Contents insurance

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Contents insurance is insurance that pays for damage to, or loss of, your personal possessions whilst they are located within your home. Some contents insurance policies also provide restricted cover for personal possessions temporarily taken away from the home by the policyholder.
In this context "possessions" means anything that is not permanently attached to the structure of the home. (Possessions that are permanently attached to the structure of the home can only be insured via home insurance.) Some contents policies may also include possessions kept in outbuildings or in the garden area attached to the house.
Contents insurance is usually sold alongside home insurance but it can also be purchased as a stand-alone policy, especially for those who are renting rather than owning their home.

Dental insurance

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The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Dental insurance is insurance designed to pay the costs associated with dental care. Dental insurance pays a portion of the bills from dentists, hospitals, and other providers of dental services. By doing so, dental insurance protects people from financial hardship caused by unexpected dental expenses.
The American Dental Association states that more than half of the population in the United States are not covered by any dental insurance plan. Those who do have dental coverage often get it through their employer as part of their health insurance plan. Depending upon the type of medical coverage you have, it may be a good idea to have a compatible program to eliminate any gaps or overlap within the two plans. That may save money while allowing you to take advantage of receiving necessary preventive care.
A conventional dental insurance plan may not necessarily be the most cost effective type of coverage. Discounted dental insurance has become quite popular, and there are plenty of companies competing for your business. Compare features of both categories to decide the best choice of dental insurance plan for your situation.
Not all dentists are pleased about participating in a dental insurance plan. It means more work for them (and especially more paperwork), and less pay. It's also important to have adequate coverage for your situation, so you can access the features you need and aren't paying for something you won't use. Also, insurance plans have restrictions, such as pre-existing conditions and annual maximum payments.
The most common types of dental insurance plans are either Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO). Both types are considered managed care, and each dental insurance plan has benefits and disadvantages.
Dentists participating in the PPO plans have negotiated their fees with the administering company, and provide their services under the plan, but this usually doesn't cover all fees. There are deductibles to consider and most of these types of dental insurance plan only pay a percentage of the charges, leaving the patient with a co-pay. There may also be a maximum amount they will pay annually.
If your employer is paying the monthly premiums for the dental insurance plan and the dentist you use is part of the PPO, this might be an attractive option. However, if you are responsible for payment, this might be more expensive and certainly less flexible than a discounted dental insurance plan.
A Dental Health Maintenance Organization is another dental insurance plan option, based on the model of medical HMOs. Here, too, the patient is enrolled in a program, and can visit any dentist in that program. However, dentists may end up having to provide services at 'below cost' rates, and not be able to spend as much time with each person as a PPO could offer. Working in an HMO setting, the dentist has many more people to see and is compelled to function in an environment where volume matters. Although a patient will be seen and treated, the relationship with the dentist isn't developed due to lack of time. If you want to be seen by a dentist who takes time with his or her patients, this may not be your optimum dental insurance plan.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_insurance"

Boiler insurance

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Boiler insurance is a type of property insurance that pays accidental losses to machinery and equipment. Although it is called boiler insurance it can actually cover just about any device that uses, transmits or generates mechanical or electrical power; of course certain exclusions apply.
Standard property insurance policies normally exclude coverage for losses caused by mechanical breakdown, artificially generated electrical current, and explosions of high pressure steam boilers. Boiler insurance provides a way to buy coverage for those types of losses.
Boiler insurance can cover:
specific objects - "A specific boiler identified by year and/or serial number"
blanket objects - "blanket all electric motors"
comprehensive - "all objects unless specifically excluded"
In the United States, companies providing boiler insurance will generally perform jurisdictionally required boiler inspections as a "free service" and require a passing inspection as a condition of coverage. Twenty percent of a Boiler and Machinery policy is dedicated to boiler inspection.
Boiler insurance may alternatively be referred to as "equipment breakdown insurance", "machinery and equipment insurance" or any other such name.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_insurance"

Political risk insurance

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Political risk insurance is a type of insurance that can be taken out by businesses, of any size, against political risk—the risk that revolution or other political conditions will result in a loss.
Political risk insurance is available for several different types of political risk, including (among others):
Political violence, such as revolution, insurrection, civil unrest, terrorism or war;
Governmental expropriation or confiscation of assets;
Governmental frustration or repudiation of contracts;
Wrongful calling of letters of credit or similar on-demand guarantees; and
Inconvertibility of foreign currency or the inability to repatriate funds.
As with any insurance, the precise scope of coverage is governed by the terms of the insurance policy.
The underwriting of political risk insurance is a dynamic, growing business. As globalisation increases, there are more corporations doing more business in more places around the world with each passing year. Some of the changes occurring in the business are high growth, new product offerings, and a greater role for private capital.[1][2]
While political risk insurance policies are sometimes manuscripted for specific situations, the major political risk insurers have standard forms for the coverages that they issue.

Travel insurance

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Travel insurance is insurance that is intended to cover financial, medical expenses and other losses incurred while traveling, either within one's own country, or internationally.
Travel insurance can usually be arranged at the time of booking of a trip to cover exactly the duration of that trip or a more extensive, continuous insurance can be purchased from (most often) travel agents, travel insurance companies or directly from travel suppliers such as cruiselines or tour operators.
Travel insurance often offers coverage for a variety of travelers. Student travel, business travel, leisure travel, adventure travel, cruise travel, and international travel are all various options that can be insured.
The most common risks that are covered by travel insurance are:
Cancellation
Curtailment
Delayed departure
Loss, theft or damage to personal possessions and money (including travel documents)
Delayed baggage (and emergency replacement of essential items)
Medical expenses
Emergency evacuation/repatriation
Overseas funeral expenses
Accidental death, injury or disablement benefit
Legal assistance
Personal liability and rental car damage excess
Some travel policies will also provide cover for additional costs, although these vary widely between providers.
And in addition, often separate insurance can be purchased for specific costs such as:
high risk sports (e.g. skiing, scuba-diving)
travel to high risk countries (e.g. due to war or natural disasters or acts of terrorism)
pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes)
Travel insurance can also provide helpful services, often 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that can include concierge services and emergency travel assistance.

Home insurance

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Home insurance, also commonly called hazard insurance or homeowners insurance (often abbreviated in the real estate industry as HOI), is the type of property insurance that covers private homes. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insurance protections, which can include losses occurring to one's home, its contents, loss of its use (additional living expenses), or loss of other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home.
The cost of homeowners insurance often depends on what it would cost to replace the house and which additional riders—additional items to be insured—are attached to the policy. The insurance policy itself is a lengthy contract, and names what will and what will not be paid in the case of various events. Typically, claims due to earthquakes, floods, "Acts of God", or war (whose definition typically includes a nuclear explosion from any source) are excluded. Special insurance can be purchased for these possibilities, including flood insurance and earthquake insurance.
The home insurance policy is usually a term contract—a contract that is in effect for a fixed period of time. The payment the insured makes to the insurer is called the premium. The insured must pay the insurer the premium each term. Most insurers charge a lower premium if it appears less likely the home will be damaged or destroyed: for example, if the house is situated next to a fire station, or if the house is equipped with fire sprinklers and fire alarms. Perpetual insurance, which is a type of home insurance without a fixed term, can also be obtained in certain areas.
In the United States, most home buyers borrow money in the form of a mortgage loan, and the mortgage lender always requires that the buyer purchase homeowners insurance as a condition of the loan, in order to protect the bank if the home were to be destroyed. Anyone with an insurable interest in the property should be listed on the policy. In some cases the mortagagee will waive the need for the mortgagor to carry homeowner's insurance if the value of the land exceeds the amount of the mortgage balance. In a case like this even the total destruction of any buildings would not affect the ability of the lender to be able to foreclose and recover the full amount of the loan. The insurance crisis in Florida has meant that some waterfront property owners in that state have had to make that decision due to the high cost of premiums. See Citizens insurance.

