November 23, 2007

Life Insurance - From Facts To Cost Calculation And Policies

Life insurance is no place to skimp, especially with rates at historic lows. It began as a way of reducing the risk of traders, as early as 5000 BC in China and 4500 BC in Babylon. Life insurance dates only to ancient Rome, "burial clubs" covered the cost of members' funeral expenses and helped survivors monetarily

This is risk coverage in the possible event of death during a specified period of time, this type of insurance is often known as term life insurance or temporary life insurance. It's a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the policy owner's death and its Policies are usually available on a single or joint life basis and can include additional cover for critical illnesses such as cancer.

Life insurance contracts are written on the basis of utmost good faith and also sometimes known as term insurance, because it covers you for a set term usually up to around 20 years you can set the term at say the number of years until your children ought to be financially independent. As a matter of fact it is priced based on your health, family history and goals. Life insurance companies are never required by law to underwrite or to provide coverage to anyone, with the exception of Civil Rights Act compliance requirements.

Insurance companies will take into account many factors when determining their monthly premiums and them alone determine insurability, and some people, for their own health or lifestyle reasons, are deemed uninsurable. The insurer (the life insurance company) calculates the policy prices with an intent to fund claims to be paid and administrative costs, and to make a profit. The cost of insurance is determined using mortality tables calculated by actuaries.

In cases where the policy owner is not the insured (also referred to as the cestui qui vit or CQV), insurance companies have sought to limit policy purchases to those with an "insurable interest" in the CQV. With no insurable interest requirement, the risk that a purchaser would murder the CQV for insurance proceeds would be great. Accidental death benefits can also be added to a standard life insurance policy as a rider.

Life insurance companies in the United States support the Medical Information Bureau(MIB), which is a clearinghouse of information on persons who have applied for life insurance with participating companies in the last seven years. Life insurance is one of the best things you can do to take care of your family financially in the event that one day you are not around to do so and enables you and your loved ones to enjoy peace of mind, as this type of policy will pay out a lump sum to your family in the event of your death (subject to terms and conditions).

November 17, 2007

You Need Life insurance

Life insurance is a matter, people often don't talk about. But it really needs to be under consideration. Whether you accept or not; your future is not secured, if you don't own any policy. Generally, people think what's the use of having insurance? If every thing is on right track. A good policy can protect you and your family in entire life, still a large number of people has no proper insurance.

It's hard to understand why people don't take it seriously. They must think about the future after any of them suddenly die. Without insurance you or your family may have to lose the assets and be on road, if any co-accident takes place. But if you have a policy, you have no worry about the future of your family after you die; your all expenses will be paid by the policy. You need it if you have children. As they grow the expenses will increase; during their school and college life, they will be having a great need of huge amount of money to carry their study on. Life insurance policy never lets them stop to think about the finance, and pays their bills honestly. Except this, if you are alone to look after you parents; you must consider what may go with them after your sudden death. Life Insurance Guaranties to look after your family and never lets any hurdle come in its way.

If you have your own business or huge assets; you are advised to have it to secure this all. Otherwise you or your family may be at the end of losing it. The policy pays for monthly payments of your mortgage or any other. It offers you tax benefit. There is no federal income tax is charged over what you receive. Additionally with whole life insurance and some other policies, no tax is imposed over the policy period.

Life insurance is good option to meet your financial problem of future. But keep in mind that you should contact to several insurers in order to get the best policy at low price possible. It will offer you lower premiums, which you can easily pay. Otherwise, this financial boon may turn into a great curse. You may have to close it in mid, if you are not able to pay the high premiums. This is why; you should buy insurance according to your needs and affordability.

Normally, companies give you insurance after checking your condition, but you should evaluate yourself honestly, because your insurance providing company will be benefited, not you, if you stop paying premiums. While calculating, you must pay proper attention to consider your age factor, your family members' requirements of future, and the most important factor, the monthly and annually income.

It is a topic, which continues the happiness in your life, but it needs to give enough thoughts and knowledge to find the policy, which can suit you. You should make sure that it offers you required coverage. Otherwise, you may have to pay for you don't need, and your needs may be uncovered.

