Is Life Insurance Expensive?

Possibly the most common reason why many people tend to neglect life insurance is that they feel like it’s too expensive. Who can blame them when there’s a strong possibility they’ll never even the benefits of a term policy? What most people don’t realize is that life insurance is actually fairly inexpensive, especially right now with rates dropping for the past decade. Of course, it’s impossible to say whether life insurance is expensive for everyone, as there are a lot of factors that go into determining just how much you’ll pay. While a policy may be inexpensive for you, it could be very costly for your spouse. Perhaps the most important factor in deciding costs is the type of policy, term life insurance or whole life insurance.

Term vs. Whole Life

While there’s great debate over which type of life insurance is better, term or whole life, almost everyone can agree that term life insurance is the less expensive option. If you were to buy a term life insurance policy right now, it would almost certainly be significantly cheaper than a permanent life policy. Why is whole life insurance so much more expensive? Mainly because some of the money you put into a whole life policy goes towards a savings program, which then earns interest or is put towards other investments. In the end, a whole life policy that’s been in effect for 25 years will provide a much larger benefit than a term policy. It should also be noted that a whole life policy could actually be less expensive than a term policy for someone buying it at an advanced age. Bottom line - a term life insurance policy is less expensive than a whole life insurance policy if purchased at a young age(under 40) and in good health, though the benefits may be greater from a whole life policy. Here’s a look at some other important factors in deciding your life insurance costs.

How Your Premiums are Decided

• Your age is a significant factor in determining your life insurance premiums. Typically, the older you are, the more you can expect to pay for life insurance.
• Another important aspect in deciding your premiums is your health. People in good health almost always pay less than those who are unhealthy. Smoking and drinking alcohol are usually considered unhealthy habits by insurance providers. Your family’s health history or inherited illnesses can also come into play here.
• Finally, the company you decide to purchase your policy with can affect your premiums as well. Insurance providers have different standards in determining rates and your prices could vary significantly from company to company.

Additional Resources

• Life Insurance Seen as Too Expensive
• How much does Life Insurance Cost?