Earthquake insurance

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This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2007)Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
Earthquake insurance is a form of property insurance that pays the policyholder in the event of an earthquake that causes damage to the property. Most ordinary homeowners insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage.
Most earthquake insurance policies feature a high deductible, which makes this type of insurance useful if the entire home is destroyed, but not useful if the home is merely damaged. Rates depend on location and the probability of an earthquake. Rates may be cheaper for homes made of wood, which withstand earthquakes better than homes made of brick.
As with flood insurance or insurance on damage from a hurricane or other large-scale disasters, insurance companies must be careful when assigning this type of insurance, because an earthquake strong enough to destroy one home will probably destroy dozens of homes in the same area. If one company has written insurance policies on a large number of homes in a particular city, then a devastating earthquake will quickly drain all the company's resources. Insurance companies devote much study and effort toward risk management to avoid such cases.

California
Earthquake insurance has become a political issue in California, whose residents purchase more earthquake insurance than residents of any other state in the U.S. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, nearly all insurance companies completely stopped writing homeowners' insurance policies altogether in the state, because under California law (the "mandatory offer law"), companies offering homeowners' insurance must also offer earthquake insurance. Eventually the legislature created a "mini policy" that could be sold by any insurer to comply with the mandatory offer law: only structural damage need be covered, with a 15% deductible. Claims on personal property losses and "loss of use" are limited. The legislature also created a quasi-public (privately funded, publicly managed) agency called the CEA California Earthquake Authority. Membership in the CEA by insurers is voluntary and member companies satisfy the mandatory offer law by selling the CEA mini policy. Premiums are paid to the insurer, and then pooled in the CEA to cover claims from homeowners with a CEA policy from member insurers. The state of California specifically states that it does not back up CEA earthquake insurance, in the event that claims from a major earthquake were to drain all CEA funds, nor will it cover claims from non-CEA insurers if they were to become insolvent due to earthquake losses. [1]

Japan
The government of Japan created the "Japanese Earthquake Reinsurance" scheme in 1966, and the scheme has been revised several times since. Homeowners may buy earthquake insurance from an insurance company, usually as an optional rider to a fire insurance policy. Insurers enrolled in the JER scheme who have to pay earthquake claims to homeowners share the risk among themselves and also the government, through the JER. The government pays a much larger proportion of the claims if a single earthquake causes aggregate damage of over about 1 trillion yen (about US $8.75 billion). The maximum payout in a single year to all JER insurance claim filers is 4.5 trillion yen (about US $39.4 billion); if claims exceed this amount, then the claims are pro-rated among all claimants.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_insurance"

Pet insurance

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Pet Insurance pays the veterinary costs if one's pet is ill or is injured in an accident. Some policies also pay out if the pet dies, or is lost or stolen.
The purpose of pet insurance is to mitigate the risk of incurring significant expense to treat ill or injured pets. As veterinary medicine is increasingly employing expensive medical techniques and drugs, and owners have higher expectations for their pets' health care and standard of living than previously, the market for pet insurance has increased.
UK Policies usually pay 100% of vets fees. Policies in the USA usually offer to pay 80-90% of the costs minus a deductible depending on the company and the specific policy. The owner will usually pay the amount due to the Vet, and then send in the claim form and receive reimbursement, which some companies and policies limit according to their own schedule of necessary and usual charges. In the event of a very high bill, some veterinarians will allow the owner to put off payment until the insurance claim is processed. Some insurers pay veterinarians directly on behalf of customers.
Traditionally, most pet insurance plans did not pay for preventative care (such as vaccinations) or elective procedures (such as neutering), or such coverage for such coverage. Recently however, some companies in the UK and US are offering routine care coverage.
In addition, companies often limit coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, thus giving owners an incentive to insure even very young animals who are not expected to incur high veterinary costs while they are still healthy.
Some insurers offer options not directly related to pet health, including covering boarding costs for animals whose owners are hospitalized, or costs (such as rewards or posters) associated with retrieving lost animals. Some policies also include travel cancellation coverage if owners must remain with pets who need urgent treatment or are dying.
Some UK policies for dogs also include third party liability insurance. Thus, for example, if a dog causes a car accident that damages a vehicle, the insurer will pay to rectify the damage for which the owner is responsible under the Animals Act 1971.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_insurance"

Social insurance

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The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Social security primarily refers to social welfare service concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Although some publications use the terms "social security" and "social protection" interchangeably, social security is used both more narrowly (to refer only to schemes with the formal title of 'social security') and more widely (referring to many kinds of social welfare scheme). Social security may refer to
social insurance, where people receive benefits or services in recognition of contributions to an insurance scheme. These services typically include provision for retirement pensions, disability insurance, survivor benefits and unemployment insurance.
income maintenance—mainly the distribution of cash in the event of interruption of employment, including retirement, disability and unemployment
services provided by administrations responsible for social security. In different countries this may include medical care, aspects of social work and even industrial relations.
More rarely, the term is also used to refer to basic security, a term roughly equivalent to access to basic necessities—things such as food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care.

