Life Insurance Cost

Shop smarter for Life Insurance!

Archive for April, 2009

Borrowing Against Life Insurance

Posted by Pamela Spencer On April - 24 - 2009

There are times in life when you may need money for important things like paying for your child’s college tuition, making a down payment on a house, or even to take a long family vacation. The interest rates on personal loans can be quite high, so rather than paying the high interest rate you might want to consider borrowing against your life insurance policy. These loans generally have low interest rates and paying the loan back can be postponed, sometimes even indefinitely.

To figure out how much you can borrow, the first thing you need to do is determine what the cash value is on your insurance policy. This amount is usually stated in your monthly or annual statements. Multiply that amount by 90%. You will not want to borrow more than 90% of the cash value. If this amount is sufficient for your borrowing needs then borrowing against your life insurance policy may be a viable option for you to consider.

If you do not have the documentation on your insurance policy regarding the loan and cash-out rules, contact your life insurance company and request a copy. Once you have determined how much you can borrow and what the terms are, you can compare this with other lending offers.

Universal life and whole life insurance policies usually have loan and cash-out policies that are clearly stated. Usually term life insurance policies do not come with loan options, but you should always check with the specifics of your insurance policy to determine what your options are.


Some insurance policies will require a higher premium with a loan or cash out. Other insurance companies may require a viatical settlement in order for you to receive the loan. If there is any unpaid balance or interest left on the loan this amount will be subtracted before any payments are made to your beneficiaries at the time of your death.

One big benefit of borrowing against your life insurance policy is there are not many regulations. You have already paid income taxes on the money and there are no earnings or dividends. Also there are no age restrictions like there are with borrowing against a retirement fund, and there are generally no penalties if you do not pay the loan back.

You may also be able to receive a loan against your insurance policy from other lenders besides your insurance company. Some investment companies and banks will lend you money if you will name them as the beneficiary on your policy. These loans generally do not require any payments and do not mature until you die. These options may carry more risk than cashing out on your policy, but it is another option you can consider.

Contact your insurance agent to discuss borrowing against your life insurance policy. In some cases it may be better to borrow using a traditional or home equity loan. If you think your family is going to need the proceeds from the life insurance policy if you should die, then you can consider a loan that is forgiven when you die.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Life Insurance for Young People

Posted by Pamela Spencer On April - 20 - 2009

Young, healthy individuals have their minds on enjoying life, gaining an education and advancing in their careers. Young people rarely think about dying or the need to have life insurance. However, this can be a big mistake since buying life insurance while you are young and in your prime is when you can get the best deals. Life insurance will never be less expensive than when you are young and healthy. This can be an excellent time to purchase life insurance.

Although you may be young and healthy now, you will be growing older, and in a few years you will no doubt have a family and financial obligations to consider. You may end up with young children or others who are financially dependent on you. Life insurance can provide the means for those who depend on your financial support in the event you should die prematurely as well as pay for bills and debts you have incurred. The last thing you want is to have your family and loved ones worried about money and expenses while they are grieving.

Debts and bills can accumulate rather quickly, especially if you should fall ill. That is why life insurance coverage can be so important. A whole life insurance policy can help to pay for the costs of medical bills, debts and your funeral expenses in addition to providing financial support for your dependents.


As you grow older, the cost of buying a whole life insurance policy increases. You can lock in a great price if you purchase a policy when you are young and healthy, ideally while you are still in your twenties. Your life insurance policy will be very helpful to you when you are older.

The small premium payments you will pay now will remain the same, so that as you grow older and perhaps less healthy, your premium costs will not increase if you purchase your policy while you are still young and healthy. No matter what health issues may arise or how old you get, your insurance premiums will be affordable.

Another reason to consider purchasing a whole life insurance policy while you are still young, is that this is the time in your life when you are likely to be the most healthy. As you grow older you may develop health conditions or problems and these health issues can increase the costs of your life insurance premiums. To save you and your family money and unnecessary worry, it is better to invest a small amount of money in a life insurance policy now while you are still young and healthy.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Getting Term Insurance Online

Posted by Pamela Spencer On April - 15 - 2009

The internet provides a great way to shop, find information, communicate, and receive the latest news online. You can also buy term life insurance online these days. In fact, it is becoming more and more popular. You may wonder why anyone would go through the trouble of researching and buying term life insurance online when you could just find a local insurance company and sign up with them. Online life insurance customers would probably ask you the reverse, why go through all the trouble of contacting life insurance companies in your local area when researching and buying term life insurance online is so easy and convenient?

