Life Insurance, the Universe, and Everything

Home
>
Insurance
>
Life Insurance, the Universe, and Everything

Life Insurance, the Universe, and Everything

You may have noticed that life insurance is coming back into fashion. It's true that it may not be the financial term on everybody's lips, but sales of life insurance have been going up, according to the Association of British Insurers. Whilst we may not be saving the volume of funds that the financial institutes would like, we are at least flirting with the idea of becoming a little more protective with our finances.

If you have yet to consider taking out any life insurance, don't worry ?there's plenty of information out there including consumer organisations such as which? and moneynet. Start with some simple, easy questions such as:

* Would my dependents need a lump sum, such as to pay off the mortgage?

* Will they need a replacement income?

* Should my partner and I both take out life insurance?

You need to ensure whatever life insurance cover you take out accommodates funeral expenses, an emergency fund to encompass household expenses in the short term, repayment of the mortgage, repayment of any other loans, inheritance tax, bequests in your will to people ? in addition to your dependents, any other possible lump-sum expenses.

Life insurance broadly falls into two categories: term life insurance (protection only) and investment type. Term insurance is the cheapest type of life insurance and provides a pay-out if the person / policy holder dies within a selected period of years. If you survive beyond the given period of years, then no pay-out is given.

Investment insurance advises that you should choose a whole-of-life option which is a form of investment type policy. Whole-of-life insurance provides cover for as long as the policy holder lives. The policy must eventually pay out and therefore builds up an investment value which can be cashed in by surrendering the policy. However, it often takes many years for a surrender value to build up and in general, whole-of-life policies are expensive if your main requirement is protection, the same is true endowment policies. Endowment policies are investment insurance products which pay out upon the death of the policy holder and also if they survive.

If you're considering term life insurance, bear in mind there are multiple variations encompassing increasing term insurance, increasable term insurance, decreasing term insurance, renewable term insurance, convertible term insurance, family income benefit insurance and pension linked term insurance.

Increasing term insurance

Increasing term insurance is just like basic term insurance, except that, as the name suggests, the level of cover increases ? typically alongside the premiums. This policy is suitable for long-term insurance as increasing prices reduce the value of a fixed level of cover over policy period.

Increasable term insurance

Increasable term insurance provides the option of increasing the level of cover either at specific intervals (such as anniversary of policy start date) or specific events (such as marriage or birth of a child). Premiums increase for additional cover, but they are based on your health at the start of the policy, even if it has since deteriorated.

Decreasing term insurance

Decreasing term insurance reduces cover year on year, with the policy holder usually requiring the cover for loan repayments such as a mortgage or to cover a potential inheritance tax bill.

Renewable term insurance

Renewable term insurance gives the policy holder the option to extend the insurance term when it comes to an end; the premium paid is the same at the start of the term, in spite of any deterioration in the policy holder's health.

This may be beneficial to parents whose children stay in full-time education longer than originally intended. Alternatively if someone cannot afford the cover for the period they want, they could take out cover for a short period and extend it later with slightly high premiums.

It might be a financial jungle out there, but it's not impossible to navigate your way through to financial security.

Resources:

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/insurance/life-assurance/index.sht ml

http://www.which.co.uk/

About Rachel:

Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla.

http://www.cashzilla.co.uk

Rachel eats a lot of Green and Black's chocolate, particularly Maya Gold ?it's delicious and fair-trade too.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Obama OKs modest tax changes after seeking ideas (AP)

AP - Pushed by fellow Democrats, President-elect Barack Obama agreed to modest changes in his proposed tax cuts on Friday after inviting lawmakers to "just show me" ideas for fixing an economy shedding jobs at an alarming rate. Democratic congressional officials said that Obama aides came under pressure in closed-door talks to jettison or significantly alter a proposed tax credit for creating jobs.

Ill. House impeaches governor, who vows to fight (AP)

AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached Friday by Illinois lawmakers furious that he turned state government into a "freak show," setting the stage for an unprecedented trial in the state Senate that could get him thrown out of office.

