Before deciding on which type of policy is best for you, it is important to know the facts and to research the pros and cons of those policies that interest you. Older consumers who have a lot of assets may need life insurance that is dramatically different than what younger consumers may need. Consumers who do not have children may wish to purchase less expensive coverage as their needs may not be as great as those consumers who do have children.

When it comes to life insurance, term life insurance is probably the most basic and the most popular form purchased by consumers. It is often the least expensive to purchase as well for those individuals who are under fifty years old.

A term life insurance policy is written up for a specific time period, usually one year to ten years. The consumer renews the policy at the end of that period or may cancel the policy. An important note to term life is that the premiums will often increase at the end of each term and renewal of the next. There are policies, however, that will allow consumers to lock in a premium price for up to thirty years. This are known as level term policies.

A variation of this type of insurance is called declining balance term insurance. This is often used as a form of mortgage insurance. With this type of policy the premiums will stay the same over the life of the insurance, but the face value will decline until the mortgage is paid off. These polices usually have no cash value, which is unlike many other forms of life insurance.

Benefits for term life are paid only if you die during the policy's term. After the term ends, the coverage expires unless a new policy is bought. When buying term insurance, it is often wise to buy a policy that is renewable up to age 70 and that is convertible to permanent insurance without a medical exam.

Whole Life is another type of life insurance. It combines permanent protection along with a savings component that can add cash for later use. As long as the consumer continues to pay the premiums, he or she is able to lock in coverage at a level premium rate. Some of that premium will accrue as cash value. After some period of time, the consumer may be able to borrow as much as ninety percent of the cash value.

A newer form of insurance is called universal life. This is very similar to whole life but it also has the added benefit of potentially higher earnings on the money that is saved during the life of the insurance. Universal life policies are very flexible in regard to premiums and face value. Premiums can be increased, decreased, or deferred, and cash values can be withdrawn. Universal life generally offers a set, guaranteed return on cash value, normally in the range of at least 4 percent.

There are some drawbacks however and they include higher fees and more swing as the interest rates vary over time. In most cases, there are upfront fees and administrative fees that have to be paid and these can be high. It is a very good advice to shop around for the best deals when looking for universal life insurance.