Life insurance is one of the most important elements of anyone’s financial portfolio. Education is the key to selecting the right type of policy and making it work for your personal circumstances. Using the tips and advice in the article that follows is a great way to get the most out of this very significant investment.
When designing your life insurance policy to pay out to a spouse, consider the tax implications of the titled spouse owning the policy. When the titled spouse dies, the policy payout then becomes part of their estate, and transferring those funds to the living spouse creates a tax burden. If the non-titled spouse owns the policy the funds are not considered to be part of the deceased’s estate.
If you meet with an agent for life insurance or for that matter, any type of insurance and they listen to your needs and make recommendations on the spot, you may want to consider meeting with someone else. An agent should get to know you and your needs, do some research to find the best possible options and then meet with you again to discuss them and then, plan a course of action.
Make sure you do not do anything that can cause your insurance provider to drive up your premiums. Also, certain occupations, such as a racer or a helicopter pilot, could be considered by the insurance provider to be very high risk. Thus, your premiums will be higher.
If you are looking to purchase a life insurance policy and you are a smoker, try to quit. This is because most life insurance companies will not provide insurance to a smoker, as they are more at risk to getting lung cancer and other smoking-related conditions. Companies that will provide insurance to a smoker will usually charge higher premium rates.
You have decided you need a life insurance policy, and figured out how much insurance you need, now you need to figure out what kind of insurance best fits your needs. Currently there are four varieties of life insurance available; variable life, universal life, whole life, and universal life.
Don’t ever lie on a life insurance policy application. While it may seem like a tempting idea to say, for example, that you don’t smoke when you do, lying on your application is grounds for your insurance coverage to cancel your policy when the deception is eventually uncovered. Tell the truth and shop around for the best price instead.
It is crucial that you ask if a potential life insurance policy covers accidental death, as some insurance companies will not cover this. Anything can happen to you and want you to be assured that your family will be able to pay for your final expenses. If you are unsure, ask your insurance company.
Life insurance comes in many different variations that can fit just about any budget. Once you know the amount of coverage you need, decide whether you want insurance that provides permanent coverage, or just need term insurance to cover you until large expenses are paid off. Once debts are gone and the kids move out, you may decide to self-insure and won’t need life insurance coverage anymore.
When pursuing a broker to give you options for your life insurance policy, you should never accept a one-meeting recommendation. This is because after just one meeting, a broker has not analyzed your situation very carefully and considered all options for you. Therefore, you should not accept the offer and continue researching on your own.
The first thing to consider when obtaining your first life insurance policy is determining the amount of coverage you need. A simple way to do this is to multiply your current annual income by eight. However, this is far from perfect, as each person along with their dependents’ situations and therefore needs are unique. For example, your specific situation could be unique in that you have a child planning to go to college in the next four years. There are various tools available online that can help you determine a more appropriate amount of coverage. Insurance companies generally have representatives that can consult you on your needs also.
If you need more life insurance because of your poor health, you should consider purchasing a rider instead of a new policy. A rider is an addition or change to a current policy. Therefore, a rider is usually not as expensive as purchasing an additional policy, which will keep your premium low.
There is no debating the substantial role life insurance plays in the financial lives of many. The best way to choose an appropriate policy and realize the greatest benefit possible is to learn as much as you can about how different types of coverage work. Take advantage of the pointers in this article, and you will have a great foundation from which to operate.
