Where Do I Buy Life Insurance? 
There 's hundreds and hundreds of insurance companies out there . The best way to buy life insurance is through a life insurance broker . You can also buy life insurance online or through the mail , but a broker is going to be your best resource . The process of buying coverage can be very intensive , strenous , and time consuming . You ideally only want to go through the application and underwriting process once . Trying to apply to multiple companies to see what sticks actually works against you . There 's many factors that affect what a person will pay for their life insurance coverage including their age , gender , amount of coverage they want , how long they want the coverage for , their risk classification , and whether they 're applying with full underwriting or non-medical term coverage . Non-med policies may seem easier to deal with and have less hassle , but you 're usually paying a substantially higher amount than necessary if you had applied for a fully underwritten policy with an exam . The risk classification is the MOST critical factor in determining the cost -LRB- premium -RRB- of a life insurance policy - I ca n't stress this enough . The risk class depends on a number of factors including whether you 're male or female , your medical history , prescriptions you take , your height/weight profile , any tobacco usage , family medical history , and other factors . Please keep in mind - every carrier has different underwriting guidelines , and each may offer a different risk class for a given medical profile - e.g. company A may offer preferred -LRB- featuring lower rates -RRB- and company B may only offer standard -LRB- featuring higher rates -RRB- . If you 're looking for coverage to be in place for a longer amount of time -LRB- e.g. 20 years , 30 years , or permanent coverage -RRB- , you also want to consider the insurance company 's financial rating -LRB- typically at least an A rated company -RRB- . The financial rating indicates a company 's financial strength and stability . I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for further assistance and if you have any other questions . Thanks very much . 