How whole of life insurance works and how to make it cheaper than it should be
There are similarities between whole of life insurance and term insurance in that both forms of life insurance pay out a specified sum to the bereaved when the person whose life is insured passes away. However the similarity stops there. Whole of life policies pay out whenever the insured dies, regardless of when that is, whereas term insurance policies only pay out if the insured party dies within the specified time frame of the policy.
Owing to this fact term insurance, especially short term term insurance can be significantly cheaper. This is due mainly to the fact that it will only run for a specified period and there is a chance that the life assured will not die during this period. However due to the fact that whole of life insurance will run for the whole of the life of the client there is somewhat of a guarantee that it will definitely pay out some day and for that reason it is more expensive.
Another reason why whole of life policies usually work out dearer is that the vast majority of them accrue an investment element over time, with the added extra price tag. It is important to note at this stage that whole of life policies are not the most recommended of savings plans, so if a good investment is what you are after you would be well advised to consider an alternative.
The main reason that this type of insurance builds up an investment element is so that it can always meet the ever changing cost of the life assureds risk of dying. When you take out a life insurance contract the life insurance company has to work out the chance of you dyeing and then cost the plan accordingly. With whole of life contracts this costing exercise can be very difficult as the life company does not know what is going to happen in the distant future, with that in mind if they can build in a buffer zone by way of an investment element it should assist them with the changing costs of covering you well into the future.
Now this is all understood I can now get into the important bit of telling you how you can make it cheaper. Again with a lot of whole life contracts there are three levels on which you can quote the plan based on premiums and another three based on benefit. They are essentially the same but owing to the fact that some people want a specific premium level and some people want a specific sum assured they have set the plans up in this way.
I will deal with a premium based plan, first is maximum benefit. Basically the quote is prepared with particular emphasis on producing the maximum sum assured for a given premium. This will result in the most life cover for the lowest premium. However it will only last for 10 years and at that 10 year point the plan will be reviewed and the premium will go up or the sum assured will go down. It should be noted that this type of plan is generally funded at the expense of the investment element of the plan so do not expect any significant fund value if any.
The next plan we will discuss is standard cover. Standard cover plans will formulate a quote which will hold true for the life of the contract. This is the best sort of whole of life insurance as it is the best formulated quote for the long term. This is because the life insurance broker is giving you their quote based on what they think it will cost to provide you cover for the rest of your life, so the quote is fixed.
Last of all is minimum sum assured, and due to the fact that it is based around investment within the plan, whilst paying little attention to the life insurance aspect, will undoubtedly be the most expensive option to pursue. Now of this is the sort of plan that interests you then my advice would be to seek the experience of an independent financial adviser, if for no other reason than that he will be able to guide you towards far better investment options.
It is important to know that sum assured plans also work on the basis of minimum premium for maximum payout. For example, standard premium gives standard cover, and maximum premium for minimum cover. Regardless of this, it is always most advisable to seek out the expertise of an independent financial advisor when considering level term or whole of life insurance cover as they will be best able to give you good advice as to what to choose. Remember, your family will be thankful of the time spent when they actually need to use your life insurance.
In conclusion, then, by opting for either maximum cover or minimum premium when going for whole of life insurance, there are definitely savings to be made. But you should keep in mind that the true cost will need to be met at some time during the span of your whole of life insurance policy. That said this is still a good way of at least getting some form of life insurance cover at a rate that is affordable to you now. It will at least give you some form of reassurance and comfort for what will lie ahead in your future.