History of insurance

In some sense we can say that insurance appears simultaneously with the appearance of human society. We know of two types of economies in human societies: money economies (with markets, money, financial instruments and so on) and non-money or natural economies (without money, markets, financial instruments and so on). The second type is a more ancient form than the first. In such an economy and community, we can see insurance in the form of people helping each other. For example, if a house burns down, the members of the community help build a new one. Should the same thing happen to one's neighbour, the other neighbours must help. Otherwise, neighbours will not receive help in the future. This type of insurance has survived to the present day in some countries where modern money economy with its financial instruments is not widespread (for example countries in the territory of the former Soviet Union).
Turning to insurance in the modern sense (i.e., insurance in a modern money economy, in which insurance is part of the financial sphere), early methods of transferring or distributing risk were practiced by Chinese and Babylonian traders as long ago as the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, respectively. Chinese merchants travelling treacherous river rapids would redistribute their wares across many vessels to limit the loss due to any single vessel's capsizing. The Babylonians developed a system which was recorded in the famous Code of Hammurabi, c. 1750 BC, and practiced by early Mediterranean sailing merchants. If a merchant received a loan to fund his shipment, he would pay the lender an additional sum in exchange for the lender's guarantee to cancel the loan should the shipment be stolen.
Achaemenian monarchs were the first to insure their people and made it official by registering the insuring process in governmental notary offices. The insurance tradition was performed each year in Norouz (beginning of the Iranian New Year); the heads of different ethnic groups as well as others willing to take part, presented gifts to the monarch. The most important gift was presented during a special ceremony. When a gift was worth more than 10,000 Derrik (Achaemenian gold coin) the issue was registered in a special office. This was advantageous to those who presented such special gifts. For others, the presents were fairly assessed by the confidants of the court. Then the assessment was registered in special offices.
The purpose of registering was that whenever the person who presented the gift registered by the court was in trouble, the monarch and the court would help him. Jahez, a historian and writer, writes in one of his books on ancient Iran: "[W]henever the owner of the present is in trouble or wants to construct a building, set up a feast, have his children married, etc. the one in charge of this in the court would check the registration. If the registered amount exceeded 10,000 Derrik, he or she would receive an amount of twice as much."[1]
A thousand years later, the inhabitants of Rhodes invented the concept of the 'general average'. Merchants whose goods were being shipped together would pay a proportionally divided premium which would be used to reimburse any merchant whose goods were jettisoned during storm or sinkage.
The Greeks and Romans introduced the origins of health and life insurance c. 600 AD when they organized guilds called "benevolent societies" which cared for the families and paid funeral expenses of members upon death. Guilds in the Middle Ages served a similar purpose. The Talmud deals with several aspects of insuring goods. Before insurance was established in the late 17th century, "friendly societies" existed in England, in which people donated amounts of money to a general sum that could be used for emergencies.
Separate insurance contracts (i.e., insurance policies not bundled with loans or other kinds of contracts) were invented in Genoa in the 14th century, as were insurance pools backed by pledges of landed estates. These new insurance contracts allowed insurance to be separated from investment, a separation of roles that first proved useful in marine insurance. Insurance became far more sophisticated in post-Renaissance Europe, and specialized varieties developed.
Toward the end of the seventeenth century, London's growing importance as a centre for trade increased demand for marine insurance. In the late 1680s, Mr. Edward Lloyd opened a coffee house that became a popular haunt of ship owners, merchants, and ships’ captains, and thereby a reliable source of the latest shipping news. It became the meeting place for parties wishing to insure cargoes and ships, and those willing to underwrite such ventures. Today, Lloyd's of London remains the leading market (note that it is not an insurance company) for marine and other specialist types of insurance, but it works rather differently than the more familiar kinds of insurance.
Insurance as we know it today can be traced to the Great Fire of London, which in 1666 devoured 13,200 houses. In the aftermath of this disaster, Nicholas Barbon opened an office to insure buildings. In 1680, he established England's first fire insurance company, "The Fire Office," to insure brick and frame homes.
The first insurance company in the United States underwrote fire insurance and was formed in Charles Town (modern-day Charleston), South Carolina, in 1732.
Benjamin Franklin helped to popularize and make standard the practice of insurance, particularly against fire in the form of perpetual insurance. In 1752, he founded the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. Franklin's company was the first to make contributions toward fire prevention. Not only did his company warn against certain fire hazards, it refused to insure certain buildings where the risk of fire was too great, such as all wooden houses.
In the United States, regulation of the insurance industry is highly Balkanized, with primary responsibility assumed by individual state insurance departments. Whereas insurance markets have become centralized nationally and internationally, state insurance commissioners operate individually, though at times in concert through a national insurance commissioners' organization. In recent years, some have called for a dual state and federal regulatory system for insurance similar to that which oversees state banks and national banks.
In the state of New York, which has unique laws in keeping with its stature as a global business centre, former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer was in a unique position to grapple with major national insurance brokerages. Spitzer alleged that Marsh & McLennan steered business to insurance carriers based on the amount of contingent commissions that could be extracted from carriers, rather than basing decisions on whether carriers had the best deals for clients. Several of the largest commercial insurance brokerages have since stopped accepting contingent commissions and have adopted new business models.

Types of insurance companies

Insurance companies may be classified as
Life insurance companies, which sell life insurance, annuities and pensions products.
Non-life or general insurance companies, which sell other types of insurance.
General insurance companies can be further divided into these sub categories.
Standard Lines
Excess Lines
In most countries, life and non-life insurers are subject to different regulatory regimes and different tax and accounting rules. The main reason for the distinction between the two types of company is that life, annuity, and pension business is very long-term in nature — coverage for life assurance or a pension can cover risks over many decades. By contrast, non-life insurance cover usually covers a shorter period, such as one year.
In the United States, standard line insurance companies are your "main stream" insurers. These are the companies that typically insure your auto, home or business. They use pattern or "cookie-cutter" policies without variation from one person to the next. They usually have lower premiums than excess lines and can sell directly to individuals. They are regulated by state laws that can restrict the amount they can charge for insurance policies.
Excess line insurance companies (aka Excess and Surplus) typically insure risks not covered by the standard lines market. They are broadly referred as being all insurance placed with non-admitted insurers. Non-admitted insurers are not licensed in the states where the risks are located. These companies have more flexibility and can react faster than standard insurance companies because they don't have the same regulations as standard insurance companies. State laws generally require insurance placed with surplus line agents and brokers to not be available through standard licensed insurers.
Insurance companies are generally classified as either mutual or stock companies. This is more of a traditional distinction as true mutual companies are becoming rare. Mutual companies are owned by the policyholders, while stockholders (who may or may not own policies) own stock insurance companies. Other possible forms for an insurance company include reciprocals, in which policyholders 'reciprocate' in sharing risks, and Lloyds organizations.
Insurance companies are rated by various agencies such as A. M. Best. The ratings include the company's financial strength, which measures its ability to pay claims. It also rates financial instruments issued by the insurance company, such as bonds, notes, and securitization products.
Reinsurance companies are insurance companies that sell policies to other insurance companies, allowing them to reduce their risks and protect themselves from very large losses. The reinsurance market is dominated by a few very large companies, with huge reserves. A reinsurer may also be a direct writer of insurance risks as well.
Captive insurance companies may be defined as limited-purpose insurance companies established with the specific objective of financing risks emanating from their parent group or groups. This definition can sometimes be extended to include some of the risks of the parent company's customers. In short, it is an in-house self-insurance vehicle. Captives may take the form of a "pure" entity (which is a 100 percent subsidiary of the self-insured parent company); of a "mutual" captive (which insures the collective risks of members of an industry); and of an "association" captive (which self-insures individual risks of the members of a professional, commercial or industrial association). Captives represent commercial, economic and tax advantages to their sponsors because of the reductions in costs they help create and for the ease of insurance risk management and the flexibility for cash flows they generate. Additionally, they may provide coverage of risks which is neither available nor offered in the traditional insurance market at reasonable prices.
The types of risk that a captive can underwrite for their parents include property damage, public and products liability, professional indemnity, employee benefits, employers liability, motor and medical aid expenses. The captive's exposure to such risks may be limited by the use of reinsurance.
Captives are becoming an increasingly important component of the risk management and risk financing strategy of their parent. This can be understood against the following background:
heavy and increasing premium costs in almost every line of coverage;
difficulties in insuring certain types of fortuitous risk;
differential coverage standards in various parts of the world;
rating structures which reflect market trends rather than individual loss experience;
insufficient credit for deductibles and/or loss control efforts.
There are also companies known as 'insurance consultants'. Like a mortgage broker, these companies are paid a fee by the customer to shop around for the best insurance policy amongst many companies .
Similar to an insurance consultant, an 'insurance broker' also shops around for the best insurance policy amongst many companies. However, with insurance brokers, the fee is usually paid in the form of commission from the insurer that is selected rather than directly from the client.
Neither insurance consultants nor insurance brokers are insurance companies and no risks are transferred to them in insurance transactions.
Third party administrators are companies that perform underwriting and sometimes claims handling services for insurance companies. These companies often have special expertise that the insurance companies do not have.

