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Posts Tagged ‘Unexpected Death’

Term Life Insurance Providing Your Family With Financial Security

December 20th, 2009 Administrator No comments

When it comes to unexpected death, which is naturally everyone’s favorite subject, term life insurance is the most economic approach to providing your family with financial security. Thanks to low monthly premiums, the amount of benefits offered through term life insurance is significantly higher than whole life insurance. But did you know that not all term life insurance policies are the same or that there are term options that you can include in the your coverage?

The insurance market is filled with various term life insurance companies, and each boasts it’s own set of rules, regulations, and guidelines. And rates, levels and options vary from company to company as well. What may seem like a ?real bargain? may in up costing you more in the long run if you do not read the policy terms. Check out a few of the things that you will want to keep in mind when determining which term life insurance plan is right for you.

Annual Renewable Term ? Annual renewable term life insurance is renewed every year. The premium is based upon one year of coverage, but the policy is guaranteed to be renewed for a certain number of years. Premiums increase with age. So, if you make it to the ripe old age of one hundred, expect your term life insurance premiums to skyrocket under this insurance plan.

Level Term ? Level term life insurance features premiums that are the same amount throughout the length of the policy period. The longer the time frame of the coverage, the greater the premiums.

Conversion Privileges ?Various life insurance companies offer an option on their term life insurance that allows the policy holder to convert their coverage into a permanent life insurance policy-these clauses are called conversion privileges Permanent life insurance builds equity for the insured in comparision with term life insurance which simply offers insurance without the option of cash annuity benefits.

Life Insurance Companies ? Thoroughly investigate the life insurance company offering you coverage. This is particularly true if you are receiving online life insurance quotes from a third-party website. Visit each company?s website and take a look-see. Is the insurance company listed in your local Yellow Pages? Are there agents representing the insurance agency located in your area? And do they appear to be a viable entity that will be around for a long while?

Compare term life insurance policies and companies before you purchase something. Be as picky about the policy parameters and the insurer as life insurance companies are about insuring you. When it comes to life insurance companies, famous names are all apart of the game, but do not let their name recognition lull you into a sense of security. Treat finding the optimum term life insurance plan as you’d treat finding a really killer pair of shoes-shop.

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Would An Incentive To Buy Life Insurance Benefit The Economy?

December 9th, 2009 Blog Writer No comments

That’s a dry sounding subject, something that would have you nodding off in Economics 101, but we’re living here in the real world. Where bad economic trends hurt with real pain, that’s felt by real people.

There are dozens of benefits to having adequate life insurance coverage, two important reasons relating to this article are: providing for those left behind in the event of a death, and providing funds for an insurance carrier to invest in our economy. Andy Albright

There are approximately 68 million adult Americans without life insurance. Many more have less coverage than standard industry practices estimate they should have. That’s real pain felt by those left behind when a parent or provider unexpectedly dies. In a lot of cases that unexpected death means not enough food on the table, the bills not being paid, and the hopes and dreams of an education and bright future are gone. Andy Albright

You may wonder how big of an investment the insurance industry has in the economy. In 2007, the insurance industry invested approximately 5 trillion dollars broken down as follows: 38% corporate bonds (1.9 trillion), 33% stocks, 11% government bonds, 6% commercial mortgages. That makes the life insurance industry the largest source of corporate bond financing.

When spouses and children are left behind with no means of support, they turn to government programs for aid and support, causing a drain on the government’s resources which in turn causes a drain on the economy.

The government recently sponsored the Cash for Clunkers program that paid Americans for their old, gas guzzling cars if they traded them in on new cars. It’s time we had the same proactive incentives for purchasing life insurance. Purchasing life insurance eases real pain and suffering and provides for the possibility of a future for those left behind when a parent or provider dies. It also pumps massive amounts of investment cash into the economy. A win-win all around.

There are currently some incentives in the form of tax credits (in some states) for buying long term care insurance. Tax free payouts are another. However, what is needed is a cash-in-your-pocket-NOW incentive to really entice people purchase life insurance.

