becomes more expensive every year.
What types of life insurance are there?
There are eight types of life insurance. They entail:
- Group life insurance
- Final expense insurance
- Variable universal life insurance
- Variable life insurance
- Indexed universal life insurance
- Universal life insurance
- Whole life insurance
- Term life insurance
There are two main groups of life insurance policies that will make it easier for you to differentiate them. The first is life insurance that lasts for a limited amount of time, and whole life insurance is a permanent policy.
Will I be able to change my life insurance policy after I purchase it?
Yes, you can change your life insurance policy after purchase. When choosing a life insurance policy, it might depend on your financial commitments and situation at the time. Since these can change, you should consider asking your insurer to update the policy or cancel the policy and shop for a better one.
Who will be my beneficiary?
A life insurance policy will require two types of beneficiaries—the primary and contingent beneficiary. The primary beneficiary gets the death benefit upon your death if they can be found. If the primary beneficiary can’t be found, the contingent beneficiary will receive the death benefits.
In case both primary and contingent beneficiaries are absent, the death benefits will be given to your estate. A beneficiary is an entity or person you would like to receive your life insurance policy’s death benefit. They can entail:
- A single person
- A trust or trustee
- Two or more people
- Your estate
- A charity
How much life insurance should I buy?
When choosing how much life insurance you need, you have to consider how much your dependents might need. Therefore, there will be a few factors that you ought to consider when buying a life insurance policy. Some of which might entail income, debt, and insuring others.
However, to make the calculations easier, you should multiply the years left until retirement by your annual salary to know the better purchasing policy. You can as well calculate the amount using the standard of living method. With this, you calculate an approximate amount and multiply it by 20. In return, the beneficiaries will withdraw 5% annually.
Is life insurance expensive?
No, it’s surprisingly affordable. The average cost of a life insurance policy is $44 per month. However, it will vary depending on your age, sex, location, health history, and the type of insurance you opt for.
Buying life insurance
Nowadays, buying life insurance is easier since you won’t have to deal with a salesperson. You can buy life insurance online from reliable dealers. When buying life insurance online, you will come across a few questions about your health and age. After which you can receive quotes from different insurance companies. The advantage of using the internet to purchase a life insurance policy is to compare the different options.