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Insurance

Insurance

Life Insurance Buyer's Guide

Important Things to Consider

  1. Review your own insurance needs and circumstances. Choose the kind of policy that has benefits that most closely fit your needs. Ask one of our agents to help you.
  2. Be sure that you can handle premium payments. Can you afford the initial premium? If the premium increases later and you still need insurance, can you still afford it?
  3. Don't sign an insurance application until you review it carefully to be sure all the answers are complete and accurate.
  4. Don't buy life insurance unless you intend to stick with your plan. It may be very costly if you quit during the early years of the policy.
  5. Don't drop one policy and buy another without a thorough study of the new policy and the one you have now. Replacing your insurance may be costly.
  6. Read your policy carefully. Ask your agent or company about anything that is not clear to you.
  7. Review your life insurance program with your agent or company every few years to keep up with changes in your income and your needs.

 

What is the right kind of life insurance?

All policies are not the same. Some give coverage for your lifetime and others cover you for a specific numbers of years. Some build cash values and others do not. Some policies combine different kinds of insurance, and others let you change from one kind to another. Some policies may offer other benefits while you are still living. Your choice should be based on your needs and what you can afford.

There are two basic types of life insurance: term insurance and cash value insurance. Term insurance generally has lower premiums in the early years, but does not build up cash values that you can use in the future. You may combine cash value life insurance with term insurance for the period of your greatest need for life insurance to replace income.

Term Insurance covers you for a term of one or more years. It pays a death benefit only if you die in that term. Term insurance generally offers the largest insurance protection for your premium dollar. It generally does not build cash value.

You can renew most term insurance policies for one or more term even if your health has changed. Each time you renew the policy for a new term, premiums may be higher. Ask what the premiums will be if you continue to renew the policy. Also ask if you will lose the right to renew at some age. For a higher premium, some companies will give you the right to keep the policy in force for a guaranteed period at the same price each year. At the end of that time a physical examination may be required to continue coverage, and premiums may increase.

You may be able to trade many term insurance policies for a cash value policy during a conversion period - even if you are not in good health. Premiums for the new policy will be higher than what you have been paying for the term insurance.

Cash Value Life Insurance is a type of insurance where the premiums charged are higher at the beginning than they would be for the same amount of term insurance. The part of the premium that is not used for the cost of insurance is invested by the company and builds up cash value that may be used in a variety of ways.You may borrow against a policy's cash value by taking a policy loan. If you don't pay back the loan and the interest on it, the amount you owe will be subtracted from the benefits when you die, or from the cash value if you stop paying premiums and take out the remaining cash value. You can also use your cash value to keep insurance protection for a limited or to buy a reduce amount without having to pay more premiums. You also can use the cash value to increase your income in retirement or to help pay for needs such as a child's tuition without canceling the policy. However, to build cash value, you must pay higher premiums in the earlier years of the policy. Cash value life insurance may be one of several types; whole life, universal life and variable life are all types of cash value insurance.

If you would like more information about different insurance policies available and what fits your particular needs, please contact us and one of our agents will contact you soon. Thank You

Jack A. Hawes Funeral Home & Cremations
Phone: (910) 293-3535  
P.O. Box 747, Warsaw, NC 28398

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