November 12, 2007

Qualified Life Settlement is a Smart Option to Choose

Uncertainty is the name of life and there are not many things which we can do to take care of things when faced with such an unexpected crisis. A person spends his entire life trying to make money to take care of all his needs, and this becomes very difficult when a person approaches the retirement age. We spend all our resources to try and lead a life where we do not face any problems, so we eat good food, wear good clothes and go to the best doctors whenever we fall ill. Likewise we can do certain things that will take care of us when we enter the retirement phase of our life and opting for a qualified policy is surely one of that. Qualified life settlement policy is a financial settlement where a senior citizen can sell off a life insurance policy that is no longer of use to him and get money to take care of any need that they may have.

Life after retirement is never easy and if you are facing a money crisis the problem becomes all the more severe. Once the flow of money stops it is very difficult to sustain your lifestyle because your requirements remain the same. It does not happen that just because your money flow has ceased, you wants and needs also change simultaneously and this is what causes all the problems. Qualified life settlement is a settlement policy that is offered by several brokers operating in the market to help out all those people who are retired to take care of their money needs. If you opt to take it to put to rest all your financial worries after your retirement you must make sure that you deal with a broker who will give you the best deals in the market.

To be eligible for it, you just need to be over 62 years of age and must have a life settlement policy that you wish to sell off to the third party. Once the third party buys the life insurance policy from you, he is responsible for paying all the premiums due for the account. The money that one gets from selling off the life insurance policy is higher than the face value of the insurance policy. The money that one can get from it can be taken in lump sum or can be taken in installments as required by the senior citizen.

If you have any kind of confusion about the whole concept of qualified settlement, you can seek advice form people who have vast knowledge about this. You can talk to attorneys and financial advisers to clarify any doubts that you may have. Qualified life settlement is becoming an increasingly popular choice as this can be done without too much of hassle and the best part of this is that you can take care of any financial need that you have, there is no limit to where you can use the money.

November 11, 2007

How You Buy Life Insurance Shows Your Age

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimates that one in three Britons are without any form of life insurance, and of those that do have cover a further one in three may be under-insured. However, those headline figures don't show the full picture as many industry experts believe the young to be more under-insured, and that may be because of the way that they buy life insurance.

Recent separate surveys into the UK life insurance market commissioned by Norwich Union and Sainsbury's Bank have highlighted that there may be a different approach between the generations when it comes to buying life insurance.

The Sainsbury's Bank survey found that young people tend not to shop around when it comes to buying life assurance and the majority simply choose to go with their mortgage provider. The reason given for this appears to be a form of attrition; that they are already so worn out and over-whelmed by the house-buying process that they readily agree to the cover offered by their lender; it is an easy option as they leave it to the lender to arrange all the details. But, taking this approach may not be in their best interest. A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Not shopping around is a big disadvantage for younger people as premiums stay the same throughout the life of the policy, so getting a more advantageous deal with more favourable premiums from the start could save thousands over the life of the policy."

However, a survey by Norwich Union showed that the opposite applies when it comes to those over 30 years old; they will shop around to make sure they have fully investigated the market before committing to a purchase. Norwich Union spokesman Darren Dicks said: "As people get older they become more responsible. They also tend to have children from 30 onwards forcing them to think about things like life insurance." He believes that the combination of life experience and the need to provide for their children means that the over-30s, on the whole, tend to be more financially aware. As a result they will take time to compare life insurance policies and the benefits that they offer, as well as the premiums charged. In addition, as people get older they also tend to have more experience of buying financial services and have more confidence in shopping around to find the best deal.

November 10, 2007

A Brief Guide to Life Insurance

Taking out life insurance is a way of ensuring that should you die unexpectedly, your dependents will be looked after financially. Before buying a policy you need to work out exactly how much your family would need if the worst happened, and this would be your ‘sum assured’. That sum, together with your sex, age and your general state of health would be used to fix the amount of your ‘premium’ – how much you would pay each month to be insured.

There are two basic types of UK life insurance and the amount you pay would also vary depending upon the type you choose; term insurance or whole-of-life insurance. The cheapest and simplest form of life cover is term assurance. This is most often taken out at the time of your biggest financial commitment, for instance when you buy a house, and is for a fixed period of time. The purpose of the assurance is to ensure that should you die your mortgage is paid off leaving those left behind with no worries about housing. Once the policy expires it has no value, and you don’t get any of your payments returned. There are different types of term assurance, most commonly level term or decreasing term, but there are others that may be more suitable to your needs.

