Posts Tagged: Insurance

According to one of the largest UK life insurance companies, just 1% of life policies are written in trust. That is disgraceful and reflects poorly on the financial industry.

Let’s explain.

If your life insurance policy is Written in Trust then, in the event of a claim, the insurance company pays out directly to the beneficiaries you name on the policy. The significance of this is easily missed.

It means that if the policy is Written in Trust, the proceeds from the policy never form part of your legal estate and are not subject to Inheritance Tax. The importance of this is illustrated by the following figures:

Take Mr A. He’s a widower and wants to leave everything equally to his two sons. He owns his home which is currently worth 245,000 with a 10,000 outstanding mortgage. His investments are valued at 52,000 and his car and other chattels are worth 18,000. He also owns a life insurance policy for 100,000 which is not written in trust. We assume that the costs of administering his estate and obtaining probate would be 5,000.

If Mr A were to die now, his estate would be worth 400,000 less Inheritance Tax. Inheritance Tax is currently levied at 40% on the value of his estate over and above 275,000 that means that the taxman will walk off with 50,000 and his sons would each receive 175,000.

Now lets assume exactly the same figures except that in this case the life insurance policy is Written in Trust with Mr A’s sons as equal beneficiaries. Because the life insurance company pays out directly to his sons, they each receive 50,000 straight away and non of the money is included in Mr A’s estate. This means that his estate is now worth 300,000 and the taxman can only walk away with 10,000. Each of his sons receives 20,000 more and tax-free!

So simply by signing a few forms, Mr A saves 40,000 tax!

Is there a catch? No all the documentation is standard and is provided totally free of charge by the life insurance company. Your broker through whom you buy the policy, should complete the documentation for you, again free of charge. All you have to do is give the details of the beneficiaries to the broker and sign the form. Solicitors are not required. In the event of a claim, the life insurance company then has to pay out directly to the beneficiaries. Job done! Poor Mr Taxman!

Even if your policy is designed to repay a mortgage, it should be Written in Trust for your partner. Then, rather than your estate receiving the money and using it pay off the mortgage, the money can be paid directly to your partner. This saves legal delays, solicitor’s and probate fees and loads of hassle. Your partner can then use the money to personally pay off the mortgage. Whether this also saves you Inheritance tax will depend on the value of your estate and how you have structured your Will.

So we believe that a life insurance policy Written I Trust is a win win situation. And there aren’t many of those around these days! We can’t see any drawbacks.

Bye the way, no matter what you decide to do, always ensure that you have an up-to-date Will.

Long Term Life Insurance is term life insurance that is taken out for an extended period of time. Most term life insurance tends to be for a period of between one and seven years, but some people prefer a longer term cover. Insurance companies have responded to this demand by offering a new range of products that fall somewhere between whole life insurance and traditional term insurance.

Normally when people want long term cover, they purchase whole life insurance, which covers them for the duration of their life, and also builds a cash value. However, if you do not wish to pay the extra premiums that are associated with the investment, then perhaps long term insurance rather than whole insurance may be the way for you to go.

These policies may be referred to as Permanent Life policies, and can be set up so that they are payable on demise, or at a certain age. Long term life insurance really blurs the line between whole life and term life insurance, with policies often borrowing from both structures to offer the customer even more flexibility. If you do not wish to have an accruing cash value, then you don’t have to. You can also stipulate whether you want the beneficiary to receive a lump sum payment, or monthly payments to boost income.

Unlike shorter term policies, long term life insurance does tend to be initially more expensive, though over the length of the term it may prove more cost effective than short term life insurance policies. Talking to your preferred insurance provider will give you a good idea of the options that are available out there. Then you can shop around and compare policies online, which will give you an even better idea of your options. The market is booming, so if you are looking for more flexibility in your life insurance, now is the time to look.

People spend a lot of money on complicated financial products and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of what products perform what tasks. Many people are not aware of all the financial products that are available or they only know of them vaguely. They may not know how much they cost or the potential benefits they offer. How can consumers make informed decisions on what products they would be willing to buy if they do not have this basic information? This problem can often lead to consumers buying unsuitable of overpriced products simply because they feel they should have some financial protections available but dont have the details to make an informed choice.

One of the common questions many consumers have is regarding the difference between insurance policies and assurance policies. Put simply, insurance policies cover the costs of an event that might happen while assurance policies will pay out on the occurrence of an event that is certain to happen. Insurance policies only last for a specific period of time. If the event occurs within that time, they pay out, otherwise they are finished. Therefore, if no claim can be made within the term of the policy, they have no remaining value.

