Do you have life insurance yet? Have you ever put serious consideration into getting it? Maybe the thought of death itself doesn’t make you nervous. Maybe it’s the thought of leaving so many friends and family members behind. In that case, getting life insurance can be a real weight off your mind.
When you are planning on purchasing a life insurance policy, select an independent broker. Independent brokers can generally offer more selection in terms of policy and cost than a broker who works exclusively for a specific insurance company. Company brokers are limited to the products their company sells, and may also be pushed by the company to recommend a particular product.
Compare prices before choose the life insurance policy you want to purchase. One way to save money is to price shop using one of the many insurance comparison websites available online. You might be surprised that some companies are up to 50% more expensive than others. Also, make sure that the quotes you compare take into consideration your medical history.
Drop bad habits and get into good shape prior to opening a life insurance policy. If you are in good physical health, you are likely to get a better rate from your provider. Smoking, high cholesterol, blood pressure, as well as depression, can drive up your rates more than you would think.
Most life insurance companies require you to take a medical exam before they give you coverage. They look at blood pressure, cholesterol levels, an EKG of your heart rate activity, and many other indicators that reveal the presence of any type of disease or risk factors. You can perform better on the test, even put yourself into a higher rate class, by eating low-fat foods for the two days before your test. Drink extra water to maintain hydration, and avoid alcohol for three to four days ahead of the test. Also, make sure you get plenty of sleep for the week leading up to the exam.
Do what you can to better your credit. The lower your credit score, the higher your monthly premiums could possibly be. This is due to the fact that a policy holder with a low score is seen as a high risk to the insurance company. This is what causes them to charge the higher premiums. It’s so they can offset the risk.
When you are purchasing a life insurance policy, ask about cancellation options. There may come a time when you may wish to change companies or cancel that policy. Some insurers will charge you a fee or penalty if you cancel your policy. Knowing about possible penalties or fees ahead of time will help you assess whether to cancel or not.
If a relative of yours recently died and named you as the beneficiary on his life insurance policy, but the policy itself is missing, there are steps you can take to locate the policy, even if you don’t know which insurance company issued it. Examine the deceased’s canceled checks for any that were written to insurance companies. Look through any mail you can find for insurance bills or policy status notices. Check with former employers or organizations that the deceased belonged to which may have offered the policy. Look at tax returns for expenses or interest earned in regard to life insurance. Finally, check with the Medical Information Bureau, which has a database that can inform you if the medical records of the deceased were requested by any insurance companies since 1996.
You should never cash out your policy, this hardly happens at all. Many people cash them in for making ends meet today. This is a waste of money and time. There are other options than cashing in your policy.
Sometimes people with life insurance (whole-life, not term) feel like updating or changing their policies after a few years, especially when a company introduces a better policy. This is why it’s important to think first before getting into a commitment, because changing now could cost you your premium payments and policy. So you should avoid this.
A great tip to potentially save money on life insurance is to choose a term policy with a “conversion to permanent”� clause. This means you can switch this term insurance policy into a permanent one with no more medical exams. This can save you money if you have sudden health problems while your term insurance policy is still active.
Getting life insurance is not just for rich people. In fact, it is probably more important for those with low to medium incomes than for those in higher tax brackets. Final expenses and living costs won’t go away with the death of a family member. You need coverage to make sure these costs are covered.
The cost of funerals alone has been known to put friends and family members of the deceased into debt. If you care about the people in your life, do a huge favor for them now. Get life insurance. Amassing substantial debt over the death of a loved one doesn’t make the grieving process any easier.
