Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Understanding Permanent Life Insurance Policies

by Christian Rios

Permanent Life Insurance comes in two distinct forms:

Whole Life - This type of Life Insurance policy is immune to factors that would otherwise cause an insurance policy's premium to increase. Two factors that determine insurance premiums are mortality rate and expense costs. As you age, your mortality cost increases and should therefore increase the insurance premium. But with a Whole Life policy, this isn't the case. The same applies for an insurer's operating expenses. If an insurance company has to increase its general staff or perhaps rent a larger office space, the cost is usually passed down to policyholders. This would not be the case for Whole Life policy holders. Those who purchase a Whole Life policy are buying a permanent life insurance policy without risk. The disadvantage to a Whole Life policy is if the policyholder decides to add additional coverage, he or she will be required to purchase an additional life insurance policy.

Universal Life - This type of policy is in direct contrast to a Whole Life policy. It is flexible in nature where a Whole Life policy is not. The two factors that determine a Universal Life insurance premium (mortality cost and expense cost) are passed directly on to the policyholder: if expense costs decrease or general interest rates rise, the policyholder benefits by having his or her insurance premium lowered. However, the opposite is also true: should expense costs increase or general interest rates drop, then the policyholder is subject to ever-increasing insurance premiums. Additionally, Universal Life policy holders are allowed the flexibility of increasing or decreasing policy limits without purchasing additional policies. Should you experience difficult times and be unable to afford the premium, you can simply lower the limits in order to decrease your policy premium. Increasing the benefit is also possible but may require the insured to prove good health to the insurer.

Other life insurance terms you should be aware of:

Variable - Variable means the policy holder is allowed to invest the cash value of the policy into areas such as the stock market. This can be beneficial if the cash value is invested wisely and the investment is profitable. However, if a poor investment choice results in a decreased cash value due to unexpected losses, the policyholder will be required to deposit additional funds to cover the cash value loss.

Cash Value Choices - Whenever a policy holder decides to terminate a permanent insurance policy early and that policy has established a cash value, the policyholder has several options available: receive the funds in cash, accept a prepaid permanent insurance for life (but at a decreased death benefit), or accept a term life insurance policy for the full death benefit.

Policy Loans - There is a fourth option to cash value called Policy Loans. The policyholder may borrow against the accrued cash value of his or her life insurance policy. If you decide to take a loan against your cash value and should you die before the Policy Loan is paid back, the insurer will deduct the unpaid loan amount from the death benefit. Although Policy Loans do have an interest rateFree Reprint Articles, it is usually quite low in comparison to conventional loans (it may be as low as 3 to 4 percent when dividend payouts are also factored).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For life insurance quotes, please visit: term life insurance quotes, lowest term life insurance rates us, and whole life insurance quote us.

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Understanding Permanent Life Insurance Policies

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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Universal Life Insurance | Types Of Life Insurance Policies Available Today

by Donald Carmin

Every person in this world strives hard so that he can secure the future of his loved ones, so that when he dies they are financial protected. They should not depend on someone else for support and to fulfill their needs, in this case the best solution is to invest, money in buying a life insurance policy. A person can find different life insurance policies and under them he can also find various differences, it is best to know some facts about the types of life insurance that a person can get. There are about 4 to 5 different most important types of life insurance policies that most life insurance companies can provide you information about.

One thing is very essential which has to be kept in mind about these types of life insurance policies. This information is that each insurance company has different ideas about what these types of life insurance policies will cover. And you can also find that there are various ways of looking at the policy depending on the status you are in by these insurance companies. Few people have no knowledge about these different types of policies which are prevailing in the market today. There is nothing to worry about a rough idea can be got from the information given below about these types of life insurance policies.

The first thing to know is what some of these life insurance policies are generally called. You have Term Life insurance, Universal Variable Life Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Variable Life Insurance and you also have Universal Life Insurance. Every human has his own needs to fulfill; never two humans can have the same needs. In the same way financial situation may look the same as your colleague's, your needs are different. Depending on the needs and requirements of the person purchasing the policy one insurance policy can be chosen among them. None of the insurance policy is similar to the other policy, there are differences which can be seen as you look at each policy. For example you will find that each of these policies has a different insurance policy rates.

