Term life insurance, a type of life insurance that provides a stated death benefit to the insured’s beneficiaries if the covered individual dies during the policy’s specified term, is also referred to as pure life insurance. 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 life insurance policy available.
How Does It Work?
A term life policy is coverage for a specific term or length of time, typically between 10 and 30 years. It is 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 is 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. But, many insurance carriers will allow you to convert a term policy to permanent life insurance for part or all of the coverage period.
Term life insurance premiums are calculated by the insurance company based on the policy’s value and the policyholder’s age, gender, and health certain cases, a medical exam may be necessary.
If you die during the time policy is active, the insurer will pay the policy’s face value to your beneficiaries. This cash benefit may be used by beneficiaries to settle their healthcare and funeral costs, or some other expenses. However, if the policy expires before your death, there is no payout. You only may be able to renew a term policy at its expiration.
Example Of Term Life Insurance
Thirty-year-old Meredith wants to protect her family in the unlikely event of his early death. She buys a $500,000 10-year term life insurance policy with a premium of $50 per month. If Meredith dies within the 10-year term, the policy will pay Meredith’s beneficiary $500,000. If the death happens after the policy’s expiration at age 40, the beneficiary will not receive any benefits. The premiums for a renewed policy will be higher than the initial policy’s premiums because they will be calculated based on the policyholder’s current age of 40 rather than their initial age of 30.
Term Life Insurance Types
There are three different types of term life insurance – Level Term policies, Yearly Renewable Term (YRT) Policies, and Decreasing Term policies. The best option will depend on individual circumstances.
Level Term Policies
These policies provide coverage for a specified period ranging from 10 to 30 years. Both the death benefit and premium are fixed. Actuaries must take into consideration the rising costs of insurance over the course of the policy’s duration, which results in premiums for this type of policy being higher than those for yearly renewable term life insurance.
Yearly Renewable Term
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. Even though there is no predetermined term for this type of policy, the premiums can become excessively expensive for policyholders as they age, which makes the policy a less appealing option for many people.
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. Decreasing term life insurance policies are often paired with a mortgage to ensure that the coverage amount decreases along with the principal of the home loan.
Term Life Insurance Costs
The cost of term life insurance depends on your age, health, and risk factors, plus the value of the death benefit and if you have 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 premium will be. Men also tend to pay more for life insurance than women. The total costs of term life insurance may turn out to be lower than anticipated, even with this in mind.
For example, the average monthly cost for 250 000$ worth of policy can be 13$ for a 20-year-old man and 12$ for a 20-year-old female. The older you get premium rates increases. Therefore, monthly premium rates for a 40-year-old man may be approximately 16$, while for a woman of the same age may be 15$.