Definition of Whole Life Insurance
Do you want to know what whole life insurance is, and if it’s a good idea for you? It’s important to understand the basics of whole life coverage, how it works, and potential benefits.
-Whole Life Coverage
A whole life policy covers policyholder's lifetime expenses such as medical care costs, funeral costs, and end-of-life care. The policies usually charge a monthly premium with reserves built in to cover these expenses. Some policies also have cash value that can be withdrawn from the policy after a certain amount of time or on specific events such as death or marriage. The cash values can be used to pay premiums or for other purposes.
-Whole Life Cost
There are two cost components of a whole life insurance policy: one-time costs and continuing costs. The one-time costs include the initial premium, agent fees, and administrative expenses. Continuing costs include monthly premium, cash value charges, and possible surrender charges.
The amount of money you pay in total depends on your age, health condition, insurance company's assessment of risk (see underwriting), and the type of policy you get. It's always a good idea to get quotes from several insurers before applying for a policy as prices differ significantly between providers given similar conditions.
-Underwriting
Before a whole life insurance policy is issued, the insurer assesses the risk of insuring the policyholder and sets a price for it based on this assessment. The assessment depends on a number of factors such as the age, health condition, and risk of future illness or death of the policyholder. Some policies may be priced as "universal life", which means that they cost more when you're younger and less when you get older because it's expected that injuries and illnesses become more likely as we age. Other policies are priced as "level premiums", which means that the price doesn't change with the insured's age or other conditions.
-Age Charts
When you buy whole life insurance, the insurer will usually provide you with a price quote depending on your age. The age you choose has an impact on the amount of premium and the duration of the policy . You can see if there are any special conditions attached to a particular type by referring to the age chart. For example, universal life may cost less if you're in poor health or your death is expected to occur within ten years. However, it may cost more if you're very healthy or don't expect to die for another 80 years.
-Death Benefit
The death benefit is the amount of money that will be paid out in case of your death. In a whole life policy, the death benefit is calculated as a percentage of cash value. For example, if the cash value amounts to $100,000 and the death benefit is 40%, then the beneficiary will receive $40,000
-Cash Value
Cash value is the money owned by the policyholder in addition to any death benefit. It can be withdrawn in full at specified events such as at retirement or age 95. It's also possible to access some of it for purposes other than paying premiums or withdrawing it all. The cash value increases with premium payments and decreases through withdrawal or charges for things such as mortgage loans and loans against its interest rate.
-Monthly Premium
Most whole life policies have a monthly premium charge that you pay to the insurer. The amount of the premium doesn't change throughout your policy unless you surrender or die and there are no other payments due. When purchasing an annuity, it's important to know what the monthly premium is so that you can calculate your investment gain.
-Annuities
An annuity is a type of insurance where a fixed payment is paid automatically over a specified period of time to an individual or organization. A person who owns an annuity can choose how long they want their payment to last and receive the income as specified by the contract terms . It's an important part of retirement planning and certain tax laws require that a certain portion of your investment income be from annuities.
-Surrender Charges
A whole life policy may have surrender charges if you choose to cancel it before a specified period of time. These charges serve as an incentive for you to keep the policy for at least a while so that you can get the benefit of the already paid premiums. The surrender charge depends on the type of policy, but they typically last between 5 and 20 years after cancellation and are calculated as a percentage of cash value. For example, a 10% annual surrender charge means that you'll lose 10% of your cash value every year until the amount reaches zero.
-Payout Options
When you choose a whole life insurance policy, you can decide on payout options. You can receive the money either in a single sum (lump sum), or as payments over time. Some policies have both options and allow you to choose which one to use. A lump sum is often preferable because it allows you to use the money when you want, however, some people may prefer payments over time because they can more easily adjust their lifestyle to spending less if need be.
-Lapse
A whole life insurance policy lapses if you don't make any premium payments for two consecutive years after opening the policy . The policy lapses and the cash value is forfeited. You can avoid the lapse by making a payment before the policy lapses, but you'll still forfeit any money in the policy at that time.
-Irrevocable Life Insurance
Some plans are irrevocable and they allow you to access your cash value without restrictions after a certain period of time. Once you're past a prescribed age, your remaining life expectancy determines when your remaining payouts will stop. For example, if you reach age 90 and don't make any more payments, all of your remaining payouts will be for just 10 years of life. The insurer will usually give you advance notice that it's about to cease payments for irrevocable life insurance.
-Freezing Period
Some plans allow for the policyholder to freeze their cash value, which means that it will stop growing and remain blocked from withdrawals. This can be helpful if you need to delay making any premium payments or have a large sum of money to protect. The plan may require you to make some sort of payment before you can freeze, but your cash value will still be blocked from withdrawals.
-Certificate Of Insurance Form
With a whole life insurance policy, the insurer will issue a certificate of insurance form when the policy is issued. This form doesn't change and has statements on it about what type of whole life insurance policy you received and how much it costs.
Conclusion
Whole life insurance is referred to as an 'all-in-one' policy because it gives you a complete solution for protecting your assets. It covers both investment and living expenses, while providing you with good financial security in the event of your death. When shopping for whole life insurance, consider the age, health, and other details of your policy so that you can get the right protection at the right price.
This is a great discussion about whole life insurance and how to buy it! Thanks for writing it up and sharing it with us.