Life Insurance And Investment Companies

How To Choose The Best Insurance Company For You

Choosing a life insurance policy is no easy task, especially if you are just figuring things out. Here is what you need to consider:

• Customer Satisfaction: Check the companys customer service and satisfaction data. The experiences of other customers will help you decide whether to do business with a particular company.
• Financial Might: Consider the companys financial strength since you want your claim to be paid when its due.
• Compare Rates: Check the cost and compare life insurance quotes from many companies.
• Evaluate the Product Selection: Most companies offer a whole range of insurance policies. Shop around within each company to find what works best for you.
• Budget: While life insurance is a long-term investment, its still important to consider your current financial health. Make sure the policy youre choosing is realistic, not just for the future, but for your situation now.

Just like any other big purchase, its important to carefully weigh your options before deciding on a life insurance policy to go for. Make sure to consider your individual needswhat might work for one person may not work for another. Theres no right or wrong company, only one thats best for you.

Featured Image: Megapixl

Is Life Insurance A Good Investment

“If you don’t make it home and someone relies on your income to live, you need life insurance,” Mark Williams, CEO of Brokers International, told Insider.

When it comes to investing, Williams said you should be maxing out other investment plans such as your 401 before using permanent life insurance as an investment tool. Life insurance is not a replacement for retirement plans like a 401 or IRA account.

If you don’t have access to a qualified plan like an employer-sponsored retirement account, permanent life insurance is a good tool to save for retirement.

Williams says you should have a reason to buy life insurance, because you’re paying for it. In other words, your financial situation should dictate your need for life insurance.

When You Need Permanent Life Insurance Coverage

People with lifelong dependents, such aschildren with disabilities, may want permanent life insurance coverage.

A parent with a lifelong dependent can set up a special needs trust, which is specifically designed for life insurance and estate beneficiaries who are unable to handle their own finances and care. Designating the trust as the beneficiary of a permanent life insurance policy ensures financial protection for their dependents.

Ready to shop for life insurance?

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Which Life Insurance Company Is The Cheapest In Canada

To find the company that offers the cheapest rate, compare life insurance quotes with us. Weâll calculate your premiums for various life insurance companies at once, so youâll be able to select the option that suits all your needs for the lowest cost possible.

For tips on lowering your premium, read â14 ways to get cheap life insurance in Canada.â

Life Insurance Riders And Policy Changes

Many insurance companies offer policyholders the option to customize their policies to accommodate their needs. Riders are the most common way policyholders may modify or change their plan. There are many riders, but availability depends on the provider. The policyholder will typically pay an additional premium for each rider or a fee to exercise the rider, though some policies include certain riders in their base premium.

• The accidental death benefit rider provides additional life insurance coverage in the event the insureds death is accidental.
• The waiver of premium rider relieves the policyholder of making premium payments if the insured becomes disabled and unable to work.
• The disability income rider pays a monthly income in the event the policyholder becomes unable to work for several months or longer due to a serious illness or injury.
• Upon diagnosis of terminal illness, the accelerated death benefit rider allows the insured to collect a portion or all of the death benefit.
• The long-term care rider is a type of accelerated death benefit that can be used to pay for nursing-home, assisted-living, or in-home care when the insured requires help with activities of daily living, such as bathing, eating, and using the toilet.
• A guaranteed insurability rider lets the policyholder buy additional insurance at a later date without a medical review.

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Insurance Investment Portfolio Management

Like a bank, a life insurance balance sheet borrows money from policyholders for long durations and invests the proceeds in long term assets. Unlike a bank, a life insurance company is able to protect itself from unplanned short term withdrawal by levying what are termed as surrender and pre-mature liquidation charges. This provides an incentive to change the investment horizon by reducing the required liquidity profile.

A life insurance company provides a service. The service is the provision of financial protection to policyholders against unexpected death or disability. For this service, a premium is charged that covers the cost of protection in the short term and has sufficient margin built in so that the amount paid every year grows into a tangible pool of savings over the life of the policy. So the service is essentially intermediate protection while the savings pool created for the benefit of the policyholder grows to a level where it can provide the promised protection.

These challenges result in interesting portfolio management and optimization problem. We try and address that challenge in this post.

