Archive for February, 2010

Term Life Insurance vs. Permanent Life Insurance

Term Life Insurance vs. Permanent Life Insurance

Choosing a life insurance plan is difficult; it takes a lot of time and research in order to ensure that all aspects are thoroughly examined before making a final decision. There are basically two forms of life insurance to choose from: term life insurance and permanent life insurance.

Below you will find valuable information regarding both forms of life insurance as well as other helpful information which will assist you in deciding which form of life insurance is best suited for you and your situation.

The first thing to do is to research and understand the concept of both forms of life insurance. These two forms of insurance have been compared to buying or leasing a car. Term life insurance is much like leasing a car, you can purchase insurance for a specific number of years, but once those years are up, so is your insurance coverage. Permanent life insurance is similar to buying a car. When you buy a car, it?s yours and you can drive it forever if you like. Permanent life insurance stays with you until you die.

Depending on your situation, each form of insurance can be very beneficial and offer many great opportunities. Below you will find a more in-depth explanation of each form of insurance providing advantages and disadvantages of both.

Term Life Insurance

Benefits
? Term life insurance is inexpensive and can cost a considerable amount less than permanent life insurance.
? There are no strings attached with this form of insurance and you are free to stop paying whenever you want.
? You can begin using term insurance and if you feel like you want more coverage, you can then convert to permanent life insurance if you wish.

Downfalls
? Term life insurance only provides coverage. There are no other rewards and there is no cash value.
? Yes you are free to stop paying whenever you please, but should you choose to do so you will no longer have any life insurance coverage.
? Term prices increase at a rapid pace as you get older and as you get older, your need for this type of insurance will become more and more crucial.

Permanent Life Insurance

Benefits
? Permanent life insurance can accumulate into cash value and savings. Any cash value which you receive will be tax deferred.
? There is no risk involved in this form of insurance. Your loved ones will receive a death benefit regardless of when you pass away, whereas term life insurance will only pay out if you happen to be covered when you die.
? You can borrow the cash value you receive to pay for college, a vehicle, etc. You can do this without receiving a penalty for doing so.

Downfalls
? The most noticeable disadvantage to permanent life insurance is the cost. This form of life insurance will cost you a great deal more than term life insurance.
? Should you decide to forgo your permanent life insurance coverage, you will be required to pay a large penalty which will be bounded by law.

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10 key reasons why a person needs life insurance

10 key reasons why a person needs life insurance

Insurance is designed to protect a person and the family from disasters and financial burdens. There are many kinds of insurance of which, the basic and most important is considered to be life insurance. It provides for the dependants after your death.

Since there are certain financial commitments you need to meet throughout life and do contribute in some way to the family income, you need to provide something even in death?to secure the home, help the family meet expenses for a while, protect dependant parents, or secure the children or spouse.

Financial obligations could include funeral expenses, unsettled medical bills, mortgages, business commitments, meeting the college expenses of the children, and so on.

How much insurance a person needs would vary, depending on lifestyle, financial needs and sources of income, debts, and the number of dependants? An insurance adviser or agent would recommend that you take insurance that amounts to five to ten times your annual income. It is best to sit down with an expert and go through the reasons why you should consider insurance and what kind of insurance planning would benefit you.

As an important part of your financial plan insurance provides peace of mind for any uncertainties in life.

1. Life insurance correctly planned will on premature death provide funds to deal with monies due, mortgages, and living expenses. It offers protection to the family you leave behind and serves as a cash resource.

2. It secures your hard earned estate on death by providing tax free cash which can be utilized to pay estate and death duties and to tide over business and personal expenses.

3. Life insurance can have a savings or pension component that provides for you during retirement.

4. Some policies have riders like coverage of critical illness or term insurance for the children or spouse. There are certain rules regarding eligibility for riders which you will need to determine clearly.

5. Having a valid insurance policy is considered as financial assets which improves your credit rating when you need health insurance or a home loan or business loan.

