Term Life Life Insurance is Cheap to Buy

cheap term life insurance

Term Life Life Insurance is Cheap to Buy

by Jeff Rose on March 2, 2013

T erm life insurance coverage is cheap these days. Make sure you don’t pay too much.

How much are you paying for term coverage? Term life insurance today is cheaper than it has been in about 20 years, as competition has driven premiums lower and lower.  With hundreds of insurance firms offering term policies, it might be time to look for affordable term life insurance quotes and rewrite yours

How cheap is term life insurance right now?

If you’re 40, it is possible to pay less than $1,000 a year – perhaps much less – for a term policy with typical death benefits of $250,000, $500,000 or $1 million. In fact, if you are a 50-year-old male living in California, $1 million of term coverage for 10 years can be had for as little as $780 annually.  Never before has term life insurance been so affordable .

How can you get the cheapest life insurance rates?

It helps if you a) weigh 200 lbs. or less, b) have no family history of heart disease or personal history of tobacco use, c) have blood pressure in the vicinity of 140/80 and cholesterol below 240, d) drive safely with the record to prove it, and e) avoid dangerous travel and dangerous activities.

Why have term life insurance premiums become so inexpensive?

You can chalk it up to a few powerful factors: death rates have declined markedly in recent decades, and men are starting to close the life expectancy gap on women. Plus, insurers are going all-out to get your business – advertising online, on the radio, on TV and seemingly everywhere else.

Besides low premiums, what else should you look for?

You want a guaranteed renewable policy, which will let you renew your term coverage at the end of the given term without having to undergo a medical exam. You also want fixed premiums for the life of the term, as opposed to a “teaser” premium that rises after a few years. You can buy a term policy lasting 10, 20, or 30 years the shorter the term, the cheaper the premiums and the cheaper your term policy costs.

Cheap premiums shouldn’t be the only factor in selecting term life coverage.

There’s also the health of the company to consider. Insurance companies do go out of business – it is rare, but it happens. Did you know insurance companies are rated? You can check companies out at insure.com (the online ratings are totally free) and at ambest.com.

How can you save money? Shop around locally and online. You may be pleasantly surprised what kind of a affordable term life insurance policy you can get today – for less.

This is a guest post from Jeff Rose. CFP and independent financial advisor from the blog Good Financial Cents.

cheap term life insurance