From a design perspective we need to do the following:

The two equations for surplus immunization are:

Weighted average duration of assets = weighted average duration of liabilities

Convexity of assets > convexity of liabilities

Who Needs A Life Insurance Quote

If youâre a single, multi-millionaire with no dependents and no debt, well, then you may not need life insurance. If you are, congratulations! You can stop reading now. However, if youâre like most of us, you have some debts and people who depend on you. They are why you need a life insurance policy. It ensures your loved ones wonât suffer financial hardships following your passing. Even a small life insurance policy can help offset the cost of a funeral, making a stressful and emotional time a bit easier for your family.

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Pros And Cons Of Permanent Life Insurance

There are many arguments in favor of using permanent life insurance as an investment. However, many of these benefits arent unique to permanent life insurance. You can often get them in other ways without paying the high management expenses and agent commissions that come with permanent life insurance. Here are a few of the most widely advocated benefits of permanent life insurance.

Term Life Insurance With Traditional Investing Vs Permanent Life Insurance

Wondering if term life insurance or permanent life insurance is best for you? Below we compare the cost of traditional investing combined with a term life policy and using a permanent life insurance for retirement, also known as a life insurance retirement plan .

Cost comparison, term life & traditional investing vs. LIRP

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Accessing Your Whole Life Insurance Policys Investment Gains

A whole life insurance policys cash value is not added to the death benefit if you pass away it is kept by the insurer so you need to either “use it or lose it”. You can access and utilize the cash value by:

When you withdraw or borrow money from the policys cash value, the insurer will reduce the death benefit accordingly. Because of this, you might think of whole life insurance as assisted self insurance. You pay the insurer for the benefits of tax-deferred growth, guaranteed returns and the ability to use the money through a policy loan as it continues to grow.

The insurer, in turn, keeps premiums level as the difference between the cash value and death benefit decreases over time, reducing their liability. But, while your beneficiaries receive the death benefit, they dont get the policys cash value as well.

Also note that while whole life insurance policies have surrender fees during the first several years of coverage, theres no restriction for making a withdrawal or taking out a loan based upon your age. This is actually a key benefit over a traditional 401 or IRA, which carry penalties for withdrawals before age 59.5, as you can access the funds at any time so long as you have a large enough cash value.

Is Life Insurance A Smart Investment

Using permanent life insurance as an investment might make sense for certain high-net-worth individuals looking to minimize estate taxes. But for the average person, buying term and investing the difference is usually the better option.

Even if you’re purchasing life insurance primarily for investing purposes, it’s still important to research the best life insurance companies to ensure you’re getting the most beneficial policy possible.

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How Does Universal Life Insurance Work

Universal life insurance has two components: death benefit coverage and an accumulating cash value. When you pay your monthly premium, its split between the two parts of your policy, with a portion going to each. Similar to term life insurance, universal life insurance provides a death benefit to your beneficiaries when you die. Some universal life insurance policies offer a flexible death benefit, meaning your insurer may allow you to increase your death benefit which will in turn increase your premiums if you take another medical exam.

Typically, the death benefit component of life insurance is the most important part, since it gives your loved ones a financial safety net if you die and can no longer provide for them. For this purpose, experts say term life insurance is entirely sufficient.

The additional feature universal life insurance has that term life insurance doesnt is a cash value that earns interest over time based on the current money market rates. As the cash value increases, you can use it to pay your premiums, borrow against it, or withdraw it altogether.

How To Get Life Insurance Quotes

According to the Insurance Barometer Report, 15% of people think they cant afford life insurance. At the same time, many consumers overestimate the cost. The only way to know what you will pay is to get life insurance quotes from a few companies. Quotes are free. An experienced life insurance agent will know what companies tend to give the best prices based on your age, health and desired coverage amount.

Expect to be asked about your age, health, tobacco use, your family health history, driving record, and any dangerous occupations or hobbies.

When you have a quote that you like, you can start a formal application. You answer more questions in detail and apply for a specific policy type, amount of coverage and policy length .

Once youve submitted the application, some insurers may require a life insurance medical exam. These exams can take place at your home, work or sometimes a local exam office.

The time it takes to process an application varies significantly among companies and policy type.

• Some insurers offer fast life insurance, including instant approval, to people who qualify, who are generally younger and without medical issues.
• Some insurers use accelerated underwriting to skip the medical exam and process applications in a day or a week, depending on the company.
• And some insurers use a traditional process with a medical exam and an approval process that can take over a month.

