Posts Tagged ‘Disability’

What Life Insurance Can Mean For You And Your Loved Ones

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Nobody is certain what will happen tomorrow, therefore protecting your family should anything happen to you is very important to anyone with dependants. Taking a life insurance policy is one good way to do this especially if you are married and have children.

Wading through the many types of life insurance policies that are available can be a daunting task. It is important that you take the time to figure out which one might be right for you.

Term life insurance is the cheapest form of insurance available. It is given on a temporary basis providing you with protection for a period ranging from 1 to 30 years. Beneficiaries receive the value of the insurance incase the insured die before the maturity date. However if the insured does not die he is not entitled to anything. Term life insurance can be renewed at maturity or converted to a permanent insurance policy. With renewal of the life insurance policy, the premiums payable usually go up. Term life insurance is said to give the most value for money.

Oftentimes, a renewal means a more expensive insurance premium; so, many people maintain that term life insurance is the best bang for their buck. The internet offers many resources for free term life insurance quotes at sites like ELifeInsuranceSaver.com. Getting quotes and comparisons can be an important part of the process. This way, you can guarantee you are not overpaying for the services that you hope to secure.

Another type of insurance is whole life, which also goes by the name “permanent life insurance.” It is similar to term life in some ways, but does have a major difference: It includes an investment component, which could be in a number of areas such as money markets, bonds, stocks, or more. This kind of policy can build up a cash value, and if desired, you can borrow against its value. However, there are drawbacks. For one, your investment might not make money, meaning the policy could have little or no value against which to borrow. Also, you’ll have to pay various fees and commissions on your investments, which can be very pricey. Traditional, variable life, and universal life are a few common varieties of whole life insurance.

This type of insurance allows enough time generate substantial savings and is therefore beneficial for people who need insurance into their 70s or 80s. With the long periods of accumulating considerable value, this type of insurance is a form of long term saving. For people who feel they cannot wait up to their 70s you need to take term life insurance and then find a different form of saving for your retirement.

Overall, it is important to research the different kind of life insurance policies available to you, and then you can make an educated decision on which one will best benefit you and your family. There are many factors you will need to consider, such as your age, your needs, and the number of beneficiaries you have. Ultimately, when you select the right policy, you can live without the stress of wondering how your family will survive once you are gone.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

The Two Types Of Life Insurance

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Life Insurance consists of two types. One is whole life insurance and another is term life insurance. Whole life insurance is to protect the entire life of a man with all benefits. It covers the entire period of policy holder until his death. Really, all benefits of whole life policy will be rendered to the person according to the value of the policy at the time of his death. Benefit value on the tax defer is also included. For whole life policy holder, dividends also will be paid.

In the case of term life insurance, the policy is only supposed to last for a specified period. If death occurs during this period, the policyholder?s beneficiaries receive the face value of the policy. If death occurs after the expiry of that period, there are no benefits. Unlike whole life insurance, term life insurance does not include a cash value or dividends.

Another major difference between whole life and term life insurance is that the premiums are usually low at the beginning of the policy and increase over time for term life insurance while those of whole life remain constant. Coverage for term life insurance is also variable from five to thirty years. If you opt for a longer term, your policy will be more expensive.

If you plan on purchasing term life insurance quotes should be obtained from multiple agents and companies, as the prices will vary. In addition the insurance lead generation sites on the internet that will allow you get numerous quotes by competing one single form. You can also get term life insurance quotes instantaneously and apply for policies on insurance company websites, saving the time and efforts required to get quotes from agents. Term insurance offers premiums that can be tailored to suit most budgets. Also most term life insurance policies offer the possibility of converting to whole life insurance policy after a period of time.

Universal life insurance will cover everything skillfully. Some of the companies will collect the medical answers according to the age of the policy holders through their applications initially. And according to the answers given by the policy holders, they will not conduct any medical examinations. With an evidence of age, occupation and health youngsters will obtain better chances.

When compared to whole life insurance, term life insurance is much cheaper. It is argued that the difference between the two is invested to make a profit for the dividends. Overall term life insurance is more profitable since it is cheaper.

