Term Life Insurance Definition

Term Life insurance has been with us for a long time. It is the least expensive of all the life insurance policies. Term life insurance is life insurance that provides protection for the named insured over a stated period of time. That is what differentiates it from other forms of life insurance. Term insurance has no equity or cash value accumulation and so it is primarily purchased for the security provided by the death benefit. There are three basic forms of term life insurance.

1. Decreasing Term ? This policy is most commonly associated with mortgage protection insurance. The face amount decreases over a stated period of time. A thirty year mortgage for a homeowner is appropriately insured by a thirty year decreasing term policy for the same mortgage amount. The mortgage balance and the term policy decrease at about the same rate and so the homeowner can be assured that his home will be paid for whether he or she lives or dies.

2. Level Term ? Level term insurance also provides protection for a specific time period. The face amount remains level throughout the stated period. This policy is often purchased for short term debt or intermediate term debt. You can purchase 5, 10, 15 and 20 year term policies from most insurance companies.

3. Annual Renewable ? This form of term insurance is the least recognized of all term policies. It provides a level amount of insurance but the premium increases each year at the policy renewal date. The premiums can be very low at first but can escalate into very high premiums as the insured gets older.

All of these term life insurance policies have there advantages but the common denominators that give term life insurance its definition remains the same. The policy is always for a stated period of time and there is no equity or cash value accumulations. Those two features define term life insurance.

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When Should You Choose Term Insurance Instead of Whole Life Insurance?

“Different strokes for different folks.”

When it comes to life insurance, it’s important that you keep that saying in mind.

Most people are familiar with “whole” life insurance. This is the kind of insurance where you will get back a certain amount of money when it “matures” at the end of the insured period.

What you may not know is that there is another form of life insurance called “term” life insurance.

Similar to whole life insurance, when you get a term life policy, you pay a sum of money (the “premium”) to the insurance company, and in exchange the company promises to pay out a certain amount of money should you die during the period for which you are covered under the policy.

In other words, you are buying insurance coverage for a certain period of time.

But unlike whole life insurance, you will not get back any money at the end of the insured period when you buy term insurance.

You may be saying to yourself, “But won’t I be throwing money down the drain? After all, I won’t get back a single penny after the insured period!”

Hey, I understand how you feel. But rest assured that term insurance is still a very idea, and I highly recommend that you use it to your advantage.

So, why should you still consider term insurance?

Well, one advantage of term insurance is that it’s cheap. In fact, for the same amount of insurance coverage, the premium for a term policy is only a small fraction of the whole life policy’s premium.

And this is why term policies are a great way for you to make sure you are sufficiently covered. If you’ve never checked out the premiums of a term life insurance, I highly suggest that you go do it soon. You’ll be surprised at how cheap it is to bump up the insurance coverage for yourself!

Plus, you can use the money you save from the lower premiums to invest in some other areas that can potentially generate higher returns for you. This strategy is generally known as “buy term and invest the difference”, and it’s something I recommend that you take into consideration as you do your financial planning.

Copyright 2006 Ethan Lewis

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No Load Term Life Insurance

Have you ever heard the term load and no load in the financial service industry? The loading of an insurance product usually always involves the agent?s commission and the company?s expenses. Some policies have what they call front end loads and back end loads. These loads are normally associated with permanent insurance policies. The cost of doing business is all wrapped up in the loading of a policy. No load term life insurance is probably the least expensive form of life insurance in the market. You often wonder what makes one company so much cheaper than the other and it usually has to do with the type of goods and services provided. Those goods and services are what make up the loading aspect of the life insurance policy. The no load term life insurance policy usually indicates that you are primarily purchasing direct from the insurance company and with little or no professional advice or opinion.

The life insurance professional is still very important to a great number of people. Buying life insurance direct from a company without an agent may be less expensive but it also may leave you wanting when it comes to professional counseling and service. Term life insurance is very simple and so the purchase of term life insurance may be something that you can handle on your own without a professional. These are individual choices and preferences that each of us must decide upon before we buy life insurance.

Term life insurance is inexpensive to begin with and so researching the market place for a no load product may or may not have a major affect on the premium. Ask about loading when you shop for term life insurance. You may be surprised at what you learn about the insurance companies and how they come up with their rates. It will also help you when you inevitably begin to shop for permanent life insurance.

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3 Ways Your Life Insurance Company Is Scamming You

Although it makes sense to get in touch with a life insurance company to cover your dependents in the eventuality of your untimely death, there are integrity issues surrounding the insurance companies and agents. Broadly there can be 3 ways your life insurance company is scamming you. We have enlisted them for your benefit.

Selling Coverage that you don?t need!
The insurance companies thrive on the fact that most people don?t understand their life insurance needs. With standard products, they try to sell you coverage that you might not need, but, which are lucrative for them. The insurance agents expedite the process so that you skip the fine print and sign up for a coverage that is ill-suited to your needs. The trick is to play on your fear factor and sell you heavy insurance, even if you don?t have dependents.

Coaxing you to pay ?Cash?
We strongly suggest, do not pay your premium through cash to an agent. Further, do ensure that you get a receipt for the payment. There are numerous fraudulent entities posing as genuine insurance agencies that extract hard cash from you in lieu of insurance premium. They ask you to sign at blank spaces in a form, assuring you that it is just a formality. Once you have fallen for their trick, you are left without an insurance coverage. The worst part is that most victims only come to know of this scam, when they have met with some mishap and there is not insurance to cover them.

Luring you with benefits!
Insurance agencies and agents have a way of promising you unbelievable benefits out a life insurance policy. Life insurance agents might offer you plans, with a guarantee that the policy would run premium-free for a specific period. Some agents play it smart and offer you great discounts for signing you up for a new policy, while replacing an old policy. The trick is that the old coverage gets terminated and new coverage does not get initiated due to the cumbersome procedural bottlenecks. Thus, exposing you to risk without cover.

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5 Quickest ways to lower your Life Insurance Premium

Worried about the spiraling life insurance premium? We have enlisted 5 quickest ways to lower your life insurance premium. Well, keep these points in mind but do tread with caution and act prudently.

Shop around and Bargain
Shop, Compare and Bargain! Well, the oldest principle, old as dirt, but still going strong. Once decided on your coverage, don?t just sign up for the first plan that crosses your eye. Ensure that you shop around (internet is a great place to start) and get a feel of the market. This would help you to bargain hard and get the greatest coverage at the lowest possible price.

Opt for Term Life Insurance ? The quickest way to lower your life insurance premium is to opt for Term Life Insurance policy instead of a whole-life policy. The idea is to keep insurance as what it is and not turn it into an investment product. Thus, you can get yourself insured under term life policy at the fraction of the cost of a whole-life scheme with typically the same coverage amount. However, do not forget that Term Life Insurance covers you only for a pre-defined period of time.

Keep yourself Fit ? Be a low risk proposition for your insurance provider by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping yourself away from addictions such as smoking, drugs and alcohol. A good health record will result in considerable reduction in your life insurance premiums.

Consult an Insurance Advisor – To reduce your life insurance premium, the easiest thing you can do is to consult a good Insurance Advisor. Since the advisor will be pro in the insurance marketplace, he/she would be able to get you to the most affordable deal in line with your coverage requirements. Essentially a good insurance advisor would compare different market rates for you and would also negotiate the best rates on your behalf. Well, internet is a great place to identify an agent.

Start at a young age!
Insure yourself at a young age. Life insurance premium at a young age is only a fraction of what it could be when you are well into your middle-age. The premise is young and healthy people are the lowest risk segment. The low mortality risk is a great incentive for insurance companies to insure you at lower premiums.

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