Showing posts with label life insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life insurance. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Life Insurance – Classified and Defined

By: heenu

Life insurance is not a new term. It’s in the Indian market for the past so many years. Privatization promoted it more. So, today most of us can nod their heads when asked if they have heard the name life insurance; but their won’t be many who would be able to explain what life insurance actually means. Ask them, do they know what kind of insurance policies are found in the market. Let me give you a brief idea about it: 

The first kinds are known as variable life insurance policies. With adjustable premiums or level coverage, these are best for the people whose income varies. These are typically good for business people who are habitual of loss and profit. These are also suitable for long term obligations and those willing to assume higher risks for sudden and drastic reduction in benefits. 

The second kind are single premium or whole life insurance policies. These are level policies with fixed premiums, providing level coverage and subsequent returns. In this kind of policy cash value generally increases with the increase in profit margin of the insurance company. This kind of policy is generally good for those who can invest a large amount of money – say Rs 30,000 – 50,000/- minimum in one slot. 

The third kind are known as level term polices. These come with predecided fixed term or periods of insurance like 5, 10, 15, 20… years. In this the sum assured and benefits are generally paid on the death of the insurer. These kind of policies are generally used for funding buy – sell agreements and key man insurance. It is also taken by people involved in high risk jobs like aviation, skiing and army personnel. 

The fourth kind is known as decreasing term insurance policies. These are best suited for financial obligations which reduce with time such as mortgages. 

The fifth and the last category of life insurance are known as annual renewable term policies. In this the premium amount increases with the increasing term of the policy providing level coverage. These are good wherein the financial obligations remain limited or less for a short duration of time. Child policies are the best example in this category. 

Hopefully, this has given you a better understanding of what kind of insurance are generally sold in the market. By now you must have got a fair idea of insurance. This must help you in taking the decision for taking a policy. To have a better understanding of Life Insurance, log on to the various insurance websites, call on the insurance advisor and choose the one which suits you best. 

About the Author

Get generic information on life insurance plans, life insurance policy, life insurance company, term plans, life insurance providers and life insurance services

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Monday, March 2, 2009

Taxes On Life Insurance - They Could Bite You In The But If You're Not Careful

By: Ryan Richardson

Many people know what a truly valuable investment life insurance can be. Aside from the obvious fact that your family would receive a predetermined sum of money if you should pass away prematurely, there are also a number of tax benefits that can benefit a lot of people. However, there are some taxes on life insurance that you should know about to help maximize the amount your family gets if a death benefit is paid out. 

When death benefits are paid out from a life insurance policy they are usually free of any federal income taxes. But what some people are not aware of is that the proceeds of a life insurance policy may be subject to estate taxes. Estate taxes can be as high as 45% but there are some {legal ways to avoid|ways to legally avoid|legal ways to get around}}} paying this. 

If you own the life insurance policy it will be included in your estate and eligible for estate taxes. One way around this is to not be the owner of the policy yourself. Rather, you can have the people that you would name as beneficiaries take out a life insurance policy on you. If you were to pass away your family members would be able to cash in the life insurance policy and since it was never in your name it would not be part of your estate and therefore not subject to estate taxes. 

Another way to do this would be through the use of an irrevocable life insurance trust. An ILIT will ensure that any death benefits would be distributed to the right people but you would not have any ownership of the life insurance policy itself which would make those benefits subject to estate taxes. In this case the trust would have ownership of the policy and therefore any proceeds and those proceeds would not become part of your estate and therefore not taxable. 

The laws and regulations concerning estate taxes are constantly changing and it is highly recommended that you consult a financial planner or other competent professional regarding advice on tax matters and estate planning. Taking the time to properly plan for the inevitable could save your family a fortune.

About the Author

If you need to answer the questionHow Does Life Insurance Work?, or how can I find Cheap Term Life Insurance? You might want to check out some of my other articles.

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