After ten or twenty year?s completions, in term life insurance, policy holder can get increments. Its premium also will go too directly for insurance. Hence it is called as Pure Life Insurance. The main aim of term life insurance is to curtail and trim down the financial risks for a specific period. So it is known as a temporary life insurance.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

Protect Your Family With Life Insurance

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Life is never a walk in the park. Many of us plan something in our life but destiny leads us somewhere. Some of us are lucky enough to have a very blessed life. They enjoy their lives without any problems. But most of us have to live our lives in a hard way. We have to struggle for each and everything. Even the basic things cannot be obtained easily.

This is also the reason we should make sensible and appropriate decisions as soon as possible, as we all know that life holds no guarantees. It is very important to look in to life insurance, so your family doesn?t have any heartbreak if, god forbid, something was to happen. With so many life insurances policies in the world, there is definitely one to fit your budget and lifestyle.

If the unthinkable happens, your family may have to reduce their standard of living–but if you have life insurance, they might not have to. If, suddenly, something happens–a car accident, a fire, an illness–and one day they wake up and you’re not there, the insurance company will be able to step in.

A great advantage is that your family doesn?t have to cut back on the expenses they already have. If anything were to ever happen, the insurance company will pick up a great deal of the expenses that are left behind. This is a situation that is very difficult to deal with for a family. Although, the policy will take away all the stress.

The only thing you’ll ever have to deal with is the monthly premium. Yes, some policies can get expensive, but do not look at those as if they’re the only ones! Many policies can fit your budget.

I realized the advantages of a Life Insurance Policy when my friend got its benefits after the death of his father. My friend was very young then and had to take care of his helpless mother too. It was the Life insurance Policy that came to their help. My friend?s house was mortgaged and the life insurance company took care of the payments towards the mortgage.

But now, he has the ability to make sure his family is happy. He taught me something: the best thing to do, to protect the ones you care about, is to make sure that they’re covered if you go–and that means, you need to be covered by life insurance. Its the first thing I will do when I finally settle down. Perhaps you should think about the same.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover website.

Life Insurance, Why We Need It

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

If you’re looking for a life insurance policy then you should look for one that will not only benefit you in the future but is also affordable in the present.

The Universal Life Insurance Policy is an excellent policy and among the best. Many people are purchasing this policy that provides financial assistance at times when it is most critical. This is a unique policy of excellent quality.

Internet accessibility has made this policy easily available for those who wish to have the security of owning it. However, it is more beneficial to seek consultation from a life insurance broker to avoid confusion and making the incorrect choice.

It is important to buy a life insurance policy that maintains a financial stability in our life. Studies depict that the life insurance that best reward and provide most advantages is the universal life insurance policy because it provides room to revise the sum of insurance as requirements may change.

When thinking of death, one can have a sound mind after deciding to invest in a universal life insurance policy because it provides security for our family members or our survivors. The universal life insurance policy permits the regulation of death assistance or the premium costs, inside the maximum value so that it can be shaped around the circumstances.

The policy is primarily a security made to the policy holder?s family members or survivors at the time of his/her death. The policy is an adjustable policy that can help regulate death assistance/or premium costs within the maximum value so it is tailored to the individual?s circumstances.

There is a 5% charge subtracted from every premium and the balance is added to the policy account. The monthly fee of the death benefit and policy supervision is removed from the additional account. The information provided here is accurate and helpful but it would also be advisable to seek consultation from a life insurance professional to ensure peace of mind, stability, and life time protection.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Whole Life Insurance: Knowing It And Getting To Know Its High And Positive Trade ?Offs

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Roughly categorized as a pre-need investment, life insurance falls into two categories – the whole life and the term insurance. What?s the difference between the two? Here are the key points.

Whole life insurance policies will cover you for your whole life or until you reach the age of 100. Of course you have to pay all of your premiums in a timely manner for this to apply. Another advantage to whole life insurance is that it builds up cash values while term life insurance does not. It is most common for the cash value to start building once you have paid your premiums for one year. Another advantage to whole life insurance is that the premium is fixed at the same rate for the life of the policy. With term life insurance you will face higher premiums when you renew your policy because of increasing age. It also required that you pay your premiums as required by your term insurance policy.