Andy Albright
Until then, NAA will pay THOUSANDS of people $$$ to go out and EDUCATE the public on covering their family and loved ones. NAA people make big $$$ and growing their massive biz by providing products that truly help people when they need it most. NAA is an insurance marketing organization that supports independent insurance agents in all 50 states. In 2008, the company provided more than $13.3 billion in life insurance protection to families throughout the U.S. The company specializes in term and mortgage protection life insurance products, but also provides a full array of insurance-based financial services. Headquartered in Burlington, NC, the company employees approximately 130 people and serves more than 9,000 insurance agents.

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Life insurance as an investment

November 23rd, 2009 Administrator No comments

Term insurance provides coverage for a pre-specified period. For example, term insurance is designed to protect a mortgage or provide income for your family in case of your death. You pay the term insurance premium each month and as long as you pay the premium your policy will stay in force. Once the contract reaches maturity (usually in 10 years) you need to renew your policy at a higher price. If you die while you’re paying the premium your estate gets a large sum of money.

In contrast, permanent or whole life insurance remains in force until you die. You pay the premium on a monthly basis for a pre-specified term, which can range between 10 to 20 years. A portion of your monthly payment pays the insurance and the life insurance company that provided the insurance invests the remainder. Eventually you don’t pay any premiums but your estate still receives a large payment upon death.

Whole life polices have been criticized because their investment returns are low. Thus you were often advised to buy life insurance protection with a term policy and invest the difference between term and whole life payments in a separate investment vehicle, such as mutual funds, stocks, or bonds. Once you have built up a large pool of assets you don’t need the insurance because the assets will provide security and stability in the event of an unexpected death.

However, there is a new, more flexible product called universal life insurance. While the life insurance company controls the savings in a whole life policy, the savings in a universal life plan are owned and controlled by the policyholder. Insurance companies offer a large variety of investment options for this savings component, including mutual funds. Thus, you have the ability to meet your life insurance needs and increase your return on investment.

The major advantage of a universal life policy is tax-advantaged growth. When you pay the policy premium, a portion of the premium pays for the insurance and a portion is invested. However, when you are ready to withdraw the money from your investment, your cost basis ( the portion not subject to tax) is higher with a universal life policy. The cost base for a universal policy is equal to the sum of all your premiums – the amount of money you have invested plus the money you have used to buy life insurance. This is very useful because increasing your cost base will ensure you pay less tax once you sell your investments within the universal life policy.

Universal life insurance provides a powerful combination of life insurance and tax-advantaged investment opportunities. Investors should realize that universal life insurance premiums work twice as hard as other premiums. They should also know that choosing the right product is an important element in the overall success of this strategy. Finally, the benefits of this strategy are magnified if you are in a higher tax bracket.

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Life Insurance Comparison Term or Whole Life

September 29th, 2009 Administrator No comments

When it comes to buying life insurance the most important comparison is between term insurance and whole life. Here is an explanation of each.

A term life insurance plan provides life insurance – plain and simple. A whole life insurance plan provides life insurance but also accrues value, which you can cash out or borrow against. It generally takes about three years to see any value and then it’s not a lot of money. Term life insurance, in comparison to whole life, is considerably less costly for this reason. Some will refer to term life insurance as renting insurance rather than buying it. The reason for that attitude is that, much like auto insurance, you pay the premium each month or quarter or year to hedge against the bet that you might have an accident (in the case of term life insurance the accident is death). If you don’t have that accident, in the case of auto insurance, or if you don’t die in the case of life insurance, you don’t get the money.

We all die, of course, so it might seem that term life insurance is a good bet and the best bet in comparison to whole life. You would, you surmise, always get your money back. The catch here is that term life insurance will end at a certain point – and that point may well be before you are deceased. Term life insurance plans are only good until a certain predetermined age – many are 70 years of age, others up to 80. For those of us who really need this coverage until the day we die these aren’t good plans in comparison to whole life which will be in force until the day we die.

Term life insurance is a good buy in comparison to whole life, however, if all you are trying to do is set money aside to prevent your young family from becoming destitute in the event of your unexpected death. Once you reach the age of 70, the likelihood is that your children will be comfortably on their own and not dependent on your money or income to survive. Of course, if this is your only life insurance and it goes away before you die then your family or someone else must bear the cost of burying you. That is where whole life insurance is a favorable comparison to term life. Whole life will stay in place as long as you do, and will be there when it comes time to pay for your burial.

It may be, then, that in doing a comparison between term life insurance and whole life insurance, the results indicate a need for both. Many professionals suggest that you buy an amount of term life insurance that would keep your family bills paid for a predetermined time in the event of your untimely death, choosing a term that covers them only until they are old enough to take care of their bills on their own. These same professionals suggest as well that you also buy a whole life insurance policy for an amount of %7000-%12,000, merely to assure that your family will have money to bury you.

In other words, if you are 40 and your children are 6, 8 and 10, you’re going to need about 15 years of term life insurance – until your youngest is through four years of college. You might decide, with three children and a spouse that you’ll need several hundred thousand dollars of coverage. A Whole life policy of %10,000, however, would be plenty to provide a decent funeral and burial.

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California Term Life Insurance

August 26th, 2009 Administrator No comments

The typical route that most people take when it comes to buying term life insurance is that they find a reputable financial advisor, discuss their specific needs and then the financial advisor “shops out” the different carriers to hopefully find the least expensive but most comprehensive term life insurance quote to protect your family should your unexpected death should happen. Typically, when carriers are shopped out by financial advisors, the location of the insurance company does not play a role in the decision to buy. What does matter is that the insurance carrier is an “A” rated company and that their term insurance quote and policy match your financial and lifestyle needs. However, being insured by a firm in Boston, for example, when you live in California you may not reap all the benefits that are specific to your state. Now there is a specific term life insurance policy offered to residence of California.

A Complex State

Whether you are a new resident of California or you have lived here for your whole life, you understand the complexities of the state as well as the lifestyles. Just as California in itself is complex and filled with complexities of people, the different types of term life insurance policies are equally mind-boggling. The best thing to do is to find a financial advisor who can evaluate the offerings of providers of California term life insurance.

California Term Life Insurance Laws and Regulations

Each state has very specific term life insurance laws and regulations. A few of the California laws and regulations are that those seeking insurance get a minimum of ten days to change your mind and receive a full refund of all premiums paid toward a term life insurance policy after your purchase. Ten days is minimum, but many companies give you one month (or 30 days) to change your mind. This return policy give those who are uncertain about the policy they chose to have a free trial period or even time to keep shopping out the best policy for their needs. To learn more about term life insurance visit http://www.equote.com/li/termlifeinsurance.html.

Aside from a free trial period, all California term life insurance claims should be settled within 30 days after the proof of death is given to the insurance company. If carriers take longer than 30 days to pay out the benefit, the face value may accrue interest, which would also be paid out to the beneficiaries.

Third, the insured receives a 30-day grace period for late payments. This is particularly beneficial because the insured does not have to worry about their California term life insurance policy being cancelled should they simply forget to pay the bill. The grace period gives you the peace of mind that your policy will not be cancelled without notice.

Last, should your licensed insurance company declare bankruptcy or close down due to assets falling below their liabilities, the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association will compensate you in the event that your policy is lost. Reimbursement for a single death benefit may not exceed $250,000 per insured individual or $100,000 in net cash. These limits hold true even if more than one policy is held on each individual.

To be guaranteed compensation under the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association (CALIFEGA), your insurer must be licensed in California and your policy payments must current.

California Life Insurance Laws also Protect Insurance Companies

Since laws do not only go one way, there are also laws in California that protect insurance companies. Those who own California term life insurance policies must follow these regulations.

First, California term life insurance policies do not cover suicide for the first two years of coverage. Should the insured commit suicide, the carrier would send the beneficiaries a 100% refund of all premiums paid within the two-year period.

Second, California term life insurance policies may deny coverage if an applicant misrepresents his or herself or makes fraudulent statements on their application. Carriers may or may not return premiums paid on a policy if this occurs. This right is left to each individual company.

Third, while financial projections (or Insurance Illustrations) are not permitted in other states, it is permissible in California. The financial projections are regulated by the insurance department of the state. To learn more about California term life insurance visit http://www.equote.com/li/californiatermlifeinsurance.html.

It is wise as a California resident to see if having a California term life insurance will be more beneficial than having a random policy written by a company in another state.

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