6. In case of bankruptcy, the cash value as well as death benefits of an insurance policy is exempt from creditors.

7. Life insurance can be planned such that it will cover even your funeral expenses.

8. Term life insurance has double benefits, it protects and you can get your money back during strategic points in your life.

9. Insurance protects your business from financial loss or any liabilities in case a business partner dies.

10. It can contribute towards maintaining a family?s life style when one contributing partner suddenly dies.

Insurance is vital to good financial planning and security but you would need to assess your personal risk and long term commitments. Insurance stands a person in good stead throughout life and can be used in case of emergencies during a life time by requesting a withdrawal or loan.

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Where to Get Great Car Insurance Rates

Car insurance can really take a bite out of your wallet. Especially if you’re a young driver or a driver whose record is less than perfect, even vehicle liability insurance can become almost unaffordable, unless you know where to look.

Where do you go to find the cheapest auto insurance? The best places to look online are at sites that can get comparative rates for you and the best one of these is a website called CarInsuranceRates.me. That’s right, “dot me.” A better name for this company would be “Car Insurance Rates For Me,” because they specialize in finding the best automobile insurance rates for your personal needs.

This company does much more for you than just get you comparative rates from the most trusted insurance companies. Right on the homepage, they urge you to read their fact sheets before you make your decision. Armed with the knowledge they give you, you will be in a better position to make the right choice for you.

Their “Basic Information” page is full of helpful information about all of your insurance options. Did you know, for instance that comprehensive insurance does not cover loss of your vehicle due to traffic accidents, but only those that are caused by acts of nature like hurricanes, etc? Many people believe that “comprehensive” means an insurance that includes all eventualities, but that is not the case.

Do you know what “no fault’ insurance is? This is insurance that covers your medical expenses no matter who is at fault in an accident. Only twelve states are allowed to offer such insurance. You can learn more about this, your vehicle liability insurance and much more when you visit the Car Insurance Rates website. Once you know everything you need to know, then you can use the site to find the best deal for your needs.

Term Life Insurance

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is a life insurance product that pays out a cash lump sum upon death of the insurance policyholder or at the point that the insurance policyholder is diagnosed as terminally ill. But, despite it being a low cost term life product - insurance cover can be acquired from as little as ?5-?10 per month - surprisingly few of us have term life insurance in place.

For people with a mortgage and family to support, not having a term life insurance policy exposes them to a large financial risk. This risk becomes apparent when you consider how the mortgage and household bills would be paid if the main income producer were to die or to become terminally ill. The end result could be that loved ones who are left behind find their home is repossessed because they cannot keep up the mortgage repayments.

Some people prepare for such an eventuality by taking out a mortgage life insurance policy. This is all well and good for covering off the remainder of the mortgage loan, but where will the money come from to pay the gas & electricity bill and the council tax bill every month, let alone the money needed to cover the policyholder’s funeral expenses? It is at this point that a term life insurance policy becomes very useful indeed.

If you don’t have a term life insurance policy in place, here are some sobering reasons why you should consider taking out a term life policy now?

? CANCER - One in three people will develop cancer at some point in their lives. Research into cancer is of course ongoing, and one day some cancers may be curable. In the meantime a term life policy offers income protection for loved ones left behind in the event of terminal cancer diagnosis and death from cancer.

? HEART DISEASE - Heart and circulatory disease accounts for more than 35%PRCTG% of all deaths in the UK each year. The number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease is on a falling trend, but the number of people becoming morbidly obese is increasing, and so may reverse this trend in the near future. Term life policies can be configured to pay out if cause of death is heart-related.

? MRSA (SUPERBUG) - The death rate from the MRSA superbug has doubled in the last 4 years. MRSA is a bacterial infection that is resistant to antibiotics. It commonly causes death in people with weak immune systems, and so easily spreads amongst the sick & old in hospital wards. Many life insurance policies pay out if the cause of death is MRSA related.

? AVIAN FLU (BIRD FLU) - Recent comments by the Society of General Microbiology in the UK sparked controversy when they estimated that 2 million people in the UK could die from a highly infectious strain of mutated Avian Flu. If you are worried about Avian Flu check with the life insurance agent to see if their term life policy covers such an eventuality.

