Life Insurance – Whole versus Term and Choosing the Right Option

As I get older and my family grows, one question that comes to mind is, “will they manage if something happens to me? Particularly from a financial aspect.” I can’t do much to prevent the emotional impact, but I want to ensure that my family will not suffer financially if something should happen to me. But which type of life insurance policy is best for me and my family from a cost and coverage perspective? Term or Whole Life?

First and foremost, we buy life insurance to provide for our families in case we pass away unexpectedly and cannot provide for them any longer. This may sound simple, but sometimes life insurance products are designed to do more than this basic function, and that’s where buying life insurance gets complicated.

Term life insurance is the purest form of coverage. It is purchased for a period of time, or term, and when that period of time expires, the life insurance ends. It is common to buy a term policy for 10 to 30 years, though different periods are available. So if you die you win (so to speak). If you live past the length of the policy, you (or, more specifically, your family members) get no money back. Because the policies are temporary, and only cover death benefits only, a term policy is usually the cheapest life insurance to buy, and is the choice of most younger families. Get a free quote across multiple providers for term life insurance.

Whole (or permanent) life insurance, on the other hand, is designed to cover a person for their whole life. It builds a cash value or “savings account”, and so is a combination of life insurance and savings. As long as the policy is paid for, or paid up, the coverage will be in force. Because of this, whole life insurance is more expensive. If you live, you get back at least some of, and often much more than, the amount you spent on your premium. You get this money back either by cashing in the policy or by borrowing against it

The key is how long you plan to keep the policy. Most financial advisors will tell their clients, especially younger clients, to purchase term coverage. They do this because term policies are much cheaper, and the extra money can be used for other investments that may provide better returns than whole life policies. In most cases, this is probably good advice, especially for large amounts of coverage that growing families need.

However, term policies do expire, and a middle aged or older person may find him or herself without coverage just when it is much more expensive to buy life insurance. Not everybody’s need for life insurance ends when a policy does. In a perfect world, I would suggest buying a larger face value term life insurance policy with a large enough face value to cover a home mortgage, living expenses, and education. But I would also advise you to consider the purchase of a smaller whole life insurance policy, especially one with a ten year payoff. That way, when the person retires, they can be secure in the knowledge that their beneficiaries will get the benefits to settle final expenses.

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4 thoughts on “Life Insurance – Whole versus Term and Choosing the Right Option”

  1. I appreciate your information on the differences between term and whole life insurance. It seems that you would really have to consider what type of coverage you want before you buy any insurance. My wife and I are looking into getting life insurance so maybe we should decide which type we want before we decide on a policy.

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  2. The purpose of life insurance is to provide a source of income, in case of death, for your children, dependents, or other beneficiaries. (Life insurance can also serve certain estate planning purposes, which we won’t go into here.)

    Buying life insurance is contingent upon whether anyone is depending on your income after your death. If you have a spouse, child, parent, or some other individual who depends on your income, then you probably need life insurance.

    Because life insurance protects your family in the event of a death, it is important to determine the correct amount. Most people do not have the right amount of insurance.

    There are two basic types of life insurance: term and permanent. Term insurance is insurance that covers a specified period. If you die within this time frame, your beneficiary receives the insurance benefit. Term policy premiums usually increase with age.

    Permanent insurance, such as universal life, variable life, and whole life, contains a cash value account or an investment element to the insurance.
    Rules of Thumb

    The younger your children, the more insurance you need. If both spouses earn income, then both spouses should be insured, with insurance amounts proportionate to salary amounts.

    Tip: If the family cannot afford to insure both wage earners, the primary wage earner should be insured first, and the secondary wage earner should be insured later on. A less expensive term policy might be used to fill an insurance gap.

    If one spouse does not work outside the home, insurance should be purchased to cover the absence of the services being provided by that spouse (child care, housekeeping, bookkeeping, etc.). However, if funds are limited, insurance on the non-wage earner should be secondary to insurance for the wage earner.

    If there are no dependents and your spouse could live comfortably without your income, then you will still need life insurance, but you will need less than someone who has dependents.

    Tip: At a minimum, you will want to provide for burial expenses and paying off your debts.

    If your spouse would undergo financial hardship without your income, or if you do not have adequate savings, you may need to purchase more insurance. The amount will depend on your salary level and that of your spouse, on the amount of savings you have, and on the amount of debt you both have.

    Reply
  3. To put it more simply:

    Term: Provides coverage a set period of time. If you die after the policy term, a death benefit will not be paid out.

    Whole: Provides lifelong coverage and earns additional cash value over time (like an annuity)

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  4. This is a great post. One thing to consider is that while term coverage can be cheaper, you can also save money on purchasing whole life insurance if you combine it with other insurance policies you have taken from the same company (i.e. auto, home, health).

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