Life Insurance Greenville provides financial protection and peace of mind by helping your family cover their expenses after you die. This includes paying off debts like your mortgage or credit cards, funeral costs, and living expenses.
It can also help your beneficiaries pay for education costs and retirement. Learn more about how life insurance works and how much coverage you might need.
When you buy life insurance, the company agrees to pay your beneficiaries a lump sum after you die. It’s an easy way to ensure that loved ones don’t struggle financially after your death. There are many types of policies, but they all share the same basic function.
When applying for a policy, you’ll answer questions about your health, family medical history, and financial situation. Some insurers also require a medical exam. This is called underwriting and takes about four-to-six weeks. It determines whether you’ll get a certain rate or will be denied coverage altogether. Regardless of the type of life insurance you choose, shopping around and finding a company that offers competitive rates is important. Policygenius makes it easy to compare quotes from top-rated life insurance companies.
Depending on the type of policy you select, your death benefit may be paid in lump sum or in payments that are sometimes called annuities. You can choose one or multiple beneficiaries and decide if you want the proceeds to be taxed.
The amount of money your beneficiary receives depends on the payment option you choose and how much cash value your policy has accumulated. If you select a lump sum payout, it’s typically tax-free. If you elect to have the benefits paid in installments, the beneficiary must pay income tax on any accumulated interest.
As you age, your life insurance needs will change. You should review your life insurance coverage regularly and adjust it as needed. In addition to ensuring your loved ones are taken care of after your death, you can use it to cover debts or fund retirement.
Buying life insurance is an essential part of estate planning. It can help your loved ones pay for funeral expenses, medical bills, and other expenses that can be very expensive. It can also help protect your family from financial hardship if you ever have to take on debt, such as a mortgage or student loan. A life insurance policy can also provide your spouse or children income if you can no longer work.
There are many options when it comes to life insurance. The type you choose will depend on your goals and budget. Some life insurance covers a specific period, such as 20 or 30 years, while others offer permanent protection. You can choose policies that build cash value or have flexible premiums and death benefits.
Most life insurance companies use underwriting to decide whether to sell you a policy. They assess your health, family history, and lifestyle habits to make a decision. Some insurers have accelerated underwriting processes, allowing you to skip a medical exam or answer health questions instead of taking a physical exam. These are often the most affordable options for healthy people. However, underwriting can still exclude those with serious health conditions.
If you have a preexisting condition, there are life insurance policies that may be easier to get. These are known as simplified issues or guaranteed issues. They usually have lower and more affordable coverage options than traditional policies, but your application must be turned on.
Other non-traditional life insurance options include final expense insurance or supplemental life insurance. These are a good fit for short-term goals, such as paying off debt or covering funeral costs. These can be purchased as standalone policies or used to supplement a group life policy through your employer.
The most common types of life insurance are term and whole-life policies. Term life policies typically have fixed premiums and coverage amounts for a specified time, such as 10 or 30 years. After that period, you can renew the policy, but it will likely cost more than the initial rate. Whole and universal life insurance policies build cash value over time. Some policies have a level premium throughout your life, while others have variable rates and the ability to add riders (optional features).
Another popular option is second-to-die life insurance, which pays out a death benefit when you die. This is a good choice for married couples who want to ensure their families are taken care of if one partner passes away.
The fee that you pay to purchase life insurance is called a premium. You pay this fee regularly, usually monthly, quarterly, or annually. This fee helps your beneficiaries receive the death benefit when you die.
There are a variety of factors that influence the cost of your premium. Some of these are more important than others, but the most significant factor is your health status. The healthier you are, the less you will pay every month. This is why securing life insurance when you are younger is beneficial.
Another consideration is your family history. Insurers look for potential hereditary conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes when determining your rate. They also consider your occupation and hobbies. For example, regularly performing hazardous activities or traveling to dangerous places may increase your life insurance rates.
When you apply for life insurance, most companies require a medical exam. This is the company’s way to ensure that you do not have any preexisting conditions that could shorten your life expectancy. They will also check your weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
Once the life insurance policy is in place, your payments are typically invested by the insurer, which gives them a chance to earn an interest income. These investments help offset the costs of your life insurance premiums. If you miss a premium payment, the company typically allows you to pay the missed amount within a certain grace period. Missing more than one premium will cause the life insurance to lapse, and it will no longer pay out your death benefit.
Besides helping your beneficiaries get the death benefit they deserve, your premium payments help financially stabilize the life insurance company. This is because it provides them with a cushion that they can use to cover their liabilities if the insured passes away before paying off their debts and other expenses. The money you invest with your life insurance provider can also be accessed during the guaranteed period, typically some years set by your policy.
Life insurance’s main benefit is providing a lump sum death benefit to beneficiaries upon the insured’s death. This money is typically paid tax-free and can help beneficiaries meet several financial goals. For example, it can help pay for a child’s college tuition or provide an income to family members after a death. It can also be used to cover funeral costs and other expenses.
Choosing a beneficiary is one of the most important decisions that a policyholder will make. Beneficiaries can be people or entities, such as spouses, children, extended family members, trusts, estates, business partners, and charitable organizations. The policyholder can also name contingent beneficiaries to receive the death benefit if primary beneficiaries pass before them.
Beneficiaries can receive the death benefit in a lump sum or as a monthly income. Those who choose a lump sum will have more flexibility in how they use the money and are not required to spend all of it immediately. Some policies may allow beneficiaries to borrow against the policy’s cash value at a specified interest rate or to use a portion of the death benefit as a down payment on a home, for instance. If a loan is repaid within the stipulated time frame, the policy’s cash value and death benefit will be restored to its original amount.
A policyholder can choose a guaranteed term period, a set amount of years during which the premium and coverage will remain fixed. The length of this period can vary by policy type. The premium can increase after the guaranteed term period ends, or the death benefit could decrease, depending on the policy’s terms.
Some types of whole life insurance offer a feature called a dividend, an investment return that the insurer regularly shares with the policyholder. These are based on the company’s favorable experience and can result from excess investment earnings or expense savings. Dividends can be paid in cash, used to reduce the premium, invested back into the policy at a higher interest rate, or used to purchase additional death benefits.