Guaranteed Payout

An assurance policy is different. Assurance policies always pay out. For example, a life assurance policy will generally pay out upon death or upon reaching the age of 65. How does this policy work? Well, they combine two elements; an insurance element, which will pay out if, the person dies early. This will then be used to pay for the funeral or support his family. But then there is another payment made every year and this is the investment portion. The insurance company invests this part of the premium on behalf of the policyholder and when they reach the age of 65, they pay this out. Life assurance policies are therefore often used both as a method of life insurance and as a method of saving for retirement.

Do You Need Money Now?

If you wish to cash in the investment portion of a life assurance policy early this is generally possible. However, there will usually be hefty penalties added to this so it is unadvisable to cash in early if you dont have to. The distinction between insurance and assurance is also becoming more blurred as more companies offer both types of policy or add features of one type of policy to their other type to make them more attractive. The distinction is still important so that you know what to ask for and know what kinds of facilities are available for insuring your life and providing for your future.

Most individuals have some form of insurance, whether it is for their vehicle, home or health. But it is important, however, not to overlook the benefits of life insurance, which pays money to beneficiaries when the insured dies.

HOW LIFE INSURANCE WORKS

Typically, the insured person makes payments into the plan – called premiums – in exchange for a “death benefit,” the money that is paid at the time of death. If you are considering purchasing life insurance there are a few potential problems you need to be aware of.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES

There are numerous types of policies you can choose, but life insurance policies generally fall into three categories – protection, long-term savings and estate conservation.

Many people purchase life insurance for the purpose of providing for their dependents in the event of their death, thus protecting your existing stream of income. If you are in the protection category you may want to consider term life insurance, which offers only a death benefit for a specified period of time such as until you retire.

If long term savings is your reason for purchasing insurance, you may consider a cash value policy. With this type of life insurance, your beneficiaries receive a payment upon your death based on the full amount of coverage , not the cash value of the plan. The value of these plans is usually tied to an underlying investment portfolio and that is how funds accumulate.

Another added benefit is that these policies usually allow a holder to borrow from the accumulated funds in the plan without taxes or penalties. Depending on the policy, you can typically withdraw a portion of cash value and not pay it back, or even cancel the policy and receive the money that has been accumulated over the years.

USE LIFE INSURANCE FOR ESTATE PLANNING

Life insurance can also be used as an estate planning tool, especially if your goal is to preserve wealth for future generations. This type of policy covers one or two lives; the cash generated by these plans typically helps your heirs pay estate taxes and provide otherwise.

Now you have to decide how much coverage you need to provide the amount of income your family will need in the event of your death. After all, your goal in purchasing life insurance most likely is to ensure that income continues for those who are now dependent upon your income.

WHO NEEDS LIFE INSURANCE?

It also is important not to ignore the need for life insurance protection in a single or dual income family. The death of either spouse could create a financial strain on your family.

There comes a time in our life when we think about our self do we need any protection for future like life insurance or not. It is not a big decision for all of us. No one likes to be reminded of their own mortality, after all! , its a decision that comes to our life all at certain times especially if we have kids to give them good future.

Honestly it is worth, while we consider of taking out life insurance at any stage of your life especially as we reach middle of age and start to amass mortgages and other financial commitments. The basic fact is that it does not matter if we have family to consider for or not but, if we have some kind of financial commitments then we need to consider about what will happen if we die out of the blue. We have to remember that it does not matter how healthy we think of our self but we may die in a car accident or get run over by a train tomorrow while crossing the railway line!

We must consider few things, what would happen to our financial commitments if we die unexpectedly. Many people do not know that the money they owe on some kind of loans and mortgages does not necessarily pay for itself after their death There must be somebody who will have to take care of its repayment. Finally, in the simplest of form we have to consider about who would pay for our funeral at the end of the day.

Life insurance may be worth thinking about at this stage it is very important, but, if you have a family to add to the equation. If you have a partner andor kids then consider about how they would meet financially if we did die and our salary died with us. This isnt just about managing things like the mortgage, loans its also all about working out how they will pay for lifes necessities never mind lifes luxuries after us. If we protect them with a strong life insurance policy then they could at least meet financially during what will be a very difficult time for them.