It is best to have the whole life insurance coverage because your paid premiums will build up and you can be assured of a cash value which you can claim anytime or even if you decide to stop paying your premiums. This type of insurance policy will allow you to save and accumulate cash value which can be paid on tax-installment basis.

Depending on the performance of the stock market and how interest rates are credited, it is actually possible to receive a greater amount of cash value than the amount that is guaranteed with your whole life policy. Future performance of your chosen insurance provider may also affect cash values. Variable whole life insurance policies do not have guaranteed cash values as whole life insurance policies do.

Another advantage to owning whole life insurance is that you have the ability to take out a loan based on your cash value at the time. Whole life insurance is able to compete well with other fixed income investments according to supporters of this type of insurance.

The benefits of the whole life insurance policy will never change and provides you a security of a lifetime. Due to the interest earned in this policy, the policy holders will also get dividends from their cash value. One good option of this insurance is that policy holders can borrow money with lower interest rates due to the annual adjustment of its interest rates, it is not adjusted monthly.

Before you make the decision to purchase whole life insurance, you should go over your budget and be certain that you can afford it. This will be a long-term investment so careful thought needs to be put into what you can afford to pay for it. If whole life insurance is out of your budget?s range, you should still buy lower priced term insurance at a young age and perhaps add whole life coverage when you can better afford it. You also need to keep in mind that once you have obligated to a whole life insurance policy, the rate will stay the same for the rest of your life. These policies cannot be reduced to a lesser value once you have committed to purchase them but they are very good investments for those who can afford them.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.

Comparing Term And Whole Life Insurance

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

There are many types and variations of life insurance policies. Mostly they have are term insurance or whole life insurance or sometimes a combination of the both.

When you have opted for the universal life insurance, you can adjust the premium and the policy to any extend you think you need.

For someone who wants to have control over the financial and investing aspect of their insurance, the variable life insurance policy will be the best option.

So let us find out what is A Term Life Insurance Policy?

A term life policy provides protection for a predetermined period of time, such as 5, 10 or 20 years. At the end of this time the policy expires – the death benefit is only paid while the policy is in effect. A term policy doesn’t accumulate any cash value. Term life insurance has been described as “insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.”

Although premiums on term life policies tend to be low, they increase significantly as you age. Because of this, a term life policy is usually purchased when you’re young, to cover a long term. While short term renewable policies are initially less expensive, the premiums begin to make them less reasonable after middle age.

Below is an example of premium costs on an annual renewable term insurance policy. The policy in the example has a $200,000 death benefit, and the annual premiums are by age. Remember that these are only examples, to help illustrate how rates can change with age.

Age 35: $300/year

$900 / year age 50

Age 65: $2,500/year

Description of a Whole Life Insurance Policy

Whole life is the most common type of life insurance. The policy remains in effect until you die or reach age 100, assuming you pay the scheduled premium. Whole life insurance is also known as ‘ordinary life’ or ‘permanent’ insurance. They feature level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a high degree of safety. Whole life insurance has a guaranteed cash value, through which a living benefit is built. Because of this, the owner can access the cash for emergencies, or use it as a supplement to retirement income if necessary.

Whole life insurance includes both insurance and savings: whole life policies are often used in long-term financial planning. The level premiums of whole life policies also mean that the premium will never change. This gives you the peace of mind of always knowing how much your premium will be; it will not increase as you grow older.

There are different risks involved for companies which provide whole life insurance policies and those which offer auto policies, for example. With an auto policy the insurance company hopes the policyholder will be a safe driver and never be in an accident. On the other hand, when an insurance company issues a whole life policy it knows it will someday have to pay the claim.

In these days it has become very easy and convenient to compare and shop for policies from different companies through the net. You can be sure that you get the best deal out of the market rates, which will meet your needs. It is also very important to check up with the BBB and check how these different companies are rated. You must have a careful eye for the financial standing of the insurance companies you are about to sign up for the policies. When you get thorough of all the information you need, you can compare and select the best whole life insurance policy online.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover website.