Insurance law

Insurance law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Insurance law is the name given to practices of law surrounding insurance, including insurance policies and claims.
Regulation of insurance agencies
The origins of insurance policies in general differs through various countries, limited policies (particularly against damage to homes) can be traced to the 17th and 18th centuries, though establishment of newer policies (such as health insurance and car insurance) did not come until the 20th century. However, regulation on the insurance industry via law began in the 1940s in the United States, through several supreme court rulings. The first ruling on insurance had taken place in 1868 (in the Paul v. Virginia ruling[1]), with the supreme court ruling that insurance policy contracts were not in themselves commercial contracts. This stance did not change until 1944 (in the United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Association ruling [2]), when the Supreme court upheld a ruling stating that policies were commercial, and thus were regulatable as other similar contracts were.
Nowadays, many countries - and states in the United States - regulate insurance companies through laws, guidelines and independent commissions and regulatory bodies. These laws and statutes ensure that the policy holder is protected against bad faith claims on the insurers part, that premiums are not unduly high (or fixed), and that contracts and policies issued meet a minimum standard.
A bad faith action may constitute several possibilities; the insurer denies a claim which is seemingly valid in the contract or policy, the insurer refuses to pay out for an unreasonable amount of time, the insurer lays the burden of proof on the insured - often in the case where the claim is unprovable. Other issues of insurance law may arise when price fixing occurs between insurers, creating an unfair competitive environment for consumers. A notable example of this is where Zurich Financial Services [3] - along with several other insurers - inflated policy prices in an anti-competitive fashion. If an insurer is found to be guilty of fraud or deception, they can be fined either by regulatory bodies, or in a lawsuit by the insured or surrounding party. In more severe cases, or if the party has had a series of complaints or rulings, the insurers license may be revoked or suspended

Types of life insurance

Life insurance may be divided into two basic classes – temporary and permanent or following subclasses - term, universal, whole life, variable, variable universal and endowment life insurance.
Temporary (Term)
Term life insurance (term assurance in British English) provides for life insurance coverage for a specified term of years for a specified premium. The policy does not accumulate cash value. Term is generally considered "pure" insurance, where the premium buys protection in the event of death and nothing else. (See Theory of Decreasing Responsibility and buy term and invest the difference.) Term insurance premiums are typically low because both the insurer and the policy owner agree that the death of the insured is unlikely during the term of coverage.
The three key factors to be considered in term insurance are: face amount (protection or death benefit), premium to be paid (cost to the insured), and length of coverage (term).
Various (U.S.) insurance companies sell term insurance with many different combinations of these three parameters. The face amount can remain constant or decline. The term can be for one or more years. The premium can remain level or increase. A common type of term is called annual renewable term. It is a one year policy but the insurance company guarantees it will issue a policy of equal or lesser amount without regard to the insurability of the insured and with a premium set for the insured's age at that time. Another common type of term insurance is mortgage insurance, which is usually a level premium, declining face value policy. The face amount is intended to equal the amount of the mortgage on the policy owner’s residence so the mortgage will be paid if the insured dies.
A policy holder insures his life for a specified term. If he dies before that specified term is up, his estate or named beneficiary(ies) receive(s) a payout. If he does not die before the term is up, he receives nothing. In the past these policies would almost always exclude suicide. However, after a number of court judgments against the industry, payouts do occur on death by suicide (presumably except for in the unlikely case that it can be shown that the suicide was just to benefit from the policy). Generally, if an insured person commits suicide within the first two policy years, the insurer will return the premiums paid. However, a death benefit will usually be paid if the suicide occurs after the two year period.
Permanent
Permanent life insurance is life insurance that remains in force until the policy matures (pays out), unless the owner fails to pay the premium when due (the policy expires). The policy cannot be canceled by the insurer for any reason except fraud in the application, and that cancellation must occur within a period of time defined by law (usually two years). Permanent insurance builds a cash value that reduces the amount at risk to the insurance company and thus the insurance expense over time. This means that a policy with a million dollars face value can be relatively inexpensive to a 70 year old because the actual amount of insurance purchased is much less than one million dollars. The owner can access the money in the cash value by withdrawing money, borrowing the cash value, or surrendering the policy and receiving the surrender value.
The three basic types of permanent insurance are whole life, universal life, and endowment.
Whole life coverage
Whole life insurance provides for a level premium, and a cash value table included in the policy guaranteed by the company. The primary advantages of whole life are guaranteed death benefits, guaranteed cash values, fixed and known annual premiums, and mortality and expense charges will not reduce the cash value shown in the policy. The primary disadvantages of whole life are premium inflexibility, and the internal rate of return in the policy may not be competitive with other savings alternatives. Riders are available that can allow one to increase the death benefit by paying additional premium. The death benefit can also be increased through the use of policy dividends. Dividends cannot be guaranteed and may be higher or lower than historical rates over time. Premiums are much higher than term insurance in the short-term, but cumulative premiums are roughly equal if policies are kept in force until average life expectancy.
Cash value can be accessed at any time through policy "loans". Since these loans decrease the death benefit if not paid back, payback is optional. Cash values are not paid to the beneficiary upon the death of the insured; the beneficiary receives the death benefit only. In many policies, however, the cash value has been automatically used to purchase additional death benefit, meaning that the beneficiary is likely to receive more than base death benefit plus cash value.
Universal life coverage
Universal life insurance (UL) is a relatively new insurance product intended to provide permanent insurance coverage with greater flexibility in premium payment and the potential for a higher internal rate of return. A universal life policy includes a cash account. Premiums increase the cash account. Interest is paid within the policy (credited) on the account at a rate specified by the company. This rate has a guaranteed minimum but usually is higher than that minimum. Mortality charges and administrative costs are charged against (reduce) the cash account. The surrender value of the policy is the amount remaining in the cash account less applicable surrender charges, if any.
With all life insurance, there are basically two functions that make it work. There's a mortality function and a cash function. The mortality function would be the classical notion of pooling risk where the premiums paid by everybody else would cover the death benefit for the one or two who will die for a given period of time. The cash function inherent in all life insurance says that if a person is to reach age 95 to 100 (the age varies depending on state and company), then the policy matures and endows the face value of the policy.
Actuarially, it is reasoned that out of a group of 1000 people, if even 10 of them live to age 95, then the mortality function alone will not be able to cover the cash function. So in order to cover the cash function, a minimum rate of investment return on the premiums will be required in the event that a policy matures.
Universal life policies guarantee, to some extent, the death proceeds, but not the cash function - thus the flexible premiums and interest returns. If interest rates are high, then the dividends help reduce premiums. If interest rates are low, then the customer would have to pay additional premiums in order to keep the policy in force. When interest rates are above the minimum required, then the customer has the flexibility to pay less as investment returns cover the remainder to keep the policy in force.
The universal life policy addresses the perceived disadvantages of whole life. Premiums are flexible. The internal rate of return is usually higher because it moves with the financial markets. Mortality costs and administrative charges are known. And cash value may be considered more easily attainable because the owner can discontinue premiums if the cash value allows it. And universal life has a more flexible death benefit because the owner can select one of two death benefit options, Option A and Option B.
Option A pays the face amount at death as it's designed to have the cash value equal the death benefit at age 95. Option B pays the face amount plus the cash value, as it's designed to increase the net death benefit as cash values accumulate. Option B does carry with it a caveat. This caveat is that in order for the policy to keep its tax favored life insurance status, it must stay within a corridor specified by state and federal laws that prevent abuses such as attaching a million dollars in cash value to a two dollar insurance policy. The interesting part about this corridor is that for those people who can make it to age 95-100, this corridor requirement goes away and your cash value can equal exactly the face amount of insurance. If this corridor is ever violated, then the universal life policy will be treated as, and in effect turn into, a Modified Endowment Contract (or more commonly referred to as a MEC).
But universal life has its own disadvantages which stem primarily from this flexibility. The policy lacks the fundamental guarantee that the policy will be in force unless sufficient premiums have been paid and cash values are not guaranteed.
Universal life policies are sometimes erroneously referred to as self-sustaining policies. In the 1980s, when interest rates were high, the cash value accumulated at a more accelerated rate, and universal life coverage was often sold by agents as a policy that could be self-paying. Many policies did sustain themselves for a prolonged period, but the combination of lower interest rates and an increasing cost of insurance as the insured ages meant that for many policies, the cash option was diminished or depleted.
Variable universal life Insurance (VUL) is not the same as universal life, even though they both have cash values attached to them. These differences are in how the cash accounts are managed; thus having a great effect on how they are treated for taxation. The cash account within a VUL is held in the insurer's "separate account" (generally in mutual funds, managed by a fund manager).
Limited-pay
Another type of permanent insurance is Limited-pay life insurance, in which all the premiums are paid over a specified period after which no additional premiums are due to keep the policy in force. Common limited pay periods include 10-year, 20-year, and paid-up at age 65.
Endowments
Endowments are policies in which the cash value built up inside the policy, equals the death benefit (face amount) at a certain age. The age this commences is known as the endowment age. Endowments are considerably more expensive (in terms of annual premiums) than either whole life or universal life because the premium paying period is shortened and the endowment date is earlier.
In the United States, the Technical Corrections Act of 1988 tightened the rules on tax shelters (creating modified endowments). These follow tax rules as annuities and IRAs do.
Endowment Insurance is paid out whether the insured lives or dies, after a specific period (e.g. 15 years) or a specific age (e.g. 65).
Accidental death
Accidental death is a limited life insurance that is designed to cover the insured when they pass away due to an accident. Accidents include anything from an injury, but do not typically cover any deaths resulting from health problems or suicide. Because they only cover accidents, these policies are much less expensive than other life insurances.
It is also very commonly offered as "accidental death and dismemberment insurance", also known as an AD&D policy. In an AD&D policy, benefits are available not only for accidental death, but also for loss of limbs or bodily functions such as sight and hearing, etc.
Accidental death and AD&D policies very rarely pay a benefit; either the cause of death is not covered, or the coverage is not maintained after the accident until death occurs. To be aware of what coverage they have, an insured should always review their policy for what it covers and what it excludes. Often, it does not cover an insured who puts themselves at risk in activities such as: parachuting, flying an airplane, professional sports, or involvement in a war (military or not). Also, some insurers will exclude death and injury caused by proximate causes due to (but not limited to) racing on wheels and mountaineering.
Accidental death benefits can also be added to a standard life insurance policy as a rider. If this rider is purchased, the policy will generally pay double the face amount if the insured dies due to an accident. This used to be commonly referred to as a double indemnity coverage. In some cases, some companies may even offer a triple indemnity cover.