You may have your doubts, but getting quotes, doing comparisons, and purchasing term life insurance online has several benefits and advantages.

One great advantage to shopping for term life insurance online is that you are more likely to find lower term life insurance quotes and rates as well as great deals shopping online than you would by limiting yourself to local life insurance companies. You may be wondering how that is possible. One reason is because you are going to have access to a much bigger selection of choices online than you will in confining yourself to local life insurance companies. This gives you a better chance of finding better rates. Another advantage is life insurance companies operating online generally have low costs and zero commissions. They can pass their savings onto their customers in the form of discounts.


If these advantages are not reason enough, consider how convenient it is to shop online. It’s true that there are people who do prefer meeting with an agent in person, but many other individuals would prefer the convenience of shopping online where they don’t have to worry about scheduling conflicts and going to all those appointments. When you shop for life insurance online, you can do your searches for quotes, compare different insurance companies and shop for a life insurance policy at your convenience from home whenever you want.

Despite all the benefits and advantages of shopping and purchasing term life insurance online there are several things you need to consider as well.

One reason people are hesitant and skeptical about shopping for term life insurance online is because of scams. There are many reputable, legitimate life insurance companies online. However, there are also dishonest, shady ones on the internet as well. Take the time to do some research on the online life insurance companies. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the company. Also check to make sure that you do qualify for the rate that you have been quoted.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in order to get the best rate and deal, you need to compare several companies. Getting just a quote or two is not adequate. You need to get multiple quotes in order to get the best deal on your life insurance.

You should also take full advantage of the customer service department of the online life insurance company. Discuss any concerns or questions you have about their terms and conditions, rates, or a particular policy that you are interested in. If the life insurance company does not have online customer service and support it’s a good idea to keep looking until you find a life insurance company that does.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Choosing a Beneficiary for Life Insurance

Posted by Pamela Spencer On April - 10 - 2009

When it comes to managing a life insurance policy there are usually tough decisions that must be made. One of the hardest is deciding who you should be the beneficiary on your policy. It can be difficult to decide who most needs the death benefit that your life insurance would pay in the event of your death. Although this can be a hard thing to have to think about, it’s critical to give it some serious thought. Often the first person you think of for your beneficiary might not be the best one to choose. Here are a few things you should consider when deciding who should be your beneficiary.

One consideration to think of is to ask yourself who would benefit the most from the death benefit on your life insurance policy. It could be your children or your spouse or maybe a favorite charity of yours. Most policies will allow you to name multiple beneficiaries. If the death benefit on your policy is large enough you may be able to name several beneficiaries and have each receive part of the benefits. Even if you decide to choose multiple beneficiaries you shill need to weigh the pros and cons of the people you are considering to be possible beneficiaries. You need to make sure that those who need the benefit the most do not get left out or that there isn’t someone who would be better suited to receive the benefit.


You also need to take into consideration funeral expenses and potential bills that might need to be paid should you die. You don’t want to leave your family with the financial burden of having to be responsible to pay for these type of expenses. Your life insurance policy can help to take that burden away from your family. You should try to think of what family member, or someone else that you have a lot of trust in, would be the best person to oversee the process and make sure all of the funeral expenses and bills got paid. It might be a good idea to talk to this person ahead of time to see if they would be comfortable having this responsibility. You also need to be sure that the benefits on your life insurance policy will be sufficient to pay for all the debts and expenses.

Take into account any long-term goals or plans that you have for the future, such as money for children’s college education or paying off your mortgage. If you should pass away suddenly, you want to make sure the proceeds from your life insurance policy will be sufficient to pay for these long term goals. You may want to have part of your policy be set aside to finance your children’s college fund or a retirement fund for your spouse.

When you are shopping for a life insurance policy discuss what your options are with your insurance agent. The agent may have some other options for you to consider regarding beneficiaries as well as discuss any limitations regarding the policy. Your agent can help you ensure that the life insurance policy that you choose will meet all of your needs and that you make the best choices when it comes to choosing the best beneficiaries for your life insurance policy.

  • Share/Save/Bookmark