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Cheap Term Life Insurance

Cheap Term Life Insurance

Should you buy cheap term life insurance? It’s an often-asked question to which there is a cheap and simple answer. If you have a mortgage or you have a partner, family or dependants that could suffer financial hardship as a result of your death then cheap term life insurance is a must!

Cheap term life insurance, otherwise known simply as life insurance or term life is a cheap life insurance policy that pays out a lump sum upon your death. The premiums are very cheap and term life insurance policies are very easy to obtain. There are two basic types of term life insurance available from insurers - cheap decreasing term life insurance and cheap level term life insurance.

Cheap decreasing term life insurance

Cheap decreasing term life insurance is very cheap. For only a few pounds each month a cheap decreasing term life insurance policy will pay the balance of your mortgage should you die before it reaches full term. This type of term policy is called decreasing term life insurance because the sum insured decreases in line with your outstanding mortgage balance. The cheap premium remains the same for the life of the policy, making it an exceptionally cheap way to secure life insurance. A cheap decreasing term life insurance policy ONLY pays out a lump sum to clear your mortgage. This type of cheap term life insurance does not make any other provision for the loved ones you leave behind.

Cheap level term life insurance

Level term life insurance policies are not as cheap as decreasing term life insurance, although these types of term policies overall are still cheap, having only slightly higher premiums attached to them. The reason for the premium not being as cheap is that level term policies pay off your mortgage AND leave a lump sum to your partner, family and/or dependants. The sum insured through a cheap level term life insurance policy remains the same through the life of the policy, as does the cheap premium.

A cheap level term life insurance is recommended to run in tandem with your mortgage. However, a cheap level term life insurance policy can run differently from the term of your mortgage. For instance, you could take out a 10-year level term life insurance policy that is separate from any other cheap premium life policy covering your mortgage. The premiums on the 10-year insurance policy will not be as cheap because the term is short, but it will provide you with additional life insurance cover in the unfortunate event of your death.

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Term Insurance

Term Insurance

Term insurance is a level term life insurance product that pays out a lump sum when the insurance policyholder dies or becomes terminally ill. It provides peace of mind to the insurance policyholder that loved ones left behind after their death will be financially secure. Term life insurance can be configured to pay off all existing loans - including the mortgage - and leave a cash sum in the bank to support your spouse and children. If you don’t want your family to have to cope with financial pressures during their bereavement, or struggle to find the funds to pay for your funeral then term insurance is the life product to have.

Term insurance is different to mortgage insurance
It is important to realise that term insurance is a different life product to mortgage insurance. Term insurance is a long-term insurance product that can be taken out over a lifetime of 50 years. During this time the insurance premium remains the same as does the amount paid out in the event of death or terminal illness.

Mortgage insurance on the other hand mirrors the life of your outstanding mortgage loan. The insurance premiums remain the same throughout the life of the product, but unlike term insurance the amount paid out upon death or terminal illness reduces in line with the outstanding mortgage loan. So, if you were to die at the point that you owe only ?2000 on your mortgage, then the mortgage life insurance product would only pay out ?2000.

Terminal illness
Terminal illness cover generally comes as standard with term life insurance polices. The terminal illness clause tends to trigger pay out if the insurance policyholder is diagnosed with a terminal illness named on the term policy and is given 12 months or less to live. Pay out in these circumstances allows the policyholder themselves or someone with power of attorney for the policyholder to receive the full lump sum from the term life insurance policy. They are then free to enjoy the final months of their life with their family free from financial constraints.

When a term life insurance policy pays out for terminal illness the policy will end. Therefore the life insurance company will not be liable to pay anything further upon death of the policyholder.

Term life insurance restrictions
As with most insurance policies there are restrictions and exclusions that apply to term life insurance policies. The main restriction is on pay outs to term life insurance policyholders who become critically ill, yet are not diagnosed as terminally ill. In this case, a standard term life insurance policy will not make a payment, unless a critical illness policy has been added to the term life insurance.

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