Term Insurance vs Traditional Life Insurance: Which is better?

Unexpected events in life will leave an individual in shambles (physically, mentally, and financially). Attributable to it, insurance has become a necessity of the hour, especially, when a person has family responsibilities and his absence may be a cause for concern. It helps him to manage risks, namely, hospitalization expenses for diseases and various other emergencies. the foremost common types of insurance during this regard are traditional life insurance and term life insurance. Lets perceive the peculiar features of each types of insurance policies.

What is Term Insurance?

Term life insurance is the simplest of all insurances. The insured selects a coverage amount and defines for how many years the policy will be maintained. This time can range from one year to 30 years. If an insured person chooses a term of 5 years, when it is fulfilled, it may be necessary to renew the policy, change it or let it expire. This type of insurance is very popular in cases where you need to have protection for a certain time; for example, when your children are young, while you are paying the mortgage on your home, or until you have the savings that allow you to leave your family “well-off” without insurance. So when the need no longer exists, you can choose not to renew the insurance, and thus you save the premium payment.

One of its great advantages is usually the price since you are buying the insurance for a specific period, the premiums are usually exactly the amount that the insurer needs to cover the cost of your policy, and there are no extra charges for supply for the future price of insurance.

What is Whole Life Insurance?

If what you are looking for is to continue obtaining protection, even if you already have your assets to provide constant economic protection to your family until your retirement or during your golden years, whole life insurance is ideal for you, since it does not expire within a specific period of time, of course as long as payments and policy specifications are met. It also offers a very interesting savings function that will depend on the type of whole insurance you choose, the insurer and the conditions of the policy. 

The savings associated with insurance works as follows: as the insurance is for the whole life or is permanent, that is, it does not have to be renewed from time to time (as with the term), the insurer obtains an average of the price of the policy (since the premiums could be very expensive when the insured is already much higher), to reach a premium amount that really is above what the insurance costs when the person is young. Then that portion that is overcharged must be invested on behalf of the insured and should be available to the insured as a loan for when you need it. It is worth clarifying that this saving is available only to the insured and not to its beneficiaries since the latter can only dispose of the insurance amount, once the insured dies.

Difference between Term Insurance and Whole Life Insurance

Buying life insurance can be confusing if you haven’t bought it before. This may be especially true when comparing the differences between whole life insurance and term insurance. But understanding these differences is crucial to choosing a life insurance policy suitable for you and your family. Knowing the pros and cons of each will help you make an informed decision and protect what matters most to you.

Why do you need a Whole or Term Life Insurance?

Before deciding whether to buy whole or term life insurance, first determine your needs and what you want the insurance to do. Are you looking for an insurance policy that protects you and your family from a vital event, such as loss of income from your death, or are you looking for more comprehensive protection? Answering this question is important because the amount of coverage for the term and whole life policies can vary greatly depending on several factors, such as the cost of the policy and qualification requirements.

If you are looking for something to help cover your final expenses, a specific type of whole life insurance called final expense insurance (also known as “burial insurance” or “funeral insurance”) may be better depending on your age. But if you are looking to protect your family from loss of income, a term policy may be more appropriate. Your circumstances and needs will determine what type of life insurance is right for you.

How does Term Life Insurance work?

Term insurance covers a fixed period, or “term,” and is generally considered temporary insurance. The term can be as small as one year and can be scaled from there according to the provider. The average term of a term life insurance policy is between 10 and 20 years, but the term can also cover someone until they reach a certain age. These policies generally pay the death benefit if you die during the term of the policy. If the term of the policy ends before you die, then the policy generally expires, and no death benefit is paid. Fortunately, there are types of term insurance that are more flexible, such as:

• Renewable Term: This generally allows the policy to be renewed for a certain period when the policy expires.
• Convertible Term: This generally allows you to convert insurance to a different plan.

To be approved for term life insurance, you may need to have a medical exam due to the high coverage amounts. As this type of insurance is simple, straightforward and does not accumulate cash value, the cost is relatively low compared to whole life insurance. For the most part, term insurance premiums are lower than whole life premiums because coverage is for a specific period. The premium for a term life policy depends on several factors, including whether you are a smoker or non-smoker, your age and any pre-existing health condition you have.

How does Whole Life Insurance work?

Sometimes called permanent insurance, a whole life insurance policy provides coverage for your entire life, provided premiums are paid. This type of insurance can develop what is called “cash value”, which is the money that accumulates in the policy as premiums are paid. Depending on the provider, the cash value of a policy can be withdrawn in the form of a policy loan, or it can be applied to the policy premium. Any unpaid policy loan is generally subtracted from the death benefit. An entire life insurance policy provides death benefits that are paid to the primary beneficiary at the time you die. Unlike term insurance, whole life policies provide coverage throughout your life. While the premiums are paid, the policy will remain in effect until it dies.

Another advantage of whole life insurance is that the policy premiums tend to be fixed for the rest of the policy. This means that the policy premium will remain the same even as you get older. This is important because life insurance generally costs more as you get older, and it can be difficult to be approved for it. Setting an accessible premium at the beginning can make a big difference.

 Top Term Insurance Plan in India

 Top term insurance plan in India are as follows:

1. LIC E-term Plan
2. ICICI Prudential iProtect Smart
3. SBI Life eShield Plan
4. HDFC Life Click 2 Protect 3D Plus
5. Max Life Online Term Plan Plus
6. SBI Smart Shield
7. Aegon Life term Plan
8. Aviva iLife Plan
9. Bajaj Allianz eTouch Lump Sum
10. PNB MetLife Mera Term plan

Conclusion

Term life insurance can be more expensive than you think, since many times you need to have to renew them when they expire, and maybe for that time, and the payment of premiums will go to increase or maybe you have become ill or have other conditions that do not allow you to regain life insurance or that the price rises beyond what you can pay for it. While permanent policies do not expire for a long period, in which you will also maintain the same payment during that period. So, it is concluded that if you are going to buy life insurance then you must buy permanent or whole life insurance.