Why Buy Whole Life Insurance? 
Whole life insurance is a great vehicle for planning for the future . The premiums and death benefit remain fixed and guaranteed for life while the policy can build cash value at a great rate - this structure is known as a non-participating whole life policy . The other type is called participating whole life policy . These policies can pay out dividends which can be used in several ways : 1 -RRB- Decrease the premium - the premium would eventually hit $ 0 at some point and the policy would , in essence , be self-sustaining meaning the dividend is equal to or greater than the premium for the program -LRB- if greater , the difference can be used to increase the cash value or increase the death benefit -RRB- 2 -RRB- Purchasing paid-up additions - these additions increase the face amount of the policy 3 -RRB- Increase the cash value at a faster rate The question of whether whole life insurance makes sense for you depends on the need for the coverage . If you want to use it in the form of a retirement vehicle , you would want to take out the policy when you 're young to give it time to grow . If you are buying purely for the death benefit , I recommend you look at purchasing a Guaranteed Universal Life policy -LRB- these policies maximize the death benefit and minimize the premium as they do n't focus on the build-up of cash value -RRB- . If you only need the coverage for a set amount of time -LRB- e.g. 20 years -RRB- , then you may want to look into term life insurance . While whole life has many advantages , it is also the most expensive form of life insurance . Consult with an independent insurance broker to find out which program is appropriate for you - brokers can also look at a variety of options from multiple carriers rather than just one . 