The important thing to remember in mind with life insurance is, that it doesnt have to cost the land. Life insurance policies these days are available at small cost we really could be paying just a small amount pound a month to get the right levels of protection with satisfaction. To make things easier and clear many industry experts recommend that we shop around for the best life insurance quote as the sector is extremely competitive these days and off course this is easily done there are lot of web sites that can help us swiftly through competitive quotes so we can find the cheapest policies in just a matter of minutes. This is a great way of getting the life insurance cover we need without spending much time or money in the process.

When it comes to buying life insurance the most important comparison is between term insurance and whole life. Here is an explanation of each.

A term life insurance plan provides life insurance – plain and simple. A whole life insurance plan provides life insurance but also accrues value, which you can cash out or borrow against. It generally takes about three years to see any value and then it’s not a lot of money. Term life insurance, in comparison to whole life, is considerably less costly for this reason. Some will refer to term life insurance as renting insurance rather than buying it. The reason for that attitude is that, much like auto insurance, you pay the premium each month or quarter or year to hedge against the bet that you might have an accident (in the case of term life insurance the accident is death). If you don’t have that accident, in the case of auto insurance, or if you don’t die in the case of life insurance, you don’t get the money.

We all die, of course, so it might seem that term life insurance is a good bet and the best bet in comparison to whole life. You would, you surmise, always get your money back. The catch here is that term life insurance will end at a certain point – and that point may well be before you are deceased. Term life insurance plans are only good until a certain predetermined age – many are 70 years of age, others up to 80. For those of us who really need this coverage until the day we die these aren’t good plans in comparison to whole life which will be in force until the day we die.

Term life insurance is a good buy in comparison to whole life, however, if all you are trying to do is set money aside to prevent your young family from becoming destitute in the event of your unexpected death. Once you reach the age of 70, the likelihood is that your children will be comfortably on their own and not dependent on your money or income to survive. Of course, if this is your only life insurance and it goes away before you die then your family or someone else must bear the cost of burying you. That is where whole life insurance is a favorable comparison to term life. Whole life will stay in place as long as you do, and will be there when it comes time to pay for your burial.

It may be, then, that in doing a comparison between term life insurance and whole life insurance, the results indicate a need for both. Many professionals suggest that you buy an amount of term life insurance that would keep your family bills paid for a predetermined time in the event of your untimely death, choosing a term that covers them only until they are old enough to take care of their bills on their own. These same professionals suggest as well that you also buy a whole life insurance policy for an amount of 7000-12,000, merely to assure that your family will have money to bury you.

In other words, if you are 40 and your children are 6, 8 and 10, you’re going to need about 15 years of term life insurance – until your youngest is through four years of college. You might decide, with three children and a spouse that you’ll need several hundred thousand pounds of coverage. A Whole life policy of 10,000, however, would be plenty to provide a decent funeral and burial.

As you moved past your twenties, and into the rest of your life, you probably started realizing that you were not invincible. Although few want to admit it, there will come a time when you die. When you have a family, you need to ensure they will be taken care of financially when this occurs. Life insurance companies can help you make arrangements while you are alive for what happens after your life. The truth is that no one likes to think about life insurance, but it is a very necessary part of life. Being responsible means making sure your affairs are in order at all times, which is basically what life insurance helps you do. When choosing a life insurance company, be sure to think about these qualities you want in a great company.

Reputation

One of the most important things you need to consider when choosing between life insurance companies is reputation. You should only work with companies that have outstanding reputations. There are far too many scams in the world to fall for, so be sure to stick with companies that look and feel legitimate. This does not mean you should always go with the largest company out there, just be sure that the insurance company you choose to work with is professional and will be around when you need them to be.

Competitive Prices

Just like auto insurance, you need to shop around for life insurance rates. Depending on your age, different companies will be able to offer you different prices. You may pay more on one policy, but get better benefits. Look at three to five quotes from life insurance companies before you make a commitment. Once you sign up with one company, you probably will never want to change because you may lose some benefits you have earned. So, making the right decision the first time is important. Remember to use your instinct and only work with those who are professional and legitimate.

In general, may people understand that having life insurance in any form is a necessity. The policy of life insurance is an excellent method of providing protection for your family members in the event of your death. While many people understand that is important to have life insurance they may not understand that there are many different types of policies available in the world today.