Covering Your Debts With Life Insurance

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Most average people don’t have enough money saved up to pay for a burial and a funeral let alone a burial and a funeral due to an unexpected early death. Many people take the path of life insurance to help their families avoid having to pay for a funeral and burial as well as other bills that may surface. Life insurance is able to pay for not only the burial and the funeral but many other bills that will arise after your death. The biggest problem is that your debts may be passed on to your family and life insurance can help prevent this.

In most cases people get life insurance so that their family doesn’t have to pay for a funeral that can cost thousands of dollars. Since most people don’t have enough money saved up for a funeral life insurance can be a big help. Depending on the size of the life insurance policy that you get you will be able to cover the funeral expenses and even other bills. Being careful when choosing a life insurance plan is essential as some plans will not cover what you need them to. A term life insurance policy, for example, is a low cost plan but also has a low payout.

Some elderly people that have used these plans get into trouble as they can’t find an affordable life insurance plan towards the end of their life. This is due to the fact that they are a higher risk for the insurance company. You should get a plan that covers the proper amount of time as well as offers the right amount of money if and when you do pass.

After the funeral costs have been paid for a life insurance policy may have money left over. If there’s extra money left over it should be first used for any outstanding debts that you still have. This is because credit companies will take your debts and put them on your spouse or children (if they are of legal age). Since this is not illegal your family will be faced with your debts and may get their credit damaged if they are unable to pay them off. To avoid this, you should have a plan that will have a large enough payout to your family to cover the cost of your funeral, medical bills, and debts.

After your debts have been paid off and the funeral has been paid for there will be money left over in some cases. This money will be split between your beneficiaries. To ensure that you have money left over you need to choose a good insurance plan. You will want to take some time and plan out what the costs will be for a funeral and your debts. You will also need to factor in medical bills that may arise before your passing.

Otherwise your family may have to use the inheritance money to cover the costs of the medical bills rather than have it for themselves. As long as you plan it out ahead of time and take the time to search for life insurance plans you should have no problem finding a life insurance plan that will meet your family’s needs.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.

You?re Life Insurance Rights

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

You have to understand the rights that you have when it comes to your life insurance policy as it may affect your family greatly if you don?t. You should find a policy that will fit the needs of your family after you?ve passed away because it?s easier to find a policy than it is to try to negotiate a change in policy.

The rights you have when it comes to life insurance are related to the type of insurance that you get. The most known type of life insurance is whole life insurance. This insurance provides your family with a monthly rate of money until the total is paid out. The other main type of life insurance is term life insurance. This type of insurance has lower premium rates however it expires after a certain number of years.

When you choose a policy you will be able to have what?s known as a free look period. This period will allow you to look over your policy and the terms and conditions. Depending on the company that you go with you?ll have between 10 and 30 days to do this. While you have this right in all states, some states actually require the company to attach a notice of the law to your policy. You should use this time to look over the fine print of your policy so that nothing unexpected comes up later. If you find something that you don?t like in the policy or terms and conditions you can return the paperwork along with a written statement stating that you want to cancel it and it will become a void policy.

You should use this time to take the policy to your lawyer and look for any loopholes that the company may have put in the fine print. While the policies are supposed to be easy to review they are often times not. Due to the technicality of the wording that they use it may become confusing. Also in some cases an agent might not fully explain some of the clauses that are in the fine print. It?s best to have a professional look over the paperwork after you have.

Understand that it will be harder for you to get life insurance down the road if you decide to get term life insurance now. Since older individuals are not expected to life as long they are usually subject to higher rates. It usually costs a fair amount of money but you can arrange the payouts and monthly payments to your liking. Also if you?re an older individual looking for life insurance then you should consider offering an initial lump sum of money to the insurance company. This will not only lower your monthly payments but it will help you get a policy with that company. Educate your family so that they know that they may be able to negotiate the payment policy even after you?ve passed away.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.

Life Insurance VS A Retirement Policy

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Many people find out at retirement that they have not enough money to live the lifestyle they are used to. There are too many people in this country that have no retirement benefits and will be living on social security benefits alone. For someone living on social security benefits their lifestyle will change dramatically and they will find that they may not have enough money to keep their home and retirement becomes a burden rather than a joy.

