Posted by Tom Martens on March 9, 2010 under 1 | 
Buying a life insurance policy means different things to different persons. When it’s time for you to buy life insurance, the first thing you need to do is to set your goals. Why do you need life insurance coverage’ Do you just want to make it easier for your executor to bury you’ Do you want to leave your family an income’ Many people use whole life policies as a tool for planning for big expenses, such as college, retirement, or just retiring debt in case of death or disability. Think about what you need your coverage to accomplish before you decide which kind of policy is right for you.
Secondly, before you ever buy a policy, take a careful look at how much you can afford to spend. It doesn’t do any good to pay premiums for years only to go into default when economic times get tough. Be absolutely sure you can afford to make the payments on the policy you buy. Know exactly how much you can budget each month on life insurance premiums. Term life policies are usually a bit less expensive than whole life policies. Some people choose whole life as a useful investment tool, and still others opt for careful combination of term life and whole life to meet their unique financial goals. Whichever policy or policies you decide are best for you, always be sure you can make the scheduled payments. Your insurance agent can help you find options to schedule payments in ways that keep your budget in the black.
Third, don’t forget to calculate your earning power, especially if you need life insurance for income replacement. Most of us assume a three percent annual raise when estimating earning power, and most of us retire when we are 65 years old. However, select the scenario that best suits you and your lifestyle when calculating your future earning power. You want to make sure you are realistic in this calculation so you can accurately select the life insurance product that best suits your needs.
Finally, consider where you are in your life. It really may be that all you need it to make sure your death does not pose an immediate burden on those you care for. In that case, you may really only need a death benefit. But if you have people who are depending on you for their livelihood, then you need to leave them a great deal more. Make sure your real earning power is covered in the case of your death or disability. And if you don’t think social security and pensions are going to provide for your retirement, consider whole life insurance as a means of building up a stash of cash for your happy years.
Sit down and make a list of your goals, your budget and your earning power. Think about where you are in life and what you want to accomplish. Once you have these ideas mapped out, then you can decide on what life insurance product is right for you.
Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.
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Posted by Graham McKenzie on January 31, 2010 under Finance |
Any living soul would be wise to have life insurance. The price of a life insurance policy has some variables. Age being the largest variable, commonly a young person is less liable to pass away compared to an elderly person. Then, line of work, the way of life, medical history, and habits.
When the cost of life insurance is determined. A person that has a dangerous occupation, is likely to have a higher monthly cost, than a person that has a less dangerous job. If a person has had a long history of medical problems the cost will be higher.
Since the cost of life insurance can be varied, there are other options if it is determined that the premium is not feasible within the person’s budget. If the life insurance is purchased just to compensate the beneficiaries, it may be a less expensive choice to open an account with a financial agency, and include this in the will to be given to the beneficiary after the account holder dies.
While deciding if life insurance is the best option. Think about how the financial situations stand. If the policy requester, is living comfortably, as is the beneficiary. Life insurance, most likely is not necessary.
When applying for life insurance, and there is no one elected to receive the policy upon maturity, there is no reason to purchase a policy.
When both parties in a relationship, or all partners within a business are needed to cover costs of survival, there should be a life insurance policy dedicated. When the relationship or business is indebted in some way, and an unexpected death occurs life insurance is needed.
When it is decided that life insurance is the route to take. Think of it as a financial shield to those loved ones that are going to be making funeral arrangements.
Life insurance amongst family, is usually used to cover funeral expenses and hospital bills in case the deceased was medically disadvantaged at the time of death. Any part of a business relationship that is has also developed into more, by having a life insurance policy, this will ease the discomfort of loosing a business partner, limiting the concern for paying bills, while mourning.
Graham McKenzie is the content Syndication Manager at insurance123.co.zaSouth Africa’s leading Life Insurance information portal
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Posted by Susan Reynolds on November 5, 2009 under Finance |
Life is not eternal and everybody knows that. If you are one among those people who want a financially independent future for your family after your death, life insurance is probably the only answer. With the click of a mouse, you would get all the information you need from the Internet.
There are various forms of life cover and you have to decide first which the right choice for your circumstances is. Of the various types of life assurance, term life cover is probably the most common. In a nutshell, you choose how many years you want to be covered for and if you pass away during the policy term, you family would receive a tax free lump sum. However, the cover would not pay out if you were still alive when the cover ended.
So, why is life insurance so important? The majority of people believe life cover to be something that just pays towards the costs of their funeral. However, it is much more than that, it gives your family comfort financially so they can continue meeting essential bills such as the monthly mortgage repayment.
The insurance benefit will be a great boon to your family. When there no other earning member, the coverage received would be very useful to meet out all your necessities necessary for a problem free life. It is enough to make coverage to meet out only that much what is needed. Searching through online and if need be contacting an agent is the appropriate way to find a proper insurance coverage.
Your premiums to some extent will be based on your health; this means that individuals of ideal weight for their height get cover for a lot cheaper than someone who is classed as being over their ideal weight. Take daily exercise and watch the diet and you could enjoy cheaper life security.
It should be noted that smokers and those individuals who like a drink will often have to pay more to insure their lives than someone who does not. To be classed as a non smoker you need to have given up the habit for at least 12 months before you go to buy your policy. To decide how much you life cover you will need, multiply your yearly salary by around ten times. This will give you a starting point as to how much to insure your life for. Consider things such as how much it would cost to clear any outstanding debt such as a mortgage, any loans and credit cards. Would the money be used to put your children through higher education etc.
No one can predict his or her lifetime. So, we have to think apart from this, and make proper care and protection to our family, and it should not be considered as an expense.
Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Life Insurance provider. For more information visit: http://life.insurance123.co.za/
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