What Is Life Insurance?

Life insurance is a contract between an insurer and a policyholder in which the insurer guarantees payment of a death benefit to named beneficiaries when the insured dies. The insurance company promises a death benefit in exchange for premiums paid by the policyholder.

Key Features

• Life insurance is a legally binding contract.
• For the contract to be enforceable, the life insurance application must accurately disclose the insured’s past and current health conditions and high-risk activities.
• For a life insurance policy to remain in force, the policyholder must pay a single premium up front or pay regular premiums over time.
• When the insured dies, the policy’s named beneficiaries will receive the policy’s face value, or death benefit.
• Term life insurance policies expire after a certain number of years. Permanent life insurance policies remain active until the insured dies, stops paying premiums, or surrenders the policy.
• A life insurance policy is only as good as the financial strength of the company that issues it. State guaranty funds may pay claims if the issuer can’t.

Who Should Buy Life Insurance?

Life insurance provides financial support to surviving dependents or other beneficiaries after the death of an insured. Here are some examples of people who may need life insurance:

Key Features

• Parents with minor children – If a parent dies, the loss of his or her income or caregiving skills could create a financial hardship. Life insurance can make sure the kids will have the financial resources they need until they can support themselves.
• Parents with special-needs adult children – For children who require lifelong care and will never be self-sufficient, life insurance can make sure their needs will be met after their parents pass away. The death benefit can be used to fund a special needs trust that a fiduciary will manage for the adult child’s benefit.
• Adults who own property together – Married or not, if the death of one adult would mean that the other could no longer afford loan payments, upkeep, and taxes on the property, life insurance may be a good idea. An example would be an engaged couple who took out a joint mortgage to buy their first house
• Elderly parents who want to leave money to adult children who provide their care – Many adult children sacrifice by taking time off work to care for an elderly parent who needs help. This help may also include direct financial support. Life insurance can help reimburse the adult child’s costs when the parent passes away.
• Young adults whose parents incurred private student loan debt or cosigned a loan for them – Young adults without dependents rarely need life insurance, but if a parent will be on the hook for a child’s debt after his or her death, the child may want to carry enough life insurance to pay off that debt.
• Young adults who want to lock in low rates – The younger and healthier you are, the lower your insurance premiums. A 20-something adult might buy a policy even without having dependents if there is an expectation to have them in the future.
• Wealthy families who expect to owe estate taxes – Life insurance can provide funds to cover the taxes and keep the full value of the estate intact.
• Families who can’t afford afford burial and funeral expenses – A small life insurance policy can provide funds to honor a loved one’s passing.
• Businesses with key employees – If the death of a key employee, such as a CEO, would create a severe financial hardship for a firm, that firm may have an insurable interest that will allow it to purchase a life insurance policy on that employee.
• Married pensioners – Instead of choosing between a pension payout that offers a spousal benefit and one that doesn’t, pensioners can choose to accept their full pension and use some of the money to buy life insurance to benefit their spouse. This strategy is called pension maximization.