Whole life insurance refers to a policy that pays out an amount of funds to the selected beneficiaries upon the passing away of the policyholder. The policyholder is supported for life.
These policies may be useful to those who want improved cover while they have children dependant upon them and then later want to reduce cover to last their life. Here follows an explanation of whole life insurance.
An Explanation Of Whole Life Insurance:
Whole life insurance covers you for your entire life and not just for a particular period such as term life insurance.
Whole life insurance also builds cash value. This is a return on a part of your premiums that the insurance company invests. Your cash value is tax-deferred until you withdraw it.
Borrowing From Whole Life Insurance Policies:
The earnings on the cash value in the policy can be borrowed against in the form of a policy loan. The death benefit is reduced by the amount of the loan if the loan is not paid off. You may borrow at the present policy loan interest rate.
Whole Life Insurance As Investment:
Usually investment experts agree that life insurance should not be used only as an investment. You should judge your policy choices on the protection it gives and not the rate of return on the investment. The rate of return on a whole life insurance policy is normally low when compared to other investments.
Pros And Cons Of Whole Life Insurance:
The pros of whole life insurance:
– The policy lasts your entire life.
– Your annual premiums are fixed.
– Part of your premium is invested for you.
The cons of whole life insurance:
- Fixed premiums are more expensive than term premiums.
- Whole life insurance may be a less smart investment than other investment opportunities.
Most people do not have life insurance after the age of 65.
Juvenile Whole Life Insurance:
Juvenile whole life insurance works like most other whole life insurance plans. The child gets insurance protection for her whole life as long as the premiums are continually paid.
The paramount way to protect your whole family is by having ample life insurance for yourself. However, buying life insurance for your children can give them benefits in addition to what your own life insurance policy may offer to them.
Online Whole Life Insurance Quotes:
Getting a whole life insurance quote online does not have to involve too much research on your part. Hunt for a trustworthy whole life insurance company yourself or use one of the many web sites out there that do all the searching for you. You may then log onto the various sites and check out the rates for whole life insurance. If you have a local life insurance company, you may want to ask their advice. Since there are normally more than one life insurer represented in every town, you may want to compare their life cover products to see which is the best life insurance policy for your needs.
Most life cover policies cover aal the basics but be warned – if you are too truting you may pay for being so. Read the policies and if you find it dificult to understand you may ask the policy underwriter’s competition to give their review on the quote. Odds are they will tell you things about the policy that the life cover company did not mention.
Posts Tagged ‘Life Insurance Policy’
An Explanation of Whole Life Insurance
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010How to Find the Perfect Life Insurance Policy
Saturday, July 24th, 2010There are so many different types of life insurance out there; it can be quite challenging to figure out which policy is right for you and your family. Every person has a unique situation and special life insurance needs. Here are a few things to consider when shopping for the perfect life insurance policy:
What are you trying to get out of your life insurance policy?
Life insurance coverage can help pay for your funeral arrangements, help support your family with the loss of your income, pay for your children’s college, be used to pay off your mortgage, and more. Deciding what you want to achieve with your life insurance policy will help narrow down which type of policy and how much coverage is best for you. There are numerous life insurance calculators online that can help you determine the amount of coverage that you need. You also need to consider who you would like to insure and how long you need life insurance for. You might want life insurance for yourself or you might want to include your spouse as well.
What type of policy would you like?
There are many different types of like insurance policies. Term life insurance provides coverage for a certain number of years. The term can vary from 1-30 years, and upon death of the insured, the policy pays out the face value to the beneficiary. On the other hand, a whole life insurance policy combines a term life insurance policy with an investment portion. The investment could be in stocks, bonds, etc, and the policy builds cash value that can be borrowed against. Different types of whole life insurance policies include variable, traditional, and universal. Both term and whole life insurance allow you to lock in the same monthly payment over the life of the policy. Whole life insurance is typically more expensive than term.
Begin your search:
Once you have decided what type of policy, how many years of coverage, and the amount of coverage you need, you are ready to start shopping for the best life insurance policy. It’s a good idea to get quotes from a few different life insurance companies. There are many factors that go in to determining which life insurance policy is right for you, so you should take your time and do your research before you make any decisions. Life insurance premiums can vary greatly depending on your age, amount of coverage, and the type of policy you choose. eLifeInsuranceSaver.com has made the process of shopping for life insurance online simple. Filling out one simple form will allow you to compare quotes from multiple life insurance companies so you can find the perfect policy for you.
The Lowdown on Life Insurance Medical Exams
Friday, July 16th, 2010There are three main ways a new life insurance policy is priced: Underwritten policies are those where you answer questions on your personal and family medical history and undergo a medical exam arranged by the insurance company; a simplified issue life insurance policy application asks you some medical questions but does not require a medical exam; and a guaranteed issue life insurance policy requires no questions and no medical exam. If you’re healthy, or even if you have a few medical problems, you’re likely to get the best insurance value from an underwritten policy, which is priced specifically for you. Simplified issue and guaranteed issue life insurance policies set a price that assumes risk that you may not have.
Whether you’re buying term life insurance or whole life insurance, you’ll likely be asked to undergo a medical exam. These are typically performed by licensed paramedicals who are often independent contractors hired by the insurance company. They will schedule a visit to your home for the exam and bring all the necessary supplies. The life insurance company foots the bill for the exam.