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How Much Life Insurance Should I Get

The amount of life insurance coverage you should carry depends on a few factors:

• Your age
• Years until retirement
• Your family

Many financial professionals recommend coverage of at least 10 times your annual salary as income replacement but you may need more or less, depending on your circumstances. For instance, if you have a large mortgage and are the sole breadwinner for your family, you may opt to get more than 10x coverage on yourself. Or this may be a simple final expense policy that covers end-of-life costs.

Hereâs a quick example of how to determine how much life insurance coverage you may need:

John has a wife and three kids. He makes $100,000 per year as the sole breadwinner, and they carry $500,000 in debt . John has decided to get 10x his salary in term life insurance coverage, plus another $500,000 to cover their debt obligations. Term coverage allows him to obtain coverage for a specific amount of time , for the lowest monthly cost.

Life insurance coverage should allow your loved ones to grieve without worrying about the financial implications of your passing.

Exchanging One Variable Life Insurance Policy For Another

If you are considering replacing one life insurance policy for another, here are some things to consider:

• As you age, the cost to insure you is likely to increase, so a new policy may be more expensive. Be sure to compare the costs associated with an existing policy to any new policy.
• Surrender charges are typically higher in the early years you own a policy. If you exchange a policy, you may be subject to a surrender charge on your existing policy and a new surrender charge period on the new policy.
• Be sure to compare the old and new policy features to determine which policy better suits your needs.
• Consider the tax consequences associated with any policy exchange.
• Do not cancel your existing policy until your new policy is in effect to ensure that there is no gap in your insurance coverage.
• Request a policy illustration from your financial professional comparing your old and new policy.
• Consider the financial motivation your financial professional may have to recommend that you exchange one policy for another.

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Pacific Life Insurance Company

Last on our list of 10 Best Life Insurance Companies is Pacific Life. Founded in 1868 and headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, it provides life insurance products, annuities, mutual funds and other investment products. More than half of the top 100 U.S. companies are currently clients of Pacific Life. It is the tenth largest life insurer in the U.S. in terms of assets.

Sure, you can go online and read life insurance reviews, and you dont have to choose one of the top 10 best life insurance companies as your carrier. Still, its nice to have all the information when making the decision.

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Best Instant Issue: State Farm

State Farm

• Types of Life Insurance: Three
• Issue Ages: 18-75

We chose State Farm as the best company for instant issue policies based on the fact you can apply online and get term life coverage without a medical exam or any hoops to jump through. State Farmâs excellent ratings and long history also helped it gain a spot in our ranking.

• State Farm extends some term policies without a medical exam

• Free quotes for term life insurance coverage online

• Excellent ratings for financial strength and customer satisfaction

• No life insurance offered in Massachusetts

State Farm is another insurance company with a long and storied history. Founded in 1922 by a retired farmer, State Farm has grown from humble beginnings to offer a broad range of insurance products today. At the moment, State Farm comes in at number 39 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. This company also boasts an A++ rating for financial strength from AM Best, which is the highest rating possible.

Also, note that State Farm secured the highest ranking in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Life Insurance Study, which compared the experiences of life insurance and annuity customers nationwide.

When it comes to the life insurance products it offers, State Farm lets consumers purchase term life insurance coverage, whole life insurance, and universal life insurance. State Farm also makes it easy to enter your information and get a free quote online for term life.

• Types of Life Insurance: Five
• Issue Ages: 18-80

Why Choose Primerica Foryour Financial Needs

Primerica is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of our clients because our Representatives are Main Street families, just like the clients we serve. Our Representatives come from all walks of life and from communities and neighborhoods all across North America.

We start with our complimentary Financial Needs Analysis to help you better understand where you are now and then offer financial solutions that can help you get on track to a better financial future.

We Do What’s Right

Primerica’s people-first philosophy and our commitment to doing what’s right for our clients is evident in the millions of families who trust Primerica for their family’s financial needs.

Freedom For Families

Freedom for families is at the heart of everything Primerica does. Since the beginning, our mission to help middle-income families get on track to achieve financial freedom has changed the future for millions of people.

Financial Needs Analysis

Getting your current finances in line with your future goals doesn’t have to be complicated. In about 30 minutes, your Primerica Representative can show you how to get from where you are to where you want to be through a personalized path to your goals.

Create, Track and Achieve Financial Goals

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