Common health insurance terms

· Annual Limit - A benefit may be limited to a certain dollar or utilization limit (example: chiropractic care may be limited to 20 visits per calendar year).
· Alternative Funding Arrangement - A hybrid funding arrangement that features benefits of both self funding and fully insured arrangements (ASO, Minimum Premium, et. al.).
· Birthday rule - many insurance companies have adopted this rule to determine which parent is primary payer when both parents cover the same dependents. Who ever has the earlier date of birth, excluding the year, is designated primary insurance carrier. Exceptions to this rule usually arise when there is a court order for one of the parents to be the primary carrier.
· Co-insurance - Generally expressed as the percentage that you pay of any covered medical services after you have paid the deductible and co-pay.
· Co-insurance limit - The dollar amount you have to pay with Co-insurance before the insurance company begins paying your bills at 100% for the remainder of the plan year.
· Co-ordination of benefits (COB) - How your plan pays when it is coordinating with another plan. There are three principle methods in US health plans.
· Co-pay - A fixed fee you pay for services rendered. Most plans cover 100% after the co-pay for services rendered, however this can be adjusted to any amount depending on how the plan is set up.
· Deductible - The fixed amount you have to pay before your insurance starts to pay.
· Deductible carry-forward - Amounts for benefits incurred in the previous year may be subject to the prior year's deductibles.
· Employee Assistance Plan - a health-related benefit for non-medical, work-place issues or employees that commonly develop into medical issues such as marital counseling, absenteeism, suicidal ideation, etc.
· Experimental/Investigational - Most insurance companies will deny coverage for any procedures or tests which have not been medically verified by clinical trials conducted by recognized bodies of physicians or scientists. Many medical providers use tests which they believe in but have not been clinically validated.
· Fully Insured - The insurance company collects the premiums and pays claims from its own money.
· Incurred But Not Paid (IBNP) - under insurance based accrual accounting, a liability for claims that have not been paid, but may or may not be received. Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) plus Reported But Not Paid (RBNP) equals IBNP. IBNP is a significant balance sheet item for insurers.
· In-Network/Participating/Par Providers - Medical providers who have an established relationship with an insurance company
· Life time maximum - The total your policy will pay out over the life of the contract. Many plans have a yearly restoration amount which will replenish the total so that after the policy money is exhausted there will still be some money in the following plan year for new claims. Life time maximums are easily avoided by switching policies or re-enrolling.
· Self-Insured - Many major U.S. and world corporations hire insurance companies and Third Party Administrators as claims and eligibility administrators to manage a health plan or trust. Many state laws do not apply to these plans due to ERISA exemption.
· Reciprocity - Most insurance plans deal with networks of doctors. If for example you have an HMO plan that allows you to see any HMO provider anywhere in the country, it is called Full Reciprocity, but if it only allows you access to local area networks of providers it is called Limited Reciprocity and if you can only go to select networks that your company has purchased access to, it is called No Reciprocity.
· No-fault - This is generally for automobile insurances, however if your auto policy is no-fault and you are injured, the medical insurance will become a secondary payer and will not be able to process claims until explanation of benefits are received from the auto insurance carrier.
· Out-of-Network/Non Participating/Non-Par Providers - Medical providers without an established relationship with an insurance company.
· Out Of Pocket Maximum - The total dollar amount paid out by a subscriber (deductible plus coinsurance).
· Subscriber - The primary member on the insurance policy. Also, "enrollee", "contractee".
· Reserve - refers to the amount that must be set aside for statutorily required funds for dissolution (terminal liability).