One type of life insurance policy is called Whole Life Insurance, this type of life insurance is effective provided you continue to make the monthly payments upon the premium. This is a very popular type of life insurance because it allows you to build a cash value on the policy and is on a basis that is tax-deferred. The way this works is that a portion of the premium you are paying is put into an account of savings that the policy invests into. All interest that is earned upon the policy is put into the savings and helps to build the cash value. Once the cash value reaches a higher level, you could be required to pay the premium after age or you could be allowed to borrow against that cash value.

Another attractive benefit of having a whole life insurance policy is that your premium will always remain the same. At no time will the amount change at all, therefore as long as you continue to pay the premium each month, you will remain at the same amount for the entire time. If you choose to take a loan out on the cash value you have earned, the only difference you will have to pay is paying back that loan. One downside to this policy is the fact that you will have no control whatsoever over how the company chooses to invest the pounds you pay on your premium.

Another type of life insurance is the term life insurance policy. This policy is selected for a specified amount of time. If you should happen to pass away during the term of this specified time, then your family would then receive payment in the form of a lump sum as the contract specifies. Typically, the premiums upon this type of policy is far cheaper than other types and it does not allow you to build any type of cash value. With this type of life insurance, your premium can change or increase on a yearly basis and it generally does increase each year. It is the more expensive type of insurance that is available however it will provided your family with complete protection in the event of your death.

Life insurance – Tackling the top reasons why we put off buying it

OK, thinking about your own mortality is not a topic anyone enjoys, but our own death is one of the few certainties in life. So why do 35% of Canadians not insure their own life to make sure their family or loved ones are financially protected? While the number of reasons likely match the number of people not insured, the following are the most commonly heard.

Reason #1 I dont have a need for life insurance:
Lets be honest, this reason is by far the most common and for most people untrue. Unless you are an individual who does not have children, has money on hand to cover all debts and funeral expenses, and does not feel the need to offset the loss of their income to a spouse, leave any additional money to family, or to a charity, then it may be true, you dont need life insurance. But few people have the funds readily available to fulfill all their wishes or meet their obligations after their death.

At the very minimum, if you have anyone who relies on your income for their day-to-day needs like a spouse or children, or if you have debts like a mortgage, then you likely need life insurance.

Reason #2 Life insurance is too expensive:
If in the past people have found life insurance to be too expensive it could be because of the type of coverage they were seeking, like whole or universal life insurance. Term life insurance is the most affordable of all the products and is very popular because of it.

Term 10 Life insurance, the most popular Term product in Canada, offers a premium guaranteed not to change for 10 years.

A male non-smoker seeking 100,000 in coverage could be paying as little as*:

1125 for a 30 year-old
2129 for a 35 year-old
3157 for a 40 year-old
4207 for a 45 year-old
5281 for a 50 year-old

A female non-smoker seeking 100,000 in coverage could be paying as little as*:

6106 for a 30 year-old
7112 for a 35 year-old
8133 for a 40 year-old
9163 for a 45 year-old
10219 for a 50 year-old

As you can see, for very little money a year, you can get 100,000 in life insurance coverage.

* Lowest quote online from October 2005 for a Term 10 policy, one of the most popular life insurance products in Canada. Premiums shown are the rates if paid annually.

Reason #3 I dont know anything about life insurance and dont know where to start:
A number of free online tools have been developed to help you decide which term life insurance product is best for your specific situation and how much life insurance coverage you should get.

1Term Life Insurance Analyzers. By answering a few simple questions, these tools will assess your needs and let you know what product is most commonly recommended for people with similar lifestyles.

2Term Life Insurance Calculators. These tools will help you put a pound value on the amount of coverage you need in order to ensure that your family, loved ones and your debts are covered in the event of your death.

Reason #4 Life insurance is a hassle to get:
Thanks to the Internet, getting term life insurance quotes is now fast and easy. If you want to shop around first, getting quotes online means you can avoid hard-sell tactics by someone sitting across from you. There is no sales pressure or obligation to buy when you get quotes online. Its easy, can be done any time at your convenience and is simply a better way to shop for life insurance because of it.

More and more people are buying life insurance online and the numbers seem to be doubling every two years. The reasons are clear. Prices are lower on the Internet and life insurance is fundamentally a simple insurance product.

Despite the underlying simplicity of life insurance, most web sites channel their online clients through a telephone based help and advice service manned by experienced personnel. They represent your safety net so if a little technical knowledge is called for, help is at hand.

