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As a general rule, the insurance industry suggests that you carry life insurance in the amount of ten times your annual salary. Some factors to consider in calculating your insurance needs are, the age of your children the amount of your mortgage the amount of car payments the amount of debt owed by your family whether your spouse works whether you need to pay for education for your children the amount of other sources of income and insurance the amount of your dependents' financial needs the amount of life insurance you can afford You may want to speak with a reputable insurance agent to discuss which type of insurance works best for you. Generally, there are five types of insurance: term, whole, universal, variable, and universal variable. Term life insurance provides coverage for a specific amount of time, typically has the lowest premiums, but those premiums will increase as you get older and renew the policy. This policy may be a good choice if you are looking to provide limited protection until your children are grown and able to support themselves. Whole life insurance covers the insured for the entirety of their life so long as they pay the premiums. You may be able to borrow funds against the accumulated cash value of the policy but this type of insurance typically costs more than term life insurance. This insurance may be best for you if you want coverage for your entire life, you can afford more expensive premiums and you want the ability to withdraw cash value from the policy. Universal life is similar to whole life in that it has whole life coverage as well as a cash value. However, the investment is tied to current market rates, which may impact the amount of your premium payment. A universal policy may be best for you if you want full life coverage, a guaranteed death benefit and a guaranteed interest amount but also the ability to choose how often you pay your premiums and the amount of your premiums. Variable life insurance is also tied to investments such as stocks and money markets, which means your premiums as well as your death benefits could be positively or adversely impacted depending on the state of the investment. If you want the flexibility of a universal policy and a guaranteed death benefit but are open to having the cash value of your policy subject to market changes (i.e. the stock market does well so you have a higher cash value or the market does poorly and you have a lower or no cash value) then variable life insurance may be a good choice for you. Universal variable provides you the payment flexibility of a universal policy but does not provide a guaranteed amount for the death benefit. If you want to control where your premiums are invested and you are not adverse to risking the cash value and death benefit payout of your policy on the fluctuations of the stock market then this may be the right policy for you. After determining the type and amount of life insurance that best suits your needs, you should obtain several quotes to determine the lowest rates and the price range for your life insurance plan. You can search online for life insurance sales websites, you can use an insurance broker or salesperson, or you could purchase a policy directly from the insurance company. Whichever method you choose, you should compare the rates of different policies from a variety of reputable companies and insurance brokers.
Determine how much life insurance you need. Determine the type of insurance you need. Obtain quotes for life insurance.