Types of insurance

Any risk that can be quantified can potentially be insured. Specific kinds of risk that may give rise to claims are known as "perils". An insurance policy will set out in detail which perils are covered by the policy and which are not.
Below is a (non-exhaustive) list of the many different types of insurance that exist. A single policy may cover risks in one or more of the categories set forth below. For example, auto insurance would typically cover both property risk (covering the risk of theft or damage to the car) and liability risk (covering legal claims from causing an accident). A homeowner's insurance policy in the U.S. typically includes property insurance covering damage to the home and the owner's belongings, liability insurance covering certain legal claims against the owner, and even a small amount of health insurance for medical expenses of guests who are injured on the owner's property.
· Automobile insurance, known in the UK as motor insurance, is probably the most common form of insurance and may cover both legal liability claims against the driver and loss of or damage to the insured's vehicle itself. Throughout most of the United States an auto insurance policy is required to legally operate a motor vehicle on public roads. In some jurisdictions, bodily injury compensation for automobile accident victims has been changed to a no-fault system, which reduces or eliminates the ability to sue for compensation but provides automatic eligibility for benefits. Credit card companies insure against damage on rented cars.
· Aviation insurance insures against hull, spares, deductible, hull war and liability risks.
· Boiler insurance (also known as boiler and machinery insurance or equipment breakdown insurance) insures against accidental physical damage to equipment or machinery.
· Builder's risk insurance insures against the risk of physical loss or damage to property during construction. Builder's risk insurance is typically written on an "all risk" basis covering damage due to any cause (including the negligence of the insured) not otherwise expressly excluded.
· Business insurance can be any kind of insurance that protects businesses against risks. Some principal subtypes of business insurance are (a) the various kinds of professional liability insurance, also called professional indemnity insurance, which are discussed below under that name; and (b) the business owners policy (BOP), which bundles into one policy many of the kinds of coverage that a business owner needs, in a way analogous to how homeowners insurance bundles the coverages that a homeowner needs.
· Casualty insurance insures against accidents, not necessarily tied to any specific property.
· Credit insurance repays some or all of a loan back when certain things happen to the borrower such as unemployment, disability, or death. Mortgage insurance (which see below) is a form of credit insurance, although the name credit insurance more often is used to refer to policies that cover other kinds of debt.
· Crime insurance insures the policyholder against losses arising from the criminal acts of third parties. For example, a company can obtain crime insurance to cover losses arising from theft or embezzlement.
· Crop insurance "Farmers use crop insurance to reduce or manage various risks associated with growing crops. Such risks include crop loss or damage caused by weather, hail, drought, frost damage, insects, or disease, for instance."
· Defense Base Act Workers' compensation or DBA Insurance insurance provides coverage for civilian workers hired by the government to perform contracts outside the US and Canada. DBA is required for all US citizens, US residents, US Green Card holders, and all employees or subcontractors hired on overseas government contracts. Depending on the country, Foreign Nationals must also be covered under DBA. This coverage typically includes expenses related to medical treatment and loss of wages, as well as disability and death benefits.
· Directors and officers liability insurance protects an organization (usually a corporation) from costs associated with litigation resulting from mistakes incurred by directors and officers for which they are liable. In the industry, it is usually called "D&O" for short.
· Disability insurance policies provide financial support in the event the policyholder is unable to work because of disabling illness or injury. It provides monthly support to help pay such obligations as mortgages and credit cards.
· Total permanent disability insurance insurance provides benefits when a person is permanently disabled and can no longer work in their profession, often taken as an adjunct to life insurance.
· Errors and omissions insurance: See "Professional liability insurance" under "Liability insurance".
· Expatriate insurance provides individuals and organizations operating outside of their home country with protection for automobiles, property, health, liability and business pursuits.
· Financial loss insurance protects individuals and companies against various financial risks. For example, a business might purchase cover to protect it from loss of sales if a fire in a factory prevented it from carrying out its business for a time. Insurance might also cover the failure of a creditor to pay money it owes to the insured. This type of insurance is frequently referred to as "business interruption insurance." Fidelity bonds and surety bonds are included in this category, although these products provide a benefit to a third party (the "obligee") in the event the insured party (usually referred to as the "obligor") fails to perform its obligations under a contract with the obligee.
· Fire insurance: See "Property insurance".
· Hazard insurance: See "Property insurance".
· Health insurance policies will often cover the cost of private medical treatments if the National Health Service in the UK (NHS) or other publicly-funded health programs do not pay for them. It will often result in quicker health care where better facilities are available.
· Kidnap and ransom insurance
· Home insurance or homeowners insurance: See "Property insurance".
· Liability insurance is a very broad superset that covers legal claims against the insured. Many types of insurance include an aspect of liability coverage. For example, a homeowner's insurance policy will normally include liability coverage which protects the insured in the event of a claim brought by someone who slips and falls on the property; automobile insurance also includes an aspect of liability insurance that indemnifies against the harm that a crashing car can cause to others' lives, health, or property. The protection offered by a liability insurance policy is twofold: a legal defense in the event of a lawsuit commenced against the policyholder and indemnification (payment on behalf of the insured) with respect to a settlement or court verdict. Liability policies typically cover only the negligence of the insured, and will not apply to results of willful or intentional acts by the insured.
· Environmental liability insurance protects the insured from bodily injury, property
· amage and cleanup costs as a result of the dispersal, release or escape of pollutants.
· Professional liability insurance, also called professional indemnity insurance, protects professional practitioners such as architects, lawyers, doctors, and accountants against potential negligence claims made by their patients/clients. Professional liability insurance may take on different names depending on the profession. For example, professional liability insurance in reference to the medical profession may be called malpractice insurance. Notaries public may take out errors and omissions insurance (E&O). Other potential E&O policyholders include, for example, real estate brokers, home inspectors, appraisers, and website developers.
· Life insurance provides a monetary benefit to a decedent's family or other designated beneficiary, and may specifically provide for income to an insured person's family, burial, funeral and other final expenses. Life insurance policies often allow the option of having the proceeds paid to the beneficiary either in a lump sum cash payment or an annuity.
· Annuities provide a stream of payments and are generally classified as insurance because they are issued by insurance companies and regulated as insurance and require the same kinds of actuarial and investment management expertise that life insurance requires. Annuities and pensions that pay a benefit for life are sometimes regarded as insurance against the possibility that a retiree will outlive his or her financial resources. In that sense, they are the complement of life insurance and, from an underwriting perspective, are the mirror image of life insurance.
· Locked funds insurance is a little-known hybrid insurance policy jointly issued by governments and banks. It is used to protect public funds from tamper by unauthorized parties. In special cases, a government may authorize its use in protecting semi-private funds which are liable to tamper. The terms of this type of insurance are usually very strict. Therefore it is used only in extreme cases where maximum security of funds is required.
· Marine insurance and marine cargo insurance cover the loss or damage of ships at sea or on inland waterways, and of the cargo that may be on them. When the owner of the cargo and the carrier are separate corporations, marine cargo insurance typically compensates the owner of cargo for losses sustained from fire, shipwreck, etc., but excludes losses that can be recovered from the carrier or the carrier's insurance. Many marine insurance underwriters will include "time element" coverage in such policies, which extends the indemnity to cover loss of profit and other business expenses attributable to the delay caused by a covered loss.
· Mortgage insurance insures the lender against default by the borrower.
· National Insurance is the UK's version of social insurance (which see below).
· No-fault insurance is a type of insurance policy (typically automobile insurance) where insureds are indemnified by their own insurer regardless of fault in the incident.
· Nuclear incident insurance covers damages resulting from an incident involving radioactive materials and is generally arranged at the national level. (For the United States, see the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act.)
· Pet insurance insures pets against accidents and illnesses - some companies cover routine/wellness care and burial, as well.
· Political risk insurance can be taken out by businesses with operations in countries in which there is a risk that revolution or other political conditions will result in a loss.
· Pollution Insurance. A first-party coverage for contamination of insured property either by external or on-site sources. Coverage for liability to third parties arising from contamination of air, water, or land due to the sudden and accidental release of hazardous materials from the insured site. The policy usually covers the costs of cleanup and may include coverage for releases from underground storage tanks. Intentional acts are specifically excluded
· Property insurance provides protection against risks to property, such as fire, theft or weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance, inland marine insurance or boiler insurance.
· Purchase insurance is aimed at providing protection on the products people purchase. Purchase insurance can cover individual purchase protection, warranties, guarantees, care plans and even mobile phone insurance. Such insurance is normally very limited in the scope of problems that are covered by the policy.
· Retrospectively Rated Insurance is a method of establishing a premium on large commercial accounts. The final premium is based on the insured's actual loss experience during the policy term, sometimes subject to a minimum and maximum premium, with the final premium determined by a formula. Under this plan, the current year's premium is based partially (or wholly) on the current year's losses, although the premium adjustments may take months or years beyond the current year's expiration date. The rating formula is guaranteed in the insurance contract. Formula: retrospective premium = converted loss + basic premium × tax multiplier. Numerous variations of this formula have been developed and are in use.
· Social insurance can be many things to many people in many countries. But a summary of its essence is that it is a collection of insurance coverages (including components of life insurance, disability income insurance, unemployment insurance, health insurance, and others), plus retirement savings, that mandates participation by all citizens. By forcing everyone in society to be a policyholder and pay premiums, it ensures that everyone can become a claimant when or if he/she needs to. Along the way this inevitably becomes related to other concepts such as the justice system and the welfare state. This is a large, complicated topic that engenders tremendous debate, which can be further studied in the following articles (and others):
· Social welfare provision
· Social security
· Social safety net
· National Insurance
· Social Security (United States)
· Social Security debate (United States)
· Surety Bond insurance is a three party insurance guaranteeing the performance of the principal.
· Terrorism insurance provides protection against any loss or damage caused by terrorist activities.
· Title insurance provides a guarantee that title to real property is vested in the purchaser and/or mortgagee, free and clear of liens or encumbrances. It is usually issued in conjunction with a search of the public records performed at the time of a real estate transaction.
· Travel insurance is an insurance cover taken by those who travel abroad, which covers certain losses such as medical expenses, lost of personal belongings, travel delay, personal liabilities, etc.
· Volcano insurance is an insurance that covers volcano damage in Hawaii.
· Workers' compensation insurance replaces all or part of a worker's wages lost and accompanying medical expense incurred because of a job-related injury.