Of these many policies you will see that you can organize matters so that your dependents will be able to maintain a good deal. Among all the types of insurance policy one should prefer buying that one which works for you. For example in whole life insurance policies you will notice that the premiums are set for the entire period of your life. Universal life insurance is considered as being a very flexible life insurance policy. The term life insurance is known to be one of the simplest and the least expensive policies that a person can purchase. This is just a small glimpse into the different types of life insurance policies which you can get.

The best place to get all the information about various types of insurance policies is the world of internet. Here you can get to know different kind of plans with different companies. Also you can even get the information from a local insurance agent. It all depends what is the best suitable insurance policy just for you.

About Donald Carmin
Donald is an expert in the field and he prefers universal life insurance and if you would like more information please visit:http://www.choicesinc.ca/universal-life-insurance/

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Universal Life Insurance | Types Of Life Insurance Policies Available Today

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Life Insurance Policy For Child – Why Buy Life Insurance For A Child?

by Gavin Bloom

There are a few of pro’s and cons’ about purchasing life insurance on children. Life insurance must have an insurable interest. There has to be good reasoning behind the purchase of life insurance on children. The first priority is to first make sure that the income producers in the household have an adequate amount of life insurance. Large amounts of life insurance on children with little or no life insurance on the bread winners will make little sense to an insurance company underwriter. Life insurance underwriting departments will often require a certain ratio of life insurance on parents to children. There are advantages in purchasing life insurance on children after the parents are insured properly.

Most companies have children term riders that a very inexpensive. Children term riders will protect the insurability of the child. These term riders can be converted to permanent forms of life insurance when the child reaches the ages of 18-21. This is a valuable feature if the child is uninsurable because of health reasons.

Permanent Life Insurance on Children – Some parents have purchased permanent life insurance policies on children so that they can use the cash value accumulation later in life. Permanent life insurance is relatively inexpensive and should be considered on a child once the parents have taken care of their own life insurance needs.

Why Buy Life Insurance on a Child?

1.Protect Insurability – Purchasing life insurance on a child will protect the Childs insurability.

2.Cash Value Accumulation – Purchasing permanent life insurance and funding it with adequate enough premium to produce cash for college education or future needs. Universal Life policies are excellent policies for this purpose.

3.Final Expense – This is the basic purpose for all life insurance.

There is the added benefit of teaching the child about life insurance. Parents that show their children the benefits of life insurance prepare the child to take responsibility for their own financial future.

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Life Insurance Policy For Child – Why Buy Life Insurance For A Child?

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Should Your Life Insurance Policy Be Written In Trust?

by Michael Challiner

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.

About the Author:
Express Life Insurance specialise in life insurance quotes uk but also offer both critical illness cover and life assurance policies.

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Should Your Life Insurance Policy Be Written In Trust?

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

Cheap Life Insurance Policy - We All Want To Save Money, Here's How

by Gavin Bloom

Is there such a thing as cheap life insurance policies? There may not be such as a thing as cheap life insurance in the market place but there are certainly a wide variety of life insurance rates. That means that there is a definite advantage to those that take the time to search for the lowest possible rate. Your ability to search for rates online is phenomenal. There is a huge opportunity out there to do your own research. The rates on life insurance depend on the type of product. There are two common forms of life insurance. There is term life insurance and there is permanent life insurance. Comparing the two can be a challenge. Comparing a combination of the two can be even more of a challenge.

Why am I buying Life Insurance? – That is the first question that needs to be answered. Do I want to cover a mortgage? Do I want to provide income for my family? Do I want to supplement my retirement? The reasons are more important than the rates because the reasons help you design your portfolio.

What kind of life insurance do I need? – Once you know the reasons that you are making a life insurance purchase then you can determine what type of life insurance to purchase. Term insurance takes care of temporary needs while permanent life insurance provides benefits for a lifetime.

You can now proceed to search for rates after you have answered these two very important questions. It would behoove you to learn a simple method of evaluating your insurance needs so that you can shop for the proper amount and the correct type of life insurance. There is nothing wrong with shopping online or using an insurance professional to assist you. The happiest life insurance purchase that you will ever make is the one that is designed to fit your needs and to your ability to pay.

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Cheap Life Insurance Policy - We All Want To Save Money, Here's How

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