For most people, life insurance plays an integral role in their estate plans. The type and amount of life insurance that your purchase, however, will depend on a number of factors. The first step in deciding which type of life insurance you need and how it fits into your estate plan is to learn more about the different life insurance options available. To help get you started, our estate planning attorneys at Morris Hall, PLLC explain the most common types of life insurance.
Life Insurance Options for Your Estate Plan
You will find a number of variations and hybrids when you search for life insurance; however, the basic types of life insurance are:
- Term Life Insurance — Term life insurance is usually the simplest and least expensive type of life insurance. A term life insurance policy is purchased for a specific amount of coverage and a specific “term”, or period of time, usually 10 to 30 years. The premiums are usually fixed for the period of the policy. The policy has no cash value and, therefore, cannot be borrowed against. When the insured dies, the policy pays out to the named beneficiary. If the insured outlives the policy, or there is a lapse in premium payments, no benefits are paid. A variation of traditional term life insurance, referred to as “non-level” term, does not remain the same for the life of the policy. Either the premiums increase or the payout decreases over the life of the policy.
- Whole Life Insurance – This type of life insurance is purchased in a specific coverage amount for the lifetime of the insured, hence the term “whole life.” Premium payments are usually fixed, meaning they will not change. Along with the insurance benefits, you also get a savings component and will earn dividends from the insurance company. The policy will have a guaranteed cash value. Premiums will be higher than an equivalent amount of term life insurance.
- Universal Life Insurance – Universal life insurance is also purchased for a specific coverage amount; however, you may have the option to increase the coverage amount later on if certain conditions are met. In addition, you may be able to change your premium payment amount if you have accumulated sufficient cash value in the policy. Your policy will usually earn interest at a rate set by the insurance company. Cash value that can often be borrowed against is one benefit to choosing universal life. One disadvantage of universal life is that, unlike whole life, it has a termination age. Although the termination age is usually not until age 95 or 100, if you live that long your loved ones won’t be entitled to any death benefits.
- Variable Life Insurance – variable life insurance is also another variation of whole life insurance. Variable life truly combines life insurance with investing. Once you accumulate savings, those savings can be invested in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. You also have premium flexibility with variable life, meaning you can increase or decrease the amount you pay in premiums as long as you have sufficient cash value in the policy to do so. Variable life insurance offers the possibility of greater gains from the investment portion of your premiums, but also the possibility of greater losses.
- Final Expense Life Insurance – as the name implies, final expense life insurance is a specialized type of life insurance intended to help cover the costs associated with your death. It is only available to people of a certain age and usually terminates at a designated age. This type of life insurance is often used in conjunction with an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) as part of a funeral planning component within an estate plan.
Contact Our Phoenix Estate Planning Attorneys
For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE seminar. If you have additional questions or concerns about the type of life insurance you should purchase and/or how life insurance fits into your estate plan, contact our experienced Phoenix estate planning attorneys at Morris Hall, PLLC by calling 888-222-1328 to schedule your free consultation today.
At Morris Hall, we have focused our legal practice on estate planning for over 50 years. Along with estate planning, our attorneys help clients and their families with matters of probate, trust administration, wills, powers of attorney, business planning, succession planning, legacy planning, charitable gifting, and other important legal aspects. Our Arizona offices are located in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff and Arrowhead. Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment!
This blog should be used for informational purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader and should not be construed as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney in your community who can assess the specifics of your situation.
This blog should be used for informational purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader and should not be construed as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney in your community who can assess the specifics of your situation.
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