Term life insurance, also known as pure life insurance, is a type of life insurance that guarantees payment of a stated death benefit if the covered person dies during a specified term. Once the term expires, the policyholder can either renew it for another term, convert the policy to permanent coverage, or allow the term life insurance policy to terminate.
Term life insurance is often the most affordable policy available.
BREAKDOWN OF TERM LIFE INSURANCE
A term life policy is exactly what the name implies: Coverage for a specific term or length of time, typically between 10 and 30 years. It is sometimes called “pure life insurance” because, unlike whole life insurance, there’s no cash value to the policy. It’s designed solely to give your beneficiaries a payout if you die during the term.
Most individual term policies have level premiums, so you pay the same amount every month. When the term expires, there’s no more coverage – you either have to go without or get a new policy, which will likely come at a higher cost: the older you are, the more expensive it is to get a policy. However, many providers will allow you to convert a term policy to permanent life insurance for part or all of the coverage period.
How does Term life insurance work?
In the moment of purchasing a term life insurance policy, the insurance company determines the premiums based on the policy’s value and other factors like your age, gender, health, etc. In some cases, a medical exam may be required, and an insurance carrier may also inquire about your driving record, current medications, smoking status, occupation, hobbies, and family history.
If you die during the policy term, the insurer will pay the policy’s face value to your beneficiaries. This cash benefit may be used by beneficiaries to settle healthcare and funeral costs, consumer debt, or mortgage debt, among other things. But have in mind, if the policy expires before your death, there is no payout. You may be able to renew a term policy at its expiration, but the premiums will be recalculated for your age at the time of renewal.
Term life policies have no value other than the guaranteed death benefit. There is no savings component as found in a whole life insurance product.
TERM LIFE INSURANCE vs. WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE
Term life insurance differs from Whole life insurance in several ways but tends to best meet the needs of most people. Term life insurance only lasts for a set period of time and pays a death benefit should the policyholder die before the term has expired. Whole life insurance stays in effect as long as the policyholder pays the premium. Another critical difference involves premiums – term life insurance is generally much less expensive than whole life insurance because it does not involve building a cash value.
EXAMPLE OF TERM LIFE INSURANCE
Thirty-year-old Alex wants to protect his family in the unlikely event of his early death. Alex bought a $500,000 10-year term policy with a monthly premium of $50. If Alex dies within the 10-year term, the policy will pay Alex’s beneficiary $500,000. If Alex dies after his 40th birthday, when the policy has expired, his named beneficiary will receive no benefit. If Alex decides to renew it, the monthly premiums will be higher than in his last policy regarding older age, because premiums will be based on his age of 40.
If Alex is diagnosed with a terminal illness during the first policy term, he likely will not be eligible to renew once that policy expires. Some policies do offer guaranteed renewal, but features like that, if available, tend to make the policy cost more.
TERM LIFE INSURANCE TYPES
There are several different types of term life insurance – Level Term policies, Yearly Renewable Term (YRT) Policies, and Decreasing Term policies. The best option will depend on your individual circumstances.
Level Term Policies
These provide coverage for a specified period ranging from 10 to 30 years. Both the death benefit and premium are fixed. The monthly premium is higher than with a yearly renewable policy because owners of this type of life insurance policy are held accountable for the increasing premiums over the life.
Yearly Renewable Term Policies
Yearly renewable term (YRT) policies have no specified term but can be renewed each year without providing evidence of insurability. The premiums change from year to year; as the insured person ages, the premiums increase. Although there is no specified term, premiums can become prohibitively expensive as individuals get older, making this type of policy an unattractive choice for many.
Decreasing Term Policies
These policies have a death benefit that declines each year, according to a predetermined schedule. The policyholder pays a fixed, level premium for the duration of the policy. This kind of policy is often used in concert with a mortgage. The reason for that is to match the coverage with the declining principal of the home loan.
Increasing Term Policies
With some policies, you can increase the death benefit for a certain amount of years. It will also increase your premium cost and with this type of policy, you cannot purchase another policy at an older age to get added benefits like with the other term life insurance policies.
Convertible Term Life Policies
This policy can be converted to a permanent whole life insurance policy before expiring. The huge benefit of this policy is that you don’t need to answer any medical exam nor you can be turned down based on pre-existing health conditions when you are ready to convert.
BENEFITS OF TERM LIFE INSURANCE
Term life insurance is attractive to young people with children. Parents may obtain large amounts of coverage for reasonably low costs. Upon the death of a parent, a significant benefit can replace lost income.
These policies are also well-suited for people who temporarily need specific amounts of life insurance. For example, the policyholder may calculate that by the time the policy expires, their survivors will no longer need extra financial protection or will have accumulated enough liquid assets to self-insure.
HOW MUCH DOES TERM LIFE INSURANCE COST?
The cost of term life insurance depends on your age, health, and risk factors, plus the value of the death benefit and if you’ve opted for add-ons. If you have a group policy, however, the cost will be based on these factors for the group rather than yourself.
In general, the higher the death benefit, the higher your quote will be. Men also tend to pay more for life insurance than women. On the other hand, the overall expenses connected to a term life insurance policy may be, in fact, lesser than you expect them to be. About half of Americans believe that the cost of life insurance is three times higher than it really is.