LIFE INSURANCE: THE FOUNDATION OF FINANCIAL SECURITY

Buying life insurance is not like any other purchase you will make. When you pay your premiums, you’re buying the future financial security for your family that only life insurance can provide. Among its many uses, life insurance helps ensure that, when you die, your dependents will have the financial resources needed to protect their home and the income needed to run a household.
Choosing a life insurance product is an important decision, but it often can be complicated. As with any major purchase, it is important that you understand your needs and the options available to you.
That’s where this booklet comes in; read it thoroughly. It takes you through the basics, step-by- step, as you prepare for this significant purchase. Most important, it will help you know what questions to ask when you’re buying life insurance.
Life insurance also can be used to help with other financial goals, such as funding retirement or education expenses. However, it is important to remember that the main purpose of life insurance is financial protection. If your primary goals are something other than protection, you should consider what other financial products are available to meet those goals.
The information in this brochure has been compiled by the American Council of Life Insurance, a trade association of more than 600 life insurance companies. Collectively, these companies provide about 90 percent of the life insurance in force in the United States.
LEARNING THE BASICS
The best way to make an informed decision about buying life insurance is to become familiar with the basics.
Why do I need life insurance? Life insurance is an essential part of financial planning. One reason most people buy life insurance is to replace income that would be lost with the death of a wage earner. The cash provided by life insurance also can help ensure that your dependents are not burdened with significant debt when you die. Life insurance proceeds could mean your dependents won’t have to sell assets to pay outstanding bills or taxes. An important feature of life insurance is that no income tax is payable on proceeds paid to beneficiaries.
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How much life insurance do I need? Before buying life insurance, you should assemble personal financial information and review your family’s needs. There are a number of factors to consider when determining how much protection you should have.
These include: any immediate needs at the time of death, such as final illness expenses, burial costs and estate taxes, funds for a readjustment period, to finance a move or to provide time for family members to find a job; and ongoing financial needs, such as monthly bills and expenses, day-care costs, college tuition or retirement. Although there is no substitute for a careful evaluation of the amount of coverage needed to meet your needs, one rule of thumb is to buy life insurance that is equal to five to seven times your annual gross income.
What is term insurance? Term insurance provides protection for a specific period of time. It pays a benefit only if you die during the term. Some term insurance policies can be renewed when you reach the end of a specific period which can be from one to 20 years. The premium rates increase at each renewal date. Many policies require that evidence of insurability be furnished at renewal for you to qualify for the lowest available rates.
What is permanent insurance? Permanent insurance provides lifelong protection and is known by a variety of names, described later. As long as you pay the necessary premiums, the death benefit always will be there. These policies are designed and priced for you to keep over a long period of time. If you don’t intend to keep the policy for the long term, it could be the wrong type of insurance for you.
Most permanent policies including whole, ordinary, universal, adjustable and variable life have a feature known as 'cash value' or 'cash surrender value'. This feature, which is not found in most term insurance policies, provides you with some options:
You can cancel or 'surrender' the policy 'in total or in part' and receive the cash value as a lump sum of money. If you surrender your policy in the early years, there may be little or no cash value. If you need to stop paying premiums, you can use the cash value to continue your current insurance protection for a specific period of time or to provide a lesser amount of protection to cover you for as long as you live. Usually, you may borrow from the insurance company, using the cash value in your life insurance as collateral. Unlike loans from most financial institutions, the loan is not dependent on credit checks or other restrictions. You ultimately must repay any loan with interest or your beneficiaries will receive a reduced death benefit.
The cash values of many life insurance policies may be affected by your company’s future experience, including mortality rates, expenses and investment earnings. Keep in mind that with all
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types of permanent policies, the cash value of a policy is different from the policy face amount. Cash value is the amount available when you surrender a policy before its maturity or your death. The face amount is the money that will be paid at death or at policy maturity.
What are the types of permanent insurance? There are many different types of permanent insurance. The major ones are described below:
Whole Life or Ordinary Life This is the most common type of permanent insurance. The premiums for a whole life policy must be paid periodically in the amount indicated in the policy. These premium amounts generally remain constant over the life of the policy.
Universal Life or Adjustable Life This variation of permanent insurance allows you, after your initial payment, to pay premiums at any time, in virtually any amount, subject to certain minimums and maximums. You also can reduce or increase the amount of the death benefit more easily than under a traditional whole life policy. (To increase your death benefit, you usually will be required to furnish the insurance company with satisfactory evidence of your continued good health.)
Variable Life This type of permanent policy provides death benefits and cash values that vary with the performance of an underlying portfolio of investments. You can choose to allocate your premiums among a variety of investments which offer varying degrees of risk and reward stocks, bonds, combinations of both, or accounts that provide for guarantees of interest and principal. You will receive a prospectus in conjunction with the sale of a variable product.
The cash value of a variable life policy is not guaranteed, and the policyholder bears that risk. However, by choosing among the available fund options, the policyholder can create an asset allocation that meets his or her objectives and risk tolerance. Good investment performance will lead to higher cash values and death benefits. On the other hand, poor investment performance will lead to reduced cash values and death benefits.
Some policies guarantee that death benefits cannot fall below a minimum level. There are both universal life and whole life versions of variable life.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of term and permanent insurance?
Term Insurance
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Advantages Initially, premiums are generally lower than those for permanent insurance, allowing you to buy higher levels of coverage at a younger age when the need for protection often is greatest. It’s good for covering specific needs that will disappear in time, such as mortgages or car loans.
Disadvantages Premiums increase as you grow older. Coverage may terminate at the end of the term or may become too expensive to continue. Generally, the policy doesn’t offer cash value or paid-up insurance.
Permanent Insurance
