In the case of traditional whole life, both the death benefit and the premium are designed to stay the same (level) throughout the span of the policy. The cost per $1,000 of benefit increases as the insured person ages, and it obviously gets very high when the insured lives to 80 and beyond. The insurance company could charge a premium that increases each year, but that would make it very hard for most people to afford this insurance at advanced ages. So the company keeps the premium level by charging a premium that, in the early years, is higher than what’s needed to pay claims, investing that money, and then using it to supplement the level premium to help pay the cost of the insurance for older people.

By law, when these “overpayments” reach a certain amount, they must be available to the policyowner as a cash value if he or she decides not to continue with the original plan. The cash value is an alternative, not an additional, benefit under the policy.

Life insurance is chosen by the owner based on their goals and needs, as well as those of the beneficiaries. Additionally, it should be noted that one of the main benefits from all types of life insurances are that they are typically tax free. We would like to discuss with you the common types that are available.