Print Article for : And Whole Life Insurance

Your Online Guide » Guide to Finance » How To Handle Finances

[A544]And Whole Life Insurance

by Fred Romano, Fre

Main reason why people prefer having a life insurance policy is to provide the family with financial protection and secure the future in the case of his death. Not only had this there are many other reasons also because of which a person should invest his hard earned money in having any of the life insurance policy. Life insurance policy has many advantages for you and your family even while you are still alive.

A person can find many different types of life insurance policies available today. Among these term life insurance and whole life insurance are the policies which are much in demand. The main purpose why people prefer going for whole life insurance policy is because it covers you throughout your life rather than just for a specified amount of time. There are many advantages to a whole life policy over term insurance, and many ways to make a whole life policy within your means.

The price of this policy is based on the 'face value' of the policy which is the death benefit that it will pay if the person who has taken the policy dies that is the policy holder in other words. In general, your whole life insurance premium keeps on increasing with the time passing by. This also reflects both the extra risks that come with age and the fact that your income will also increase as you grow older. This is the most reasonable choice which young people can make who have just started doing their work. In the beginning of this whole life insurance policy you have to pay low premiums and later on as you grow old it keeps on increasing.

Now a day's many whole life insurance companies offer their customers with the option of level premiums which is based on averaging out the cost of your whole life policy over the entire life of the policy. Then in this case your premiums will never change but instead you will have to pay higher premiums before time in the life of your policy. If you think this is reasonable for you, then it is a good option to lock in a premium amount which will not go away facing the view of losing your whole life policy before it matures for the reason that the premiums have become very costly to continue.

One of the other reasons why people prefer going for this policy is that it also offers its customer an option to borrow against the cash value built into the policy under certain circumstances. You can also if needed; cash out your policy in advance, instead of going this way you can take out a loan from the insurance company against the accumulated cash value in your policy. This can be used to finance your children's education, to deal with unforeseen everyday expenditure, or even to take a dream trip. When you have to pay the money back it will be at a much reasonable interest rates than you'd pay a bank. To enjoy all these benefits make a wise decision by investing your hard earned money in buying this policy.

For insurance companies, deciding how much to charge any given individual for life cover is all about calculating the level of risk involved in insuring them. Insurance companies assess this risk by taking medical histories and collecting information about lifestyles, physical health and other factors. Looking after your health, therefore, is one of the best ways of reducing the cost of life cover-and the smoking habit is one of the single biggest lifestyle factors that drive the cost of insurance up.

The Higher Cost of Life Insurance

The average smoker will pay at least 40% more for life cover than they would if they were a non-smoker. Some insurance companies are more forgiving than others, but depending on the company you choose, you could pay up to 55% more for your life insurance. Being a smoker affects all forms of life and health based insurance, including critical illness cover and income protection.

Quitting cigarettes can amount to huge savings on your life insurance premiums. For example, a 35 year old male smoker with a policy benefit of ?100,000 might pay ?19 per month for the cover, whereas a non-smoker might pay only ?10. Over twenty years, the non-smoker pays ?2,400 for their life cover, while the smoker pays ?4560 - that's an extra ?2160 over twenty years. That may not seem like much, but when you consider that the average British smoker spends ?1,500 a year on cigarettes, quitting smoking for any reason adds up to sizable savings and lower insurance premiums are the icing on the cake.

Getting your Premiums Reduced

If you're currently a smoker paying these astronomical prices for life cover, you can still reduce your premiums to a more affordable level. Most life insurance companies require that a smoker who has recently quit must remain a non-smoker for a full year before requesting an evaluation of their premium to take their new non-smoking status into account.

Don't think you can fool your insurance company into thinking you're a non-smoker when you haven't given up, however. Ex-smokers who want to switch to a non-smoking premium rate will have to fill out a new application form, go through another medical exam, and relate their recent medical history as well. Your insurer may even request that you take a cotanine test to prove your non-smoking status. Any false information invalidates the policy, and as with all types of insurance, absolute honesty is the only way to go.

Take the Opportunity to Shop Around

Remember that if you decide to have your status as a non-smoker evaluated to reduce the premiums on your current policy, this will be a good time to shop around and see if you can find an even better policy elsewhere. The best savings might not even be with your current insurance provider, and you might be able to save even more money by checking out your options.

Interestingly enough, kicking a smoking habit can even save you money on your home insurance. With more than half of home fire claims attributable to cigarette-related causes, non-smokers can save on home insurance premiums, too.

Article Source : Pg. 28

About Author

Both Fred Romano & Chris Johns are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Fred Romano has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wireless Hidden Spy Camera, Finances and Marriage. Fred is a specialist in the field who recommends .If you would like to. Fred Romano's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

Chris Johns has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Affiliate Programs and Finances. To find and from leading insurers, visit