Israel and Hamas ignore UN call for cease-fire (AP)

AP - Israeli jets and ground troops hammered at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and Islamic militants fired barrages of rockets at southern Israeli cities Friday, ignoring a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire after two weeks of combat.

Pastor in gay scandal: I'm back from 'wilderness' (AP)

AP - Speaking out two years after being embroiled in a gay sex scandal, former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard said Friday his sexual identity is complex and can't be put into "stereotypical boxes," but that his relationship with his wife is stronger than ever.

Palin: Is Kennedy getting 'kid glove' treatment? (AP)

AP - She messed up her first interviews, didn't show much of a grasp of the issues and, dontcha know, had a speech pattern that was widely mimicked.

Texas death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it (AP)

AP - A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it. Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant's death.

Rare 'dinky' bird migrates to US for first time (AP)

AP - Birders with binoculars and cameras are flocking to a remote state park in search of a small yellow-chested bird that apparently crossed the U.S. border for the first time from its high-mountain habitat to the south.

'Dexter' brother and sister are husband and wife (AP)

AP - They play brother and sister on "Dexter." Now in real life, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are husband and wife. Hall's spokesman, Craig Bankey, said on Friday that the couple eloped in California on New Year's Eve. They'll walk the red carpet together at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday the first time publicly acknowledging their relationship.

George the lobster gets new lease on life at 140 (AP)

AP - A new lease on life at 140? That's what a Manhattan lobster got Friday, when the 20-pound crustacean named George was released from a swanky Park Avenue restaurant's tank. City Crab and Seafood agreed to a request from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to let the lobster return to the Atlantic Ocean.

Stimulant exemptions in baseball on the rise (AP)

AP - Baseball authorized nearly 8 percent of its players to use drugs for ADHD last season, which allowed them to take otherwise banned stimulants. A total of 106 exemptions for banned drugs were given to major leaguers claiming attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from the end of the 2007 season until the end of the 2008 season, according to a report released Friday by the sport's independent drug-testing administrator.

Citi, Morgan Stanley in brokerage talks; Rubin quits (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc is in advanced talks to sell its Smith Barney brokerage unit to Morgan Stanley, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a move that would further dismantle the financial supermarket that has been bailed out by the U.S. government.

Illinois House votes to impeach Gov. Blagojevich (Reuters)

Reuters - The Illinois House of Representatives impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday for abuse of power, including a charge that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

Israel, Hamas press on with Gaza war (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pressed on with a punishing Gaza offensive and Hamas sent more rocket salvoes into southern Israeli towns in a two-week-old war that continued to defy international efforts to stop it.

Obama team, Rep. Frank eye bailout fund overhaul (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama and a key Democratic lawmaker revealed plans on Friday to overhaul the government's $700 billion financial rescue fund as a way to aid struggling homeowners and speed the flow of credit.

Jobless rate at 16-year high as payrolls plunge (Reuters)

Reuters - The unemployment rate surged to the highest in nearly 16 years last month as a deepening year-long recession forced companies to axe more than half a million jobs, government data showed on Friday.

Supreme court to decide voting rights law challenge (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Friday it would consider a challenge to a central provision of the 44-year-old voting rights law aimed at preventing states and local governments from making it harder for minorities to vote.

Bank industry slams lawmaker-Citi mortgage deal (Reuters)

Reuters - A top bank industry group said on Friday that it opposes an agreement between Citigroup Inc and Democratic senators that would rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, saying it could make home loans more expensive.

EU seeks to finalize Russian gas monitoring deal (Reuters)

Reuters - The European Union sought to finalize details on Friday of a gas monitoring deal to allow the resumption of gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, which have been cut off for days over a pricing row.

Defiant Israel presses Gaza offensive as toll passes 800 (AFP)

AFP - Tanks and warplanes pounded Gaza on Friday after Israel defied a truce order from the UN Security Council as the death toll from the two-week-old conflict against Hamas passed 800.

Somali pirates say they have released Saudi supertanker (AFP)

AFP - Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago caused panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action.

Life Insurance, the Universe, and Everything

Insurance Insurance