Jun 15 2011

What Factors Determine Term Life Insurance Rates

Term life insurance policies provide a limited coverage period, which is determined by the policy owner. Term life insurance rates are actually the cheapest form of life insurance, but there are different rates for different people. This is because once the term of the policy is up you dont receive any payout from the policy. If you take out life insurance at a young age, you will get much better term life insurance rates than if you wait until you are older.

The total cost of your term life insurance rates can be tricky. Some term life insurance policies appear to cost more, but may, in fact, be cheaper when you look at the total cost of the term life insurance policy. For example, annual renewable policies increase your premiums every year and thus may appear to be more expensive than level term policies where the premiums never increase (although the initial premiums for a level term policy will be higher). But, in fact, level premium policies may involve higher costs over the policy’s full term, and become particularly expensive when you try to renew your policy at the end of the term. This is why you do have to compare term life insurance quotes.

Some of the factors that influence your term life insurance rates are:
Whether or not you smoke. Tobacco users are twice as likely to die as non﷓tobacco users while they are insured. Life insurance companies take this into account when they set their premium and cash benefits levels. You can save from 20% to 30% on premiums by quitting smoking.

Medical Record. If you have a terminal illness, it is unlikely that any life insurance company will issue a policy. In the case of heart disease, you will get a policy but your rates will be high

Occupation. if you work in a dangerous occupation, such as working on a ship that carries gas, this will put you into a higher bracket when it comes to getting rates for term insurance. You will have to shop around to compare term life insurance quotes if you are in this category.

Term life insurance rates vary a lot, and you can do something about your premiums by taking some decisions to become more healthy, like giving up smoking.

Jun 01 2011

What Can Globe Life Insurance Do For Me?

Globe life insurance offers adults term life insurance coverage with no medical exam required. Your coverage can never be reduced or cancelled due to your health or occupation. Globe Life Insurance offers people age 78 or under up to 30,000 of term life insurance with no exam required.
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Many individuals and couples choose Globe Life Insurance protection because it’s fast, easy and very affordable. Globe Life offers a 30﷓day money﷓back guarantee, for return of life insurance premium, which is unusual for a life insurance company to offer. This fact in addition to no medical exam life insurance lets you get the life insurance you need with no health questions asked.

With Globe Life Insurance you apply online and get approved in 5 minutes. Can you imagine that 1 starts your term life insurance coverage? This life insurance company has more than 2.5 million satisfied policyholders. This is not surprising due to the return of life insurance premium and no medical exam life insurance clauses that it contains in its life insurance policies.

No matter what stage of life you are in, Globe Life Insurance has a plan that is suited for your needs. Globe offers affordable life insurance policies for individuals and families all across the country. And now, you can apply right on﷓line. Just view the information and choose what you are looking for, then you set the pace on how to apply for the life insurance you need.

Now more than ever, it is important for people to prepare for the future ﷓﷓ especially people with families or added financial responsibilities. One way to prepare for tomorrow is to purchase Globe life insurance. There is no medical exam and the premiums are very affordable. What have you got to lose? With over 50 years experience in selling life insurance policies of different kinds, Globe is one of the top-rated companies in the country allowing you to purchase life insurance policies for your children as well as yourself protection for everyone in the family.

Apr 27 2011

Term Life Insurance – Save Money the Smart Way

Term life insurance is the easiest type of life insurance to understand. To put it simply, the insured person pays a minimal premium per thousand pounds of coverage on an annual, semi annual, quarterly or monthly basis. If he or she dies within the term of the policy, the life insurance company will pay the beneficiary the face value of the policy.

Distinctive Features of Term Life Insurance

To better understand some of the distinctive features of term life insurance consider the following points:

First, term life insurance is “pure insurance” because when you purchase a term insurance policy you are only buying a “death benefit”. Unlike with other types of “permanent insurance” such as whole life, universal life, and variable universal life, there is no additional cash value built up with this kind of policy. Term insurance only gives you a specific death benefit.

Second, the coverage is for a defined period of time (the “term”) such as 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, and so on. Once the policy is in force, it only remains in force until the end of the term — assuming you pay the premiums, of course.

Third, most term insurance policies are renewable at the end of the term. With what is known as “Level Term Life Insurance”, the death benefit remains the same throughout the term of the policy, but since the insured person is getting older, the premium will gradually increase. As time goes by the cost of a level term insurance policy may become greater than you are willing to pay for a simple death benefit. An alternative is the “Decreasing Term Life Insurance” policy in which the premium remains the same, but the death benefit goes down as time goes by.

Fourth, most term policies can be converted to permanent policies within a specific number of years. If you decide it is important to retain the insurance coverage, converting may be something you should plan for. You can anticipate the accelerating cost of term insurance premiums and convert your policy before the premiums become prohibitively high. It is true that in the short term the premium will usually be higher than if you stayed with the term policy. But over the long term this difference will decrease because of the rapid acceleration of the term insurance premium as you get older. A permanent policy also accumulates cash value which increases the total death benefit paid to your beneficiary.

Popular Uses of Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is most appropriate whenever you want to protect your beneficiaries from a sudden financial burden as the result of your death. Here are some of the most common uses of term life insurance.

Personal Costs Due to Death – When a spouse or family member dies there will be immediate costs. Many people purchase a relatively small term life insurance policy to cover these costs.

Mortgage Insurance – Banks and financial institutions often insist that mortgage holders retain a term life insurance policy sufficient to pay out their mortgage. Such policies make the bank the beneficiary of the policy. If the mortgage holder should happen to die before the mortgage is paid off, the insurance policy will pay it out. This is also a great benefit to a spouse whose earning power will likely be decreased due to the death of his or her partner.

Business Partner Insurance – Term insurance is also used by business people to cover outstanding loans with their bank, or to purchase a deceased partner’s shares on death, if they had an agreement to do so. Most partnerships have an agreement of this sort, and the policy premiums are paid by the business.

Key Person Insurance – When a company loses key individuals due to death, this can often result in hardship to the company. Key person insurance is purchased by the company for any individual it deems to be “key”. The company itself is made the beneficiary of the policy. So when a “key” person dies, the company receives a cash injection to handle the problems associated with replacing that person.

Getting a Term Life Insurance Quote

Here are some things to look for when getting a quote for term life insurance:

1. The cheapest rate today will not be the cheapest rate tomorrow. For instance, the cheapest premium today will likely be for a Yearly Renewable Term policy. This policy is renewed every year at which time your premium is also adjusted upwards. This is fine if you intend to convert to a longer term solution (permanent insurance) in a year or two, or if you have a very short term requirement for insurance. But if you think you will need this insurance for a longer period, you would be better to commit to something like a Ten Year Term Policy. This locks your premium and death benefit in for ten years. Your rates will not increase until you renew.

2. Compare coverage and premium projections for different policies. Think about the long term and get the coverage that saves you money in the long run.

3. Make sure you completely understand the conversion options built into the different policies you are considering. Most policies will let you convert part or all of your term insurance into permanent insurance within a specific period of time, and without the need of a medical examination.

4. For some situations you should consider options such as Decreasing Term Life Insurance in which the death benefit decreases as time goes by. This makes sense if the policy is being used to cover a mortgage or business loan.

Term life insurance is not the answer to all life insurance requirements, but it should be part of a sound plan for every person’s financial future.

Mar 02 2011

Should Your Life Insurance Policy Be Written In Trust?

According to one of the largest UK life insurance companies, just 1% of life policies are written in trust. That is disgraceful and reflects poorly on the financial industry.

Let’s explain.

If your life insurance policy is Written in Trust then, in the event of a claim, the insurance company pays out directly to the beneficiaries you name on the policy. The significance of this is easily missed.

It means that if the policy is Written in Trust, the proceeds from the policy never form part of your legal estate and are not subject to Inheritance Tax. The importance of this is illustrated by the following figures:

Take Mr A. He’s a widower and wants to leave everything equally to his two sons. He owns his home which is currently worth 245,000 with a 10,000 outstanding mortgage. His investments are valued at 52,000 and his car and other chattels are worth 18,000. He also owns a life insurance policy for 100,000 which is not written in trust. We assume that the costs of administering his estate and obtaining probate would be 5,000.

If Mr A were to die now, his estate would be worth 400,000 less Inheritance Tax. Inheritance Tax is currently levied at 40% on the value of his estate over and above 275,000 that means that the taxman will walk off with 50,000 and his sons would each receive 175,000.

Now lets assume exactly the same figures except that in this case the life insurance policy is Written in Trust with Mr A’s sons as equal beneficiaries. Because the life insurance company pays out directly to his sons, they each receive 50,000 straight away and non of the money is included in Mr A’s estate. This means that his estate is now worth 300,000 and the taxman can only walk away with 10,000. Each of his sons receives 20,000 more and tax-free!

So simply by signing a few forms, Mr A saves 40,000 tax!

Is there a catch? No all the documentation is standard and is provided totally free of charge by the life insurance company. Your broker through whom you buy the policy, should complete the documentation for you, again free of charge. All you have to do is give the details of the beneficiaries to the broker and sign the form. Solicitors are not required. In the event of a claim, the life insurance company then has to pay out directly to the beneficiaries. Job done! Poor Mr Taxman!

Even if your policy is designed to repay a mortgage, it should be Written in Trust for your partner. Then, rather than your estate receiving the money and using it pay off the mortgage, the money can be paid directly to your partner. This saves legal delays, solicitor’s and probate fees and loads of hassle. Your partner can then use the money to personally pay off the mortgage. Whether this also saves you Inheritance tax will depend on the value of your estate and how you have structured your Will.

So we believe that a life insurance policy Written I Trust is a win win situation. And there aren’t many of those around these days! We can’t see any drawbacks.

Bye the way, no matter what you decide to do, always ensure that you have an up-to-date Will.

Feb 02 2011

All About Life Insurance Settlements

Life insurance settlements refer to the amount of money your beneficiary receives after you die. The life insurance company pays the settlement based on the amount you have paid for with the premiums of the policy. Life insurance settlements are usually only paid out after your death and there are several types of life insurance policies you can choose from.

Term life insurance pays out the life insurance settlements only if you die during the term of the policy. You can choose 5, 10, 15, and 20-year policies and it is even possible to get a 30 year life insurance with this type. Whole life insurance on the other hand covers you for your whole life and the settlement is paid out whenever you die.

With changes to the life insurance industry, you can now enjoy life insurance settlements prior to your death. You can sell your policy back to the company for a lump sum settlement at a discounted value. This is particularly good if you find yourself in financial difficulty and the settlement from the life insurance will help you out. With senior life insurance it is also advantageous because the senior may want to cash out the policy and purchase a better one.

It is also possible to get a life insurance settlement of a higher amount. Depending on the policy you choose, you can liquidate an older policy that has added to the value over the years. This puts you in a very good financial situation.

With senior life insurance, the policy provides peace of mind for the older citizens that do not want to burden their families with the cost of funeral expenses. There are usually relaxed requirements and additional benefits as well as having life insurance settlements paid out after their death.

Usually a medical exam is required for senior life insurance and the result of this exam determines the cost of the insurance. There are different premiums for differing amounts of life insurance settlements. If you just want a burial insurance, the life insurance settlement will cover the funeral expenses. This is often the type of life insurance that people with disabilities and terminal illnesses choose. Whatever your circumstances, you cant afford to be without life insurance because of the expenses incurred by those left behind.

Life insurance settlements are an important event, and the reason you take out life insurance.

Jan 26 2011

Life Insurance Rates

Life insurance at the present time is very affordable. Competition in the life insurance market together with the cost savings that life companies are making by operating on the Internet has depressed insurance rates, bringing them down to historic low levels. For a healthy non-smoker in their 20s, life insurance rates can in fact be as cheap as 5 per month!

However, there are many factors that influence the final outcome of the life insurance rates for any one individual. Everything from hereditary diseases to diet will figure and, depending upon the answers that we give to the insurance company, will see our life insurance rates climb higher or drop lower than the average rates for our age.

So, just what factors will affect the insurance rates that a life company will quote for life insurance? Here is a summary of the most important elements to consider: –

Age – The younger you are the lower your life insurance rates; the older you are the higher your insurance rates. Young people are seen overall as less of a risk to the life insurance company than older people. This is because the life company simply anticipates that young people with live longer than older people over a finite time from the current date forward. As a result, young people will contribute a higher number of monthly insurance payments before they die than will older people over the same timescale.