The other main type of insurance is whole-of-life and, as its name suggests will be in place for your entire life and guarantees a payout on your death. Because, with this policy a payout is guaranteed, premiums will be much higher than for life assurance. There are different types of whole-of-life policy; some are investment-linked and others offer a set sum from the outset. Investment-linked policies tend to be popular and payouts will depend upon performance of the investment. But, with this type of insurance your policies tend to be reviewed every ten years, and premiums can go up or the company could choose to decrease the cover it offers.

If you are considering taking out life insurance it is best to get independent financial advice first. Your advisor will guide you, helping you to accurately compare life insurance policies, ensuring that you end up with the best one for you. Their knowledge of the UK life insurance market will be invaluable in your search for the right product, and the advisor will be able to fully explain everything that has been covered in only the briefest terms here.

November 9, 2007

5 Steps That Will Guarantee The Best Quote (Term Life Insurance Rate)

Are you one of those who are really looking for life insurance that won't break the bank? There's really a way out. An understanding of what to do and the process are all you need. I will give a few steps that will help you save much.

1. The younger you are when you apply for a life insurance policy, the cheaper it will be for you. A 60 year old is more likely to die earlier than a 50 year old. And, the more likely it is that a person will die soon, the higher their life insurance rates.

2. Get your term life insurance coverage from companies that have a good reputation. For term life insurance you need to see how an insurer handles claims. It's how they'll likely handle yours if the need ever arises. Check their ratings across different independent research companies.

3. Smoking and other tobacco use increase the chances of an earlier death. That means more risk to your insurer. They handle that higher risk by slamming you with much higher rates. You'll help yourself if you quit smoking.

4. Avoid dangerous sports. If you can't help yourself then you'd have to live the astronomical rates that go with your passion.

5. The most vital key to massive savings in life insurance is comparison shopping -- That's if you do it well. The difference in quotes returned for a profile could range from several hundred dollars to well over a thousand.

You can simply choose the lowest quote now once you get them. That should be the case if you're simply after the lowest price. However, if you're after the best price/value then you'd have to look at the details of the lowest offers. Given the same policy, the features and extent of coverage provided by default for each policy could differ from slightly to a great deal.

This makes it imperative that you find out if you're really getting the coverage you desire for the offer. Life insurance involves your life so do ensure you are satisfied with the details of an insurer's policy coverage before paying. Remember, they are free and no obligation quotes. That's how to give your loved ones the best protection at the lowest price. You, too, can do it.

November 8, 2007

How to Get the Best Child Life Insurance Quotes

Getting child life insurance quotes on the net can be convenient, but are you sure that you are seeing the big picture?

You can see life insurance information child policies, but the words can be cryptic. The child life insurance coverage information could be well-hidden online too! Because child life insurance costs money, it's important to know precisely what life insurance coverage you can get. It may be best to talk to an authorized life insurance agent.

Question You Should Ask About Your Child Life Insurance

Is child life insurance really worth the premiums? Many question the importance of child life insurance. After all, if anyone needs to get insured, shouldn't it be the working parents? While this is indeed a valid argument, there are advantages to getting child life insurance.

It's not so much the benefits as it is about future eligibility. Child life insurance is especially important if your family has a history of medical illness. You see, if you get child life insurance, your child can automatically get any type of life insurance later on.

Most types of child life insurance are actually term life insurance. Child life insurance often does not build cash value and has small premiums. In order to be competitive, some life insurance agencies are providing child life insurance some features similar to whole life insurance. However, child life insurance ends when your child matures, so the cash value benefits are very minimal.

As a general rule, parents should first get themselves insurance, before their children. Because the main purpose of child life insurance is future eligibility, parents will do well to just get the cheapest child life insurance package.

Beyond everything else, they must make sure that the child life insurance will allow their children to have immediate access to life insurance later on.

November 5, 2007

What Is Group Term Life Insurance? What Is The Benefit Of Group Term Life Insurance?

Group term life insurance is the term used when term life insurance is taken in a group. Mostly employers usually take the group term life insurance for their employees.

