Noble or not, it is still important not to over-pay for life insurance. That's why millions of people are looking for ways to get affordable life insurance right here in Arkansas. Fortunately there are a few steps you can take to keep your premium cost in check.

Let's start by saying that if you are going to buy life insurance you should do so before your next birthday. The cost of life insurance goes up with almost every birthday that passes.

Before we can talk about life insurance intelligently it is necessary to make sure that everyone understands that there are two different types of life insurance policies and that they are priced very differently. There is a whole life policy and there is a term life policy.

With a term life policy you are purchasing life insurance for just a short period of time. Because you are purchasing the policy for a defined length of time the premium on a term life policy is less expensive than the premium on a same-size whole life policy. If you are counting pennies that difference can make term life seem like the better deal.

However, the cost of the initial premium payment is not the whole story. A term policy runs out after a certain number of years (known as the policy's term) and if you want to continue receiving life insurance coverage after the policy's term expires, you must buy a new policy ? at a substantially higher premium.

If your policy runs out two or three times or even more in your lifetime the cost of premiums toward the end can be prohibitive.

The alternative is to pay a little more at first and buy a whole life policy. A whole life policy is good for your whole life and the premium remains constant for your whole life, too. A whole life policy also builds up a cash value, something a term policy does not do, which you can borrow against if you need to at little or no interest and with little or no need to ever repay the loan.

O.K. Let's assume you know which type of policy is best for you. Now it's time to take a few simple steps that will help keep the cost of the policy within reach.

Don't smoke. If you already smoke then it's time to quit. The difference in the price of a policy for a smoker and a non-smoker can be substantial, so let me repeat: if you smoke, quit. Period.

If you are overweight you will also pay more for a life insurance policy. Part of your premium will be based on your Body Mass Index, or BMI. If you can lose even a few pounds you may be able to slip into the next lower rung on the BMI ladder and that could save you hundreds of dollars, maybe even thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your policy.

Participating in extreme or dangerous sports, driving a fast, sporty car, having a dangerous career?each of these things adds to the cost of your life insurance premium.

Surprisingly to many people, even your credit rating can help or hurt your life insurance premium. The better your credit score the lower your life insurance premium is going to be.

Finally it's time to get online and find 3 different websites that compare prices on life insurance policies among a variety of different life insurance companies. Why 3 different sites? Because no one site compares prices between all the different companies. If you search 3 different sites you are virtually assured of seeing comparisons on every life insurance company licensed in Arkansas.

So there it is. Take your time. Make three comparisons and you, too, can get affordable life insurance right here in Arkansas.