If you’re in your 40s or 50s and lead a very active and healthy lifestyle this age-bias may seem a little unfair. However, given that a 25 year-old may clock up more than fifty years of monthly repayments to reach the age of 75, you on the other hand would only complete twenty-five to thirty-five years worth of repayments to reach the same age. When factored in with the increasing likelihood of death the further we get to our life expectancy limit – so heightening the risk that life companies take on paying out – it is quite easy to see why life insurance rates are bumped up to compensate as we get older.

Smoking – Non-smokers have lower life insurance policy rates than do smokers. In fact, should a smoker quit and then take out life insurance they could save as much as 50% on their insurance rates. If you are thinking of quitting though it is important to check your life insurance policy, as some insurers will not reduce the rates if you quit during the life of the policy, forcing you to change insurance company if you want to benefit from non-smoker rates.

Pre-existing Health Conditions – Hereditary diseases, especially those that run through both sides of the family, may have a significant impact on rates quoted for life insurance. Also, if you are required to attend a medical and are found to be less healthy than the ‘average’ for your age, then insurance rates are likely to be more expensive.

Dec 15 2010

Advantages of a Whole Life Insurance Policy

To begin with, you need to understand that life insurance falls into two very broad categories: Whole and term. The basic difference between term and whole life insurance is this: A term policy is life coverage only.
In whole life insurance policy, as long as one continues to pay the premiums, the policy does not expire for a lifetime. As the term applies, whole life insurance provides coverage for the whole life or until the person reaches the age of 100. Whole life insurance policies build up a cash value (usually beginning after the first year). With whole life, you pay a fixed premium for life instead of the increasing premiums found on renewable term life insurance policies. In addition, whole life insurance has a cash value feature that is guaranteed. In term and whole-life, the full premium must be paid to keep the insurance.

With level premiums and the accumulation of cash values, whole life insurance is a good choice for long-range goals. Besides permanent lifetime insurance protection, Whole Life Insurance features a savings element that allows you to build cash value on a tax-deferred basis. The policyholder can cancel or surrender the whole life insurance policy at any time and receive the cash value. Some whole life insurance policies may generate cash values greater than the guaranteed amount, depending on interest crediting rates and how the market performs. The cash values of whole life insurance policies may be affected by a life insurance company’s future performance. Unlike whole life insurance policies, which have guaranteed cash values, the cash values of variable life insurance policies are not guaranteed. You have the right to borrow against the cash value of your whole life insurance policy on a loan basis. Supporters of whole life insurance say the cash value of a life insurance policy should compete well with other fixed income investments.

Unlike term life policies, whole life insurance provides a minimum guaranteed benefit at a premium that never changes. One of the most valuable benefits of a participating whole life insurance policy is the opportunity to earn dividends. The insurance company based on the overall return on its investments sets earnings on a whole life policy. In addition, while the interest paid on universal life insurance is often adjusted monthly, interest on a whole life policy is adjusted annually. Like many insurance products, whole life insurance has many policy options.

Make sure you can budget for whole life insurance for the long term and do not buy whole life insurance unless you can afford it. You should buy all the coverage you need now while you are younger, and if you cannot afford whole life insurance, at least get Term. That is why whole life insurance policies have the highest premiums it is insurance for your whole life, no matter when you pass on. The level premium and fixed death benefit make whole life insurance very attractive to some. Unlike some other types of permanent insurance, with whole life insurance, you may not decrease your premium payments.

Nov 24 2010

Discount Life Insurance

Life insurance is a type of insurance policy that provides financial security and peace of mind for you, your family and dependants. It is based on the simple principle that should you die during the term of the life insurance policy, the person(s) named in the insurance policy will receive a lump sum or series of payments for the insured amount. If you have a mortgage andor are the main income producer in the family, a life insurance policy will ensure your family’s future is secure as the payment can be configured to pay off all outstanding debts and provide a substantial income for the ones that you leave behind.

Buying life insurance

When buying life insurance it is advisable to shop around for the best discount. Life insurance premiums can vary significantly between life insurance providers, while some providers will even offer discount life insurance, guaranteeing their premiums to be the lowest available on a like-for-like basis. If you want the best discount on your life insurance policy you’ll need to look out for special discount offers run by the insurance providers. This may take some time however, and you’re not guaranteed that the next discount offer that becomes available will be the right type of life insurance policy for your circumstances.

