Life Insurance

Life Insurance is the insured amount which comes for help at an unknown time and benefits you loved one, your family. Life Insurance comes to your beneficiary's rescue when you are not around. Whether you die young or very, very old the insurance company will pay that death benefit income tax free to your beneficiary.

Who needs life insurance?

Anyone in dangerous jobs and those with large and/or young families, gain more from being insured than anyone else. Young, single folk with no obligations or dependants may not require as much cover, and therefore may decide to wait until they have a family or commitments such as a mortgage.

Types of life insurance

Life insurance may be divided into two basic classes:

1) Temporary
2) Permanent, which can be subdivided into term, universal, whole life and endowment life insurance.


Temporary Term Insurance ---> Temporary life insurance allows the beneficiary death benefits for a specific period or 'term', for a specified premium. The policy does not accumulate cash value. Term is generally considered "pure" insurance, where the premium buys protection in the event of death and nothing else.

Permanent Life Insurance ---> Permanent life insurance is life insurance that remains in force (in-line) until the policy matures (pays out), unless the owner fails to pay the premium when due (the policy expires OR policies lapse). The policy cannot be canceled by the insurer for any reason except fraud in the application, and that cancellation must occur within a period of time defined by law (usually two years).

Whole Life Insurance ---> A whole life insurance covers a policy holder for his entire life. There is no date of expiry like in a term life insurance and the death benefits will be received by the beneficiary mentioned in the policy only in the event of the death of the policy holder.

Universal life Insurance ---> Universal life insurance provides security for you and your family, with greater flexibility in premium payment and the potential for a higher internal rate of return.

Endowments ---> Endowments are policies in which the cash value built up inside the policy, equals the death benefit (face amount) at a certain age. The age this commences is known as the endowment age. Endowments are considerably more expensive (in terms of annual premiums) than either whole life or universal life because the premium paying period is shortened and the endowment date is earlier.

It’s been said that you buy insurance because you ‘owe’ somebody or you ‘love’ somebody.



There are really other reasons as well. In some cases, lots of cash buildup can later be used to supplement retirement needs and by borrowing your own money from your policy, you won’t incur income taxation as long as you keep the contract in force.