The first step is to decide what type of life insurance you are looking for. Next, you'll need to seek no-obligation quotes from several companies that offer exactly what you are looking for. The premiums will often vary significantly from one company to another, so a ittle research can end up saving you a lot of money,

Here are a few helpful suggestions to assist you with your online life insurance research:

* Make sure that you get the right information about various life insurance categories. For example, whether it is temporary or permanent, either short term or long term, and is clear about it. Do they have comparable features and rates which will help you determine the right life insurance that is compatible with your needs.

* Are they helpful in guiding you towards finding what you need? This is when you need to evaluate their customer service standards. Also, are they industry accredited? How many years have they been in business?

* They should provide clear, straightforward explanations of their products to assist your decision, and not have a long and confusing document full of fine print, that conceals information about the policy that you need to know.

* Any company that requests private financial information should ensure that all the information you have provided is safely protected, both during the transmission of the information over the internet, as well as the following days, weeks, and months that the company retains this information. Be certain that it is used only for providing your quote and is never shared with a third party.

* All reputable companies have permanently available internet information services, toll free numbers to call, and preferably sign up services available online as well. The best ones even have live human customer service representatives to speak to when you call, rather than a computerized menu of selections and pre-recorded messages.

Life insurance can be a complex subject for most people. Here are a few tips to help ensure that you end up with the policy that fits with your particular needs:

* You should have a thorough review of your life insurance policy regularly, especially if you have sudden changes in personal conditions, health and your financial matters. Your CPA (certified public accountant) is an ideal candidate to assist with this review.

* Joint policies can be tricky, and are not advised. There are several strong reasons to keep policies separate. The insured should never be the owner of the policy. The wife should own the policy on her husband, and the husband should own the policy on his wife. The reason is that when one dies, proceeds from the life insurance policy pass into estate of the deceased, if the deceased was the owner of the policy. In this instance, the survivor does not receive the life insurance check directly and immediately. It goes into the estate and must go through probate. Unfortunately, attorneys take more than their fair share during the probate process, reducing the amount of money that loved ones receive upon death. And all of this can be avoided with one simple step: the insured should not own the policy. The loved one who is to receive the proceeds should own the policy. Incredibly simple, but also incredibly important.

* Check into the usefulness of a critical illness policy as well. It is usually much less expensive to combine critical illness with your life policy, than adding it on later. Illness can often be as financially debilitating as death.

* Be aware of the tax relief incentives, but don't let the tax benefits distract you from the reason for actually having a life policy. First and foremost, life insurance is to protect your family in a time of need, and any tax benefits should be treated purely as a secondary bonus.

* Always ensure that you policy is worded so that the benefits go directly to the beneficiaries and not to your estate. The tax benefits are significant, no to mention avoiding the delays that could occur in the probate process. The simple step to achieve this has already been mentioned, but is worth repeating: the loved ones should own the policy on the insured. The person insured should never own the policy on himself, as this send the proceeds into the estate and the probate system upon death.

* It is highly recommended that you talk to an independent adviser, such as your CPA, to ensure you are purchasing the right policy at the right price to adequately protect your family.

Remember that not all insurance companies online are totally ethical, and to be very wary of any offer that looks too good to be true. Some simple research with the Better Business Bureau, your state's insurance commissioner, and the attorney general's office will soon tell you whether you are dealing with a reputable life insurance company or not.