It is very obvious that insurance companies will give more incentives to their group term life insurance policy, since they will get the business in bulk and they have very few paper works to handle. For customer point of view the group term insurance is very cheap compare to other life insurance.

Group term life insurance covers the employees or insurer when they die unexpectedly. In case of employee the benefit is generally calculated considering the wage of particular employee.

For any sized companies the group term life insurance is the first choice for employee’s life insurance. Since due to competition, it is very important to offer life insurance coverage to attract good employees. So with lower insurance premiums compare to other life insurance, most companies opt for group term life insurance for their employees.

There is also an option available to change the group term insurance in to the individual life insurance plan. This option is used mainly by the employees who leave the company. For employee’s point of view this is the great option. Most group term life insurance is also deductible while calculating the tax which is one of the factors why group term insurance is the first choice for most of the employers.

Apart from this there are other benefits of group term insurance also. Group term life insurance does not require medical examination. This means that the employee who was denied other life insurance on the ground of medical examination can obtain group term life insurance.


November 3, 2007

A Look at Life Insurance

Every year, billions of dollars is spent on life insurance. In today’s world, families are buying more life insurance that ever before. The demand for insurance has really made the cost for insurance to skyrocket. Since life insurance is needed by almost every family, the demand for life insurance will continue to increase.

Obviously, to some individuals, live insurance is a priority over other insurance like auto insurance, property insurance, etc. But what surprises me most is that the average insurance holder is not aware of how the insurance policy works. Probably, because insurance policies uses terms that are not familiar to the average person who needs insurance. This not withstanding, millions of people keep on buying insurance. Many are aware of the importance of life insurance. We all need life insurance because of the uncertainty of life. We can not really predict what will happen in the next moment.

The basic truth about life insurance is that it can not insure a person against death but it can protect dependents of a death person against some economic losses resulting from the death of a bread winner in a family. Life insurance will ensure that the dependents of a dead person don’t suffer much loss. The term life insurance doesn’t warrant that the insurance will cover one for a life time. Life insurance is similar to car insurance. The usual term policy can be five or ten years or more depending on the choice of an individual. If the insured person dies after the term is up, his family gets nothing

October 31, 2007

Using Life Insurance To Protect Your Key Employees

Most businesses rely on the work, experience and skills of a few valued employees who are key to the efficient running and profitability of the company. Whether a chairman, director or talented technician, the loss of such a crucial staff member could and often does result in lost revenue and even closure in some cases.

Many employers spend time and money protecting their tangible business assets such as buildings and machinery with traditional business insurance policies but, are often unaware of the potentially far greater risks due to the reliance on a few key employees.

Take a moment to think about the staff members who your everyday operation relies upon. Do you have a sales director or salesman who is responsible for generating the majority of your orders? Do you have any contingency plans to ensure normal working practices continue should your operations director or chairman die or be unable to work due to illness or injury? The reality is that many businesses are so busy working in the business to step back and consider the threats to it's continued operation and profitability.

Another question to ask yourself is how easy would it be to find a replacement for a key employee and what would the cost of recruitment and training be? Does your business have any plans for this eventuality and where would the money to fund such an operation come from? You also have to factor in any potential loss in revenue from the temporary or permanent loss of a key member of staff.

Thankfully, part of the solution can be provided by a simple life insurance policy owned by the company which insure's the life of the employee. If the employee were to die during the plan term, the company would receive a cash lump sum to fund the costs of finding a replacement and any loss of revenue. Many key man policies have a term matching the employees expected retirement date. Another risk to consider is the potential critical illness of a key employee causing lengthy absence or permanent loss. The statistics show that the chances of being diagnosed with a critical illness are greater than dying before age 65 so the risk to the company can also be greater. Adding critical illness insurance to a key man policy can ensure this risk is also covered and the cash lump sum also paid if the employee is diagnosed with an illness covered by the policy.

Whichever type of cover you choose, it's important to shop around and compare policy features and premiums from as many insurers as possible. If you are in any doubt about buying life insurance for a key employee, it's important take professional advice from an independent financial adviser. However, if you know what cover you need, go online and use a quote comparison site and look out for discount life insurance brokers who could save you as much as 40% by sacrificing some or all of their earnings to reduce the premiums you pay.