Advantages As long as the necessary premiums are paid, protection is guaranteed for your entire life. Premium costs can be fixed or flexible to meet personal financial needs. Policy accumulates a cash value that you can borrow against. (Loans must be paid back with interest or your beneficiaries will receive a reduced death benefit.) You can borrow against the policy’s cash value to pay premiums or use the cash value to provide paid-up insurance. The policy’s cash value can be surrendered’ in total or in part ’ for cash or converted into an annuity. (An annuity is an insurance product that provides an income for a person’s life-time or for a specific period of time.)l A provision or 'rider' can be added to a policy that gives you the option to purchase additional insurance without taking a medical exam or having to furnish evidence of insurability. (For more information on riders, see page 19.)
Disadvantages Required premium levels may make it hard to buy enough protection. It may be more costly than term insurance if you don’t keep it long enough.
GETTING STARTED
After you have thought about your financial needs and have become familiar with the basic types of life insurance, you will need to choose a company and agent.
How do I choose a company? More than 2,000 companies in the United States sell life insurance. While some consumers prefer to buy policies directly from a company, most people buy life insurance through agents or brokers. Much of the information provided here will be helpful whichever way you decide to buy life insurance.
Before purchasing a policy, check the company’s financial condition. You can do this by asking the agent or requesting information from your state’s insurance department. A number of insurance rating services rate the financial strength of
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companies. These ratings can be found in large public or business libraries, or can be obtained directly from the rating service. There may be a fee for that information.
Also check with the state insurance department to be sure the company is licensed in your state.
How do I choose an agent? Collect the names of several agents through recommendations from friends, family and other sources. The following are some questions you may want to ask a potential agent:
Is the agent licensed in your state? All states require that agents be licensed to sell life insurance. In addition, agents who sell variable products must be registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers and have additional state licenses.
What company or companies does the agent represent? Does the agent have any professional designations? Professional designations include Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow (LUTCF). Agents who also are financial planners may have designations, such as Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) or Member of The Registry of Financial Planning Practitioners.
Is he or she a member of a professional association? The major association for agents is The National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU). Through NALU’s local associations, agents can attend educational seminars and can stay on top of trends in the business. Similar training and services are provided to financial planners through the American Society of CLU & ChFC, the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (ICFP), and the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP).
What can I expect an agent to do for me? An agent should be willing and able to explain various policies and other insurance-related matters. Let your agent know what you expect from him or her. You should feel satisfied that the agent is listening to you and looking for ways to get you the right type and amount of insurance at an affordable price. If you are not comfortable with the agent, or you aren’t convinced he or she is providing the service you want, find another agent.
THE AGENT VISIT
Now that you have reviewed the basics of life insurance and thought about your personal financial needs, you can shop for a life insurance policy with more confidence and knowledge.
What can I expect during an agent visit? The agent you have selected will meet with you to discuss your life insurance needs. He or she will ask questions about family income and your net worth. Using the information you
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already have assembled about your financial situation, you should be prepared to discuss your insurance options.
Will the agent ask questions about my health? In this initial meeting, be prepared to answer questions about your health (for example, age, medical condition, medical history, family history, personal habits). It is important that you answer these questions carefully and truthfully; this information helps a company charge a fair premium for your coverage. For instance, you may pay a lower premium if you don’t smoke. On the other hand, if you have a chronic illness, you may be charged a higher premium.
Also, in the event of a claim, accurate and truthful answers enable your beneficiary to receive prompt payment. Inaccurate or untruthful answers, however, may cause delay or even denial of a claim.
When you apply for life insurance, you may be asked to have a medical exam. Often, a licensed medical professional will make a personal visit.
YOUR AGENT’S RECOMMENDATION
Once you have discussed your financial needs and objectives with your agent, he or she will recommend the type of life insurance policy that will best suit your purposes. Often, the agent will provide a 'policy illustration' that will show how your policy will work. (See page 16.)
Carefully study your agent’s recommendation and ask for a point-by-point explanation if there are items you don’t understand. Because your policy is a legal document, it’s important that you know what it provides.
Here are some other questions you should ask:
Does this policy truly meet my needs?
If your agent recommends a term policy, consider the following: How long can I keep this policy? If you want the option to renew the policy for a specific number of years or until a certain age, ask your agent about the terms of renewal of the contract. When will my premiums increase? Annually? Or after a longer period of time, such as five or 10 years? Can I convert to a permanent policy? Some policies allow you to convert the policy to permanent insurance without a medical exam, regardless of your physical condition at the time of the conversion. These policies are known as 'convertible term.'
If your agent recommends a permanent policy, consider the
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following: Are the premiums within my budget? Be sure you want to spend the money for this type of long-term coverage. Can I commit to these premiums over the long term? Make sure you know the amount you would receive if you surrender your policy. Keep in mind that permanent insurance is designed to provide protection for your entire life. If you don’t plan to keep the product for many years, consider another type of policy. Cashing in a permanent policy after only a couple of years can be a costly way to get insurance protection for a short term.
What does my policy illustration show? An illustration shows policy premiums, death benefits, cash values and information about other items that can affect your cost of obtaining insurance. Some of the items listed in the illustration are used by the insurance company to reduce your costs if its future financial results are favorable. Your policy may provide for dividends to be paid to you as either cash or paid-up insurance. Or it could provide for interest credits that could increase your cash value and death benefit or reduce your premium. These items are not guaranteed. Your costs or benefits could be higher or lower than those illustrated, because they depend on the future financial results of the insurance company. With variable life, your values will depend on the results of the underlying portfolio of investments.