When you hear about a life insurance policy you automatically assume it is only to be used for death benefits. The fact is that many life insurance policy pay out retirement benefits that are tax free. You can find the policy with mutual funds, stocks or bonds, and even with cash from your bank account.

Death benefits are important but having a proper retirement package that offers peace of mind after you stop working is a top priority for most people. The policies can be customized to pay out specific amounts for a specific period of time after retirement or to pay out from the cash reserves over a period of a lifetime. The payments are not counted as income from the government and this will act as a huge advantage for most people.

Retirement benefits can be utilized in many ways with the life insurance policies. You can borrow from cash values or have a payment plan designed to meet your needs. In both instances there will be certain pros and cons.

Money that is accumulated in the policy that offers retirement benefits is available for you or withdraw without suffering any penalties or taxes. A standard retirement package such as IRA benefits allows you to withdraw the money to but you suffer penalties for early withdraw as well as income tax on all finds you receive from the account. The insurance policy making payments to you that are tax free after you retire is a huge advantage it has over the standard retirement benefit package.

If you are borrowing cash from the retirement policy as a method to avoid having to pay any taxes on the money you may be surprised that you could be hit with capital gains tax on any payments that aware in excess of the premium, this is for the lifetime of the policy so if you paid over for 40 years you can expect a huge penalty. If you are now 80 or 85 and are trying to just get by with paying estate taxes and pay the high cost of health care this tax could put you in the poor house and cause you to lose everything you own trying to pay it back.

Your agent may have shown you a wonderful retirement package that was based on the rate that you received when you purchased the policy. The rates are subject to change and this will affect your retirement policy as well, meaning rates go up you travel the Mediterranean after retirement, they go down you are living in a trailer eating TV dinners every night. But with the security of the standard retirement package comes taxable income and lower payments and the insurance policy offers higher payments and tax free benefits but the risk may be slightly higher on your money.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

Getting Life Insurance If Your Are HIV Positive

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Having a life insurance policy in place can bring peace of mind to individuals who want to ensure the financial security of their loved ones even after their death. If you have been diagnosed as HIV positive and you do not already have a life insurance policy in place it can be extremely difficult to obtain one. While many insurance companies will turn you down immediately, others will offer high premium policies that will cover only the cost of your funeral.

You should check to see if you have any existing policies in place already. You may have life insurance from your employer or through your home mortgage. Check to see if any existing policies include rider policies. Your employer may have a life insurance policy that is automatically extended to you and will pay out a percentage of your wages to your beneficiaries. If you have any policies that are in effect be sure to keep them active, if they lapse you will most likely not get them back with an HIV diagnosis.

Social security offers death benefits to your beneficiaries. Go to your local social security office and find out what the benefits are and make sure you have updated the information for the correct beneficiaries to get it. If any changes need to be made they will assist you on how to do this.

You can speak to an attorney to have any questions you may have answered about social security benefits, other existing policies and beneficiaries.

The human resources department at your job will be able to assist you with any programs or life insurance policies that they offer that may be available to you. Many employers will automatically have you insured through a group life insurance policy that pays out a certain percentage of your wages in the event of your death. These policies require no underwriting and no pre qualification. If you are not already a part of this program you can find out how to go about getting included in the policy. It is usually a very small amount paid directly from your paycheck.

If you are employed where no policies are available for death benefits then you may choose to look for an employer who does offer the benefits and switch jobs. Even if you take a cut in pay it is worth the peace of mind that your loved ones will be taken care of. Be sure this does not affect your health insurance coverage as many policies will refuse pre existing conditions.

An HIV AIDS case worker will be able to help you in your search for death benefits. They can offer you the many programs or life insurance policies that are available to you. Some insurance companies will offer policies to HIV positive clients with the new medications creating an effective way for the individuals to live a longer life than years before.

Guaranteed insurance companies are available to anyone even if they are terminally ill. The policies will usually only cover the cost of your funeral or burial and will have much higher premiums.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.