October 30, 2007

Universal Life Insurance Policy - A Different Choice

Choosing a life insurance policy isn’t an easy task. There are several policies to choose from, each with elements that we want and need. The two most popular kinds of life insurance policies are term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies.

If a term life insurance policy and a whole life insurance policy got married and had a child, the child would be a universal life insurance policy. Universal life insurance policies are a mix of term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies. Just like all children do, universal life insurance policies have a few positive features and a few negative features of each parent, i.e., the term life insurance policy and the whole life insurance policy.

Like a whole life insurance policy, a universal life insurance policy offers an investment component; however, universal life insurance policies are generally less expensive than whole life insurance policies. This is a good thing for those of us who want the cash value accruement of a whole life policy but can not afford to purchase one. It should be noted, however, that earning a cash value isn’t guaranteed. Coverage can even end if your account gets low enough.

Like a term life insurance policy, a universal life insurance policy is usually not as expensive as a whole life insurance policy. However, even though an accumulation of cash value isn’t guaranteed with a universal life insurance policy, it is possible; it is not possible with a term life insurance policy.

If certain aspects of both a term life insurance policy and a whole life insurance policy appeal to you, consider purchasing a universal life insurance policy. Don’t purchase any life insurance policy, including a universal life insurance policy, without first speaking with an agent of the life insurance company. Your universal life insurance agent will be able to construct the life insurance policy that meets both your wants and needs.

Term Life Insurance vs. Whole Life Insurance – What's the Difference?

Whether you’re simply considering purchasing a life insurance policy, or have already made the decision to purchase a life insurance policy, it’s important to know the difference between a term life insurance policy and a whole life insurance policy. Knowing these differences will help you choose the best life insurance policy for you.

The most recognizable difference between term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies is the fact that a term life insurance policy will cover you for a certain number of years, whereas a whole life insurance policy will cover you for your entire life. If you’re only looking for life insurance coverage for a specific amount of time, a term life insurance is probably your best bet. However, if you wish to be insured for the rest of your life, you should purchase a whole life insurance policy.

Another difference between term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies is that whole life insurance policies offer a tax-deferred accumulated cash value. This acts as an investment component. Some people are interested in the ability to invest using their life insurance policies, so they choose to purchase a whole life insurance policy. However, if you use other methods of investment, a term life insurance policy is probably the best for you.

A third difference between term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies is the difference in price. Term life insurance policies are generally cheaper than whole life insurance policies; however, whole life insurance policies often offer fixed annual premiums, so you won’t have to worry about your rates increasing if your health begins to deteriorate. Most term life insurance companies will raise your premiums based on the current condition of your health, as well as your age.

So, when you begin your search for the perfect life insurance policy, take these differences into consideration and decide which type of policy is best for you.

October 29, 2007

Life Insurance Rate Quote – How Yours Will Be Determined

In order to get a life insurance rate quote, you must first determine what kind of life insurance policy you want to purchase. There are two basic kinds of life insurance policies – term life insurance policies, and whole life insurance policies.

Term life insurance policies offer life insurance coverage for a “term.” This means, your life insurance coverage will last for a certain period of time. Most term life insurance policies offer coverage anywhere from five to thirty years. How long your term life insurance policy lasts is up to you. Term life insurance policies appeal to people because of the lower life insurance rate quote. Term life insurance policies are usually less expensive than whole life insurance policies, because term life insurance policies don’t offer, or require, the components that whole life insurance policies do. When you purchase a term life insurance policy, you’re purchasing pure life insurance.

In contrast to term life insurance policies, whole life insurance policies offer life insurance coverage for the rest of your life. They also provide a required savings component along with the whole life insurance policy. Some people are attracted to this savings component because it allows the whole life insurance policy to accumulate a cash value. The policyholders can use that cash value in certain times, such as times of financial stress, or times when they want to put the accumulated cash toward their policy premiums.

When you begin your search for a life insurance rate quote, take note that your life insurance rate quote will most likely reflect the type of life insurance policy you decide to purchase. You’ll usually pay less for a term life insurance policy, and get simply the life insurance coverage you want. You’ll usually pay more for a whole life insurance policy, but get extras you might need. Consider the life insurance rate quote based on the coverage, and extras, you want with your policy.