Baffled By Life Insurance? We Can Help!
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Life insurance is an essential part of financial planning, but understanding it, and buying the right policy can be tricky. There are whole and term life, riders and convertibility clauses to make sense of, and then you nave to choose the right one. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you get the perfect policy for the best price.
As you get older, evaluate how your life insurance needs have changed to be sure you aren’t paying more than you should. For example, if you are retired and your children are all employed and living independently, there is no need for a zillion-dollar policy. They simply don’t need that income if something should happen to you. So if you have no dependents in the house and no debts, you should ramp down your life insurance coverage to a minimum level – say, to support only your spouse if he or she survives you.
A person should not wait until they are sick to consider life insurance. Many preexisting conditions can make you ineligible for a life insurance policy. If you are eligible, premiums will likely be higher than they would be for a healthy individual. Taking out a policy while you’re healthy is the best way to protect yourself, and your family.
If you are filling out information online for life insurance, do not give out too much personal information. Plenty of con artists pretend to offer life insurance, but are really just fishing for information to use for identity theft. Always keep in mind that the only information you should give out at first for life insurance is simply your zip code.
Choose a policy that specifically meets your needs. Life insurance can be tailored in many ways. Ask about riders that provide benefits such as an advance on the death benefit. If the insured contracts a terminal illness, this allows them to have money to pay for medical costs, although it does reduce the face value of the policy.
You can improve your risk class by taking steps to better your health. This includes doing things like losing weight, quitting smoking, reducing your bad cholesterol, reducing your high blood pressure, and much more. You may also get exams prior to applying for insurance to avoid surprises. Some of these healthy changes can save you bundles of money over the life of a policy.
Always look out for red flags when you’re looking for an agent to purchase insurance from. Agents who complain about other companies or rating services should be not be considered, and should be totally avoided.
Compare your group life insurance against other policies. Group life policies, usually provided by your employer, may not always be the least expensive option. The rates are set based on averages — average age, average health and other important risk factors that may not apply to you. If you have excellent health, shop around to see if you can get better rates elsewhere.
When looking into getting life insurance, there are two separate rate groups that are called standard and preferred. When you are comparing prices don’t mix these up and compare a standard policy with a preferred one. They will cost very different and only about 1/3 of the population get a preferred rate!
Try to get quotes from as many reliable life insurance companies as possible before settling on a company or a specific policy. This is especially important if you have any health concerns, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Health guidelines vary from company to company, so look for one with more generous standards that could put you into a lower risk pool, thereby saving you money.
As you read, life insurance is incredibly important to your current and future financial planning and so is understanding all the different kinds. With this understanding, it makes it easier for you to determine what policies fit your personal needs. Following these simple tips, is a very good starting place.