But its always a good idea to have a few Top Tips in your back pocket when youre shopping online for life insurance. Theyll help you ask the right questions and find the best policy.

1.Always have your Life Insurance policy Written in Trust.

This means that in the event of a claim, the money goes directly and immediately to the person(s) you nominate when you first take the policy out. It also avoids all possibility of your estate having to pay Inheritance Tax on the proceeds of your policy and that could represent a 40% tax saving !

All you have to do is tell the online brokerage organising your policy that you want your policy Written in Trust and the names of the people who the life insurance company pay in the event of a claim. They will then sort it all out for you. The extra good news is that this service is invariably free of charge. So its a win win situation and there arent many of those around these days !

2.In the early years a Reviewable Life Insurance Policy will be cheaper but a Guaranteed Policy will work out a better buy in the longer term.

With a Guaranteed Policy the insurance company guarantees never to increase your policys premium.

With a Reviewable Policy you agree that your insurance company can review the cost of your policy at regular intervals. But dont be kidded in our experience a review is just another word for a price increase. After all, whos ever heard of an insurance company passing up a chance to charge you more! The review intervals are usually between 2 to 5 years but this does vary between insurance companies. You will find the details of the review intervals on the documents sent to you before you accept the insurance these are called The Key Features Documents.

So, comparing otherwise like for like policies, in the early years the premiums for a Reviewable Policy will undoubtedly be lower than the premiums for a Guaranteed Policy. Thereafter, the premiums for a Reviewable Policy increase eventually catching up with and overtaking, the premium for a Guaranteed Policy.

In our experience, you can expect the monthly premiums for a Reviewable Policy to exceed those of a Guaranteed policy in about 7 to 10 years and then within the following 10 years, more than double again. If your budget is currently tight then by all means choose a Reviewable Policy – after all your salary may increase in coming years and ease the strain. On the other hand, if the premiums for a Guaranteed Policy are affordable, we think they represent your best buy.

A footnote. Many insurance companies have stopped offering Guaranteed rates for standalone critical illness insurance policies. This because they have experienced much higher claim rates than they initially expected. However, you may still find a Guaranteed life insurance policy that also provides critical illness cover. As we have explained, Guaranteed rates are especially good value and if you can get a quote for a Guaranteed life policy that includes critical illness cover, you may have a real bargain.

3.Thinking about a Joint Life Insurance Policy?

A Joint Life Insurance policy is usually written on a first death basis. This means that the policy will pay out on the death of the first policyholder, subject to the policy being in force at the time. This leaves the second person uninsured and older. Older people can struggle to get life insurance at an affordable premium, so rather than a Joint Policy consider taking out separate policies now. Overall it will work out a little dearer – but you get twice the cover and double the peace of mind.

4.Taking out a Life Insurance Policy? Now would be an ideal time to include Critical Illness cover.

Are you likely to need Critical Illness Insurance in the future? Yes? Then consider adding it now to the life insurance policy youre arranging. Why? There are three reasons.

Firstly, a Life Insurance policy combined with Critical Illness cover will work out significantly cheaper than buying two separate policies. Secondly, as we have already explained in the footnote to Tip 2, you may be able to buy a combined Life and Critical Illness policy with a guaranteed premium. That could be a real bargain. Finally, premiums for critical illness cover increase rapidly as you get older so the sooner you take it out, the cheaper it will be.

5.it isnt confuse Terminal Illness cover with Critical Illness cover.

Theres world of difference between Terminal Illness and Critical Illness cover so its important to understand the difference.

Terminal Illness cover pays out the insured lump sum if a Medical Doctor diagnoses you with an illness from which the Doctor expects you to die within 12 months. Most good life policies automatically include Terminal Illness cover at no extra cost. Its basically an early, and welcome policy payout.

A Critical Illness policy pays out the insured lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of a wide range chronic illness and there is no life expectancy criteria. Indeed, with many of the insured illnesses you could expect to survive for many years. For example: certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, loss of speech, sight or hearing, onset of Parkinsons or Alzheimers disease, third degree burns etc. Say you were an engineer aged 40 and you lost your sight. A Critical Illness policy would pay out immediately and that money could well be vital in helping you and your family through many difficult financial years ahead. If you just had Terminal Illness cover thered be no chance of a payout.

So as you can see, Critical Illness cover is far more comprehensive than simple Terminal Illness cover and for that reason critical illness cover always costs you extra.