When it comes to considering life insurance as an investment, you’ve probably heard the adage, “Buy term and invest the difference.” This advice is based on the idea that term life insurance is the best choice for most individuals because it is the least expensive type of life insurance and leaves money free for other investments. Permanent life insurance, the other major category of life insurance, allows policyholders to accumulate cash value, while term does not, but there are expensive management fees and agent commissions associated with permanent policies, and many financial advisers consider these charges a waste of money. When you hear financial advisers and, more often, life insurance…

Health care costs are a big concern for people going into retirement, but the costs of long-term care can still be a shock. Here are a few facts: So, while some financial planners previously were on the fence about long-term care insurance, they were still encouraging people to at least have a plan for long-term care. “For Baby Boomers, long-term care insurance is a must,” says Manhattan attorney Ann-Margaret Carrozza. “We can no longer rely upon Medicaid to cover custodial type care. We see over the course of the past few years that eligibility for Medicaid has gotten tougher. In 2006 the so-called look-back period was extended from three years…

If you’ve co-signed big student loans for your child, you may want to buy a life insurance policy while you’re at it. While no one wants to imagine the death of their child, taking out insurance on your son or daughter — or asking them to purchase their own plan — will protect you from being hit with mountains of debt should tragedy strike. And the policies are pretty cheap. A basic plan with up to $250,000 in coverage can cost as little as $15 a month for a young, healthy college student or recent graduate. That’s a whole lot less than the loan payments you could be stuck with…

Financial needs change with change in one’s life stage. Whether it’s your marriage, children’s education or retirement years, you need money to get through the various stages of life comfortably. Life insurance helps you meet these requirements and prepares you for unforeseen expenses. Insurance provides you with financial security that helps you take care of your loved one. In order to reap the benefits that insurance has to offer, you must factor in insurance early in life. When it comes to insurance, be an early bird Ideally, it makes sense to buy at least one life insurance policy when you have just started to earn. Doing so has its own…

With Halloween around the corner, children’s thoughts turn to candy and costumes. Their parents and grandparents should be focusing on more macabre matters — like the life insurance policies they bought (or are thinking of buying) to secure the financial future of these little ghosts and goblins if a key provider dies. Though life insurance can serve various purposes, for most people, it is a tool for income replacement — to pay the mortgage or foot the bill for college if the unthinkable happens. Often a term-life policy, which provides a preset death benefit when the insured person dies, is all they need. Premiums for these policies, typically offered for…

Life insurance is supposed to provide peace of mind. But for many, the approval process gives them nothing but nightmares.  The cost of life insurance varies depending on an applicant’s health history. According to a recent survey, smokers, on average, pay more than three times for the same policy than non-smokers.A non-smoking 45-year-old woman pays around $45 a month for $500,000 of 20-year level term coverage, while a female smoke of the same age will pay $167 month. Age, your overall health, and your hobbies and occupation are also taken into consideration and can drive premiums higher. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying a higher cost or skip insurance…

When it comes to life insurance, most buyers simply pick a number for the desired death benefit and go through the motions of the application process. There isn’t much thought as to the amount or type of insurance best fits the bill. Term insurance is the most popular type of life insurance bought in the US today. Term refers to life insurance that is in force for a particular period of time, for an agreed upon premium. Annual renewable term allows the insured to maintain the policy for as long as the contract states as long as the annual premium is paid. Level premium term is coverage that lasts for…

A new study shows Americans have even less insurance since the recession, leaving their families vulnerable. Life insurance is usually last on the list of important-but-necessary items people want to spend money on, because, let’s face it, no one wants to dwell on the circumstances in which it could come in handy. Now, in the wake of the Great Recession, people have even less insurance than before, which leaves families unprepared to cope with potential tragedy. The gap between the amount of life insurance Americans actually have and the amount they think they need has now widened to about $320,000, according to a recent survey of 1,004 respondents by New…

Life insurance is kind of like the Rodney Dangerfield of financial planning. As one of most people’s least favorite financial topics, it gets no respect. Yet, it’s something that almost everyone needs and not having it when you need it can be devastating to your family’s well being. Here are some of the most common and dangerous myths about this often misunderstood product: