What Determines the Cost of Life Insurance?
As you probably know, premium rates depend upon many unique details about the person who is applying.
The type of policy will, of course, affect the cost. Permanent policies, like whole or universal, will cost more than temporary coverage like term life. That is because an insurer will assume a risk that will last for a person's entire life, and not just a shorter period of time. That is why, most of the time, term life is the cheapest. It will give an applicant to buy the most coverage for the lowest cost, but it will expire after a set time. Some common lengths of these type of policies are 10, 20, or 30 years, though different periods are marketed.
Other factors will also affect the cost. An insurer usually sets rates based upon the risk it assumes. So the person's age, general health, and even family health history are considered. That is why some applications ask for detailed health histories. Some insurers even require some medical tests like urine samples or blood tests, though you can find many no medical exam policies today.
Beyond health, insurance companies also believe some other details affect risk. An applicant's zip code matters, and sometimes a company will even check a credit report! Any criminal history may also affect an application's underwriting.
Is that all you need to know about life insurance costs? Well, I think you also need to consider which insurer you will buy from.
Insurers have their own rate charts. In fact, we compared the premiums for the same forty year old man between the top 10 insurers in one area. We used a $100,000 term policy with a period of 20 years to do our rate comparisons.
We found a premium difference of $300 a year between the most expensive and cheapest policy! Think about that. Over 20 years, that equals $6,000 more that would be paid for the very same life insurance.
Why would anybody take the more expensive one? Well, my guess is that people did not bother to compare rates, and they just accepted the first insurer they found. Maybe the more expensive company had more active marketing going on.
So which one will be right for you? There is really not a way to tell you which company will be cheaper without comparing prices in your local area. With so many individual factors to consider, you do need an easy way to do this.
Try online life insurance quotes. You can enter your basic information one time, click the submit button, and then relax because you will be getting competitive premiums returned to you! You can have them delivered online, by email, or by phone. This makes it very convenient to compare without having to set multiple appointments with different agents.
Then, when you have found some likely companies, you may decide to speak with a company representative or agent for more information. You can have the best of both worlds. You will be able to make a convenient comparison in your own home or office. And then, when you have made a choice, you can purchase what you want at the price you choose.
Our safe, fast, and free online quote forms can help you find the cheapest life insurance costs for a person like you. You do not need to sacrifice quality or coverage to find the best rates.