Alternatively, you should instead conduct your search for discount life insurance online.

Online = discount life insurance

Why is it important to look online for discount life insurance you may ask? Well, the reasons are numerous! It’s quick, it’s easy and there is a huge amount of choice available on life insurance policies at the click of your mouse. Best of all though, life insurance policies found online are generally cheaper than those found offline. This is because there are fewer overheads involved in processing an online application form for life insurance than there is when a life insurance company processes a paper-based application. The costs incurred by the life insurance company when they advertise on the Internet are also lower than say if they were to advertise on the TV, radio or via newspapers.

Additionally, portals and web sites that provide a comparison between different life insurance policies, some of which will be discount polices, are certainly worth a visit, especially if they provide access to online application forms. Why are they worth a visit? Well, not only will these portals offer you a selection of the lowest priced discount policies available, but you may also be able to pick up a further discount when buying the life insurance policy through the portal.

Oct 20 2010

Buying Life Insurance? One tip to save you thousands!

Its simple, always have your Life Insurance policy Written in Trust. This may sound technical but it is easy to understand and its so easy to organise.
Written in Trust ensures that in the event of a claim, the policy will pay directly to the beneficiaries you name on the policy when you first take it out. If you do not do this, the policy will payout to your legal estate and this inevitably means that the money stays in your solicitors hands for some time.

Yes, that implies legal delays and, of course, your solicitor takes a small cut!
Then, if the value of your taxable estate exceeds 275,000, and remember your home can easily account for the lion’s share of the 275,000 limit without much difficulty, your estate will have to pay Inheritance Tax. This represents 40% of the estates taxable value in excess of 275,000. So, if your estate has to pay Inheritance Tax and the proceeds of your life policy go to your estate, the taxman gets his hands on 40% of your life policy!
But its so easy to avoid all these problems.

Simply get your policy Written in Trust. Then the life insurance company pays out immediately, directly, and totally tax-free, to the persons you have named on your policy. All you have to do is tell the online brokerage organising your policy that you want your policy Written in Trust and they will automatically sort it out for you.

This advice remains sound even if the policy is designed to pay off your mortgage. Rather than your estate using the insurance payout to pay off your mortgage, the policy can be written in trust and paid to your partner and then he or she can use that money to pay of the mortgage. The benefit? Well if your taxable estate exceeds the IHT threshold the mortgage is effectively paid off tax-free.

The extra good news is that all the brokers weve met will arrange for your policy to be Written in Trust as a free of charge service. So its a win win situation and there arent many of those around these days !

Aug 11 2010

All About Life Insurance Settlements

Life insurance settlements refer to the amount of money your beneficiary receives after you die. The life insurance company pays the settlement based on the amount you have paid for with the premiums of the policy. Life insurance settlements are usually only paid out after your death and there are several types of life insurance policies you can choose from.

Term life insurance pays out the life insurance settlements only if you die during the term of the policy. You can choose 5, 10, 15, and 20-year policies and it is even possible to get a 30 year life insurance with this type. Whole life insurance on the other hand covers you for your whole life and the settlement is paid out whenever you die.

With changes to the life insurance industry, you can now enjoy life insurance settlements prior to your death. You can sell your policy back to the company for a lump sum settlement at a discounted value. This is particularly good if you find yourself in financial difficulty and the settlement from the life insurance will help you out. With senior life insurance it is also advantageous because the senior may want to cash out the policy and purchase a better one.

It is also possible to get a life insurance settlement of a higher amount. Depending on the policy you choose, you can liquidate an older policy that has added to the value over the years. This puts you in a very good financial situation.

With senior life insurance, the policy provides peace of mind for the older citizens that do not want to burden their families with the cost of funeral expenses. There are usually relaxed requirements and additional benefits as well as having life insurance settlements paid out after their death.

Usually a medical exam is required for senior life insurance and the result of this exam determines the cost of the insurance. There are different premiums for differing amounts of life insurance settlements. If you just want a burial insurance, the life insurance settlement will cover the funeral expenses. This is often the type of life insurance that people with disabilities and terminal illnesses choose. Whatever your circumstances, you cant afford to be without life insurance because of the expenses incurred by those left behind.

Life insurance settlements are an important event, and the reason you take out life insurance.