Health questions
When you submit your completed application for your life insurance policy, your agent or life insurer will call a paramedical service to let them know you require an life insurance medical exam. The service will then contact you to arrange a convenient time and place. You must have the exam or your application won’t be processed.
The life insurer may still request an attending physician’s statement (APS) from your doctor, but you cannot have the life insurance medical exam done by your own physician.
In a basic exam, the paramedical will take your medical history (even though you’ve already supplied it on your application), height and weight, blood pressure, pulse, and blood and urine samples. Beyond that, tests will vary based on your age and policy amount.
For example, MetLife will order an in-home EKG for applicants age 50 and older who are applying for face amounts of at least $1 million. For applicants age 70 and older who are applying for $2 million policies and higher, MetLife forgoes the paramedical exam and requires an exam by an M.D. chosen by MetLife (not your own doctor). The doctor will ask the same medical questions as a paramedical and get your height, weight, blood pressure and pulse, plus do a brief medical exam such as listening to your heart.
Jacki Goldstein, Vice President of Life Underwriting at MetLife, emphasizes that this is not a comprehensive medical exam and does not include sensitive issues, such as a breast exam for women. Goldstein also stresses that the M.D. life insurance exam is not a substitute for good routine medical care.
When age and face amounts get higher, a treadmill test may be required. For example, MetLife requires treadmill tests for applicants who are at least 50 and applying for over $10 million in insurance or applicants 76 and older applying for $5 million or more.
If you’re applying for a low face value policy, you may not even be asked to do a paramedical exam. For example, if you’re age 40 and applying for $50,000 of life insurance, MetLife requires no specific tests or measurements. And for some cases, MetLife asks for a “simple paramed” exam, encompassing the basic measurements and blood and urine work but without the paramedical question list. Guidelines for tests will vary among life insurers.
What are They Looking For?
The life insurance company wants to know if you have any health condition that could shorten your life which in turn affects the insurer’s risk and your policy premium. When samples of blood and urine are collected, the insurer tests for HIV, cholesterol and related lipids, liver or kidney disorder, diabetes, hepatitis, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and immune disorders. The urine sample might go through routine analysis, plus screening for certain medications, cocaine and other drugs.
Results go to the life insurer’s home office for an underwriter to review. You can usually send a written request if you want a copy of the results, and some insurers will automatically send you a copy of your lab work. If there’s anything of concern about the lab results, you would need to consult your own doctor. Goldstein says, “It’s not uncommon to have abnormalities that don’t mean anything.”
A life insurance underwriter then reviews your application and the results of your medical exam. They decide your life insurance rating, which sets your premium. If there are lingering questions about your health, they may request additional information or medical tests. In the very rare event you are unknowingly quite ill chronically or terminally your application would be declined and you would have to look for a high-risk carrier or one that offers guaranteed issue life insurance.
Don’t Let Your Life Insurance Premiums Go Up In Smoke
Smokers pay higher premiums for life insurance because of their higher mortality rate. If any nicotine shows up in your results, you’ll be considered a smoker. The test also detects nicotine from a transdermal patch.
After the Life Insurance Exam Results
If your test results correlate with the classification used for your original life insurance quote, you’ll have no problem getting that rate. If a medical problem is discovered, you might be offered a life insurance policy with a higher premium.
There are two types of risk ratings: “flat” ratings, sometimes called temporary flat extras, and “table” ratings. Underwriters assess health conditions based sophisticated table to determine how to rate certain health conditions.
For instance, an underwriter might apply a flat rating for a short period of time for a person who has just had surgery. On the other hand, a person with high-blood pressure could receive a table rating, which increases premiums by a set amount for the duration of the policy, depending on your medical condition and age. If you disagree with a rating you receive, contact your agent.
Agents can find out if the rating can be revised based on supplemental medical tests to prove you qualify for a better rating.
Even if you end up declining the life insurance policy, your test results become part of your record in MIB Group’s database (formerly the Medical Information Bureau), a clearinghouse of medical information that insurers share which stores information for seven years after you apply for a life, health, disability income, long term care or critical illness insurance policy.
MIB is jointly owned by about 470 insurance companies. So, if you go shopping around for other term or whole life insurance policies, remember that your medical information is accessible to other insurers in the near future. Note that MIB’s database does not contain actual medical records but rather codes that represent medical conditions and tests, hazardous hobbies and even your bad driving record.
If you want to check your MIB file, or dispute information in it, you can obtain one free report annually at www.mib.com.
No Way, You Say?
Life insurance medical exams are really quite routine. But if you want to avoid a medical exam at all costs, you could buy a simplified issue life insurance policy, which requires only that you answer a few medical questions, or a guaranteed issue life insurance policy, which requires neither an exam nor questions.
Keep in mind, though, that if you’re in general good health, or even with a history of some health issues, you’ll likely get a much better rate by buying a life insurance policy that requires a medical exam.
Tips for a Better Life Insurance Medical Exam
Certain health conditions simply cannot be masked, but to obtain the best possible results, here are some recommendations:
-Get a good night’s rest the night before your exam. -Don’t drink for at least eight hours before the exam.
-Avoid coffee, tea or other caffein
ated drinks such as soda for at least one hour prior to the exam.
-Limit salt intake and high-cholesterol food 24 hours before your exam.
-Don’t engage in strenuous physical activities 24 hours before the exam.
Source: Exam & Profile Services, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin