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Archive for November, 2008

Life Insurance Policy Lapse

Posted by Pamela Spencer On November - 25 - 2008

A life insurance policy could lapse for several different reasons. The two most common reasons that an individual allows their life insurance policy to lapse are either that they forgot to renew their policy or they just don’t think that they can afford to pay the insurance premium.

Letting your life insurance policy lapse is not a good thing. You may mistakenly believe that you can just call up your life insurance company and have them reinstate your policy after it has lapsed for some time like you could a cell phone or cable or electric bill, but this is not true. If you allow the policy on your life insurance to lapse you will most likely have to re-apply for a new insurance policy. This can end up being quite expensive. For example, if you had a term life policy that was locked in a decade ago when you were healthy and young, then it is almost certain that your premium will be higher now even with the same death benefit. How much your premium cost goes up will depend on how healthy you are. If you health is not as good as it was, or you have begun smoking or if there are any other changes in your health, this will cause your life insurance premium to increase.


Don’t forget to renew your policy. Most insurance companies make it very easy for you to renew. One way you can ensure that your policy is renewed is through implementing automatic withdrawals out of your bank account. This way you won’t ever have to worry about writing a check and mailing in a payment. Your premium will automatically be deducted from your savings or checking account when the premium payment is due.

The second major reason that people let their life insurance policies lapse is because they think they cannot afford to pay the premiums. This is not a good excuse because you can not afford to not have life insurance. When you die there will be expenses and it is your responsibility to cover your expenses. There are things that can be done to make your policy more affordable. One of the most common ways of doing this is to adjust the payment frequency. Ask about annual, semi-annual and quarterly payments. Most insurance companies will give you discounts on these payment terms. You can also find out about having the death benefit lowered. The most important thing you need to do is ask your insurance companies what your available options are before your life insurance policy lapses.

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Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance

Posted by Pamela Spencer On November - 11 - 2008

Guaranteed issue life insurance policies guarantee insurance to anyone, regardless of any health conditions. That may sound very risky for insurance companies. They hedge their risks in two ways.

The first way is that guarantee issue life insurance has graded benefits. What this means is that if the insured person should die within a specified time period, their beneficiaries receive only a portion of death benefits (or none if it is a contestable period). A majority of the policies for guaranteed issue life insurance will only pay out full benefits two years after the policy has been issued. So if an individual buys a guaranteed life insurance policy in 2007 and then dies from cancer in 2008, the beneficiary will get none or only a part of the death benefit.

The second way that insurance companies profit from guaranteed issue life insurance is charging higher premiums. There are also age limits for these types of policies (usually someone older than seventy will not be insured).

Guaranteed issue life insurance is whole life insurance, but has higher premiums because no one is denied. What this means is the guaranteed life insurance policy accrues cash value over a period of time (generally this is after the first few years). Part of the premium pays for insurance and part builds up cash value.


Because it is permanent life insurance, premium rates and death benefits don’t change. Guaranteed issue life insurance is valid for life as long as the premiums are paid.

Most policies still pay the entire amount of the death benefit if the insured dies as the result of an accident. This is usually the only reason. So if you were to find out that you have only three more months to live, guaranteed issue life insurance can’t benefit you.

Because everyone is eligible for these policies there are no medical exams or medical history required for guaranteed issue life insurance. Only very general questions are asked like name, address and age.

A majority of guaranteed issue life insurance policies do have a limit on the death benefit. Most policies are not for over $50,000. One of the major reasons people get guaranteed issue life insurance policies is to pay for things like burial expenses, medical bills and debts of the estate.

You will still be able to withdraw cash value from the policy on guaranteed issue life insurance to pay for emergency expenses that you have while you are alive. You can withdraw money and accept lower death benefits or end the policy. Or another option is you can borrow against the policy’s cash value and retain the death benefit once you have repaid the loan.

Guaranteed issue life insurance is not necessarily for everyone. However, if you are having a hard time getting other types of insurance due to a health condition and you are expected to live for two years or more, your only option may be guaranteed issue life insurance.

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Life Insurance for Children

Posted by Pamela Spencer On November - 5 - 2008

The possibility of a child dying is certainly not something any parent wants to have to think about. However, life insurance isn’t all concerned with death. Child life insurance concerns preparing for the future. Taking steps today can make it possible to have a better future. The main concern for parents and grandparents is to make a better future for their children and grandchildren.

While a child is young and healthy, it is possible to obtain life insurance at a very minimal price. However, if a child should develop a health problem such as a chronic disease, then life insurance can be virtually impossible to get. So by purchasing an inexpensive term life insurance policy today that has an option for a guaranteed periodic policy, it will make it easier for the child to get life insurance when they become an adult.

Another option is to buy a whole life insurance policy that lasts for their entire life. The state of their health and age will not matter, nor will whether or not they are employed in dangerous occupations or serve in the military.

This type of child insurance is ideal for making preparations for the future due to the fact that the cash value of the policy would accumulate. When they became an adult they would be able to borrow against the cash value or have the option to cancel the policy and withdraw the accumulated value as a means to pay for college or other things.


Grandparents, parents and legal guardians are all eligible to buy child life insurance. Young parents often have a lot of financial responsibilities when their children are young, so being able to afford insurance can be difficult. Grandparents might be in a better financial position to buy insurance for the grandchildren.

Coverage being immediately when you buy life insurance for a child. There aren’t any medical exams required, just a couple health questions on the insurance application is usually all that is needed for a child to qualify.

The cost of child life insurance varies. With whole life, the rate remains the same. The rate for term life depends on factors such as the policy and the age of the child. The policy renewal agreement can vary as well, so it is important that everything is clear before you sign up for a term policy. You may have an option to buy a term policy and then switch to whole life when the policy period ends.

You can decide how long you want a policy for child life insurance to last for. If you want it to last for the child’s entire life you can get a whole life policy. If you want one for a specific amount of time, then there are term policies available.

When it comes to child life insurance, the beneficiaries are the parents or legal guardians. However it is the child who benefits the most. She or he benefits from the security that a life insurance policy provides and will continue to provide even if the child becomes diagnosed with a serious disease. So you can secure your child’s future now through child life insurance. It benefits them and it benefits you. Contact your insurance agent to see if child life insurance is the right thing for you.

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