Life insurance should be a part of your overall financial planning. While some life insurance policies can be used to help you achieve your financial goals, others just provide protection. But whichever type you choose, it is important you understand your needs and the options available so you get the best value for your life insurance coverage.

How Much Life Insurance?

First, determine how much coverage you'll need and how much you can afford. Now these 2 items may not match. However, if you have a young family, you need to get the most coverage for the lowest price. That means term life insurance which indeed, meets the needs of most everyone.

What Type Of Life Insurance Do I Need?

Next choose a term or permanent life insurance policy. Term life insurance provides protection for a specific period of time, normally 10, 20 or to age 100 in Canada.

Permanent life insurance policies are whole life and universal life. These policies offer death benefits and a savings account (cash surrender value) so that you can get money back either by cashing in the policy or by borrowing against it. However it is my firm belief that you should only buy whole life insurance if the premium is about the same as the term life insurance. And that will only happen in your sixties or beyond. Otherwise you are paying a higher premium for the same coverage And then, if you want to borrow your own money out of the policy, the insurance company charges you interest! And if you don't pay it back, the coverage is reduced by the amount of the borrowing. And you still continue to pay the far higher premiums, though now for less life insurance coverage. Why would you do this?

Is Universal Life Insurance Same As Whole Life Insurance?

No. In whole life insurance the savings, so called, are in the premium itself. In universal life, the investment is added on if you so choose. But if you do not add any investment to a universal life insurance plan all you have is an expensive term to 100 life insurance policy.

Lesson: Be aware of what life insurance you buy.

Check the financial strength of the companies who will have to stand behind the policies you're considering.