Not everyone needs life insurance. The first thing to do is make sure you need it. Life insurance is really meant for your family members or other dependents who rely on your earnings.
Why You Buy Life Insurance
You buy life insurance so that, if you die, your dependents can live the same kind of life they live now. Strictly speaking, then, life insurance is only a means of replacing your earnings in your absence. If you dont have dependents (say, because youre single) or you dont have earnings (say, because youre retired), you dont need life insurance. Note that children rarely need life insurance because they almost never have dependents and other people dont rely on their earnings.
Life Insurance Comes in Two Flavors
If you do need life insurance, you should know that it comes in two basic flavors: term insurance and cash-value insurance (also called whole life insurance). Ninety-nine times out of 100, what you want is term insurance.
Term Life is Simple to Buy and Understand
Term life insurance is simple, straightforward life insurance. You pay an annual premium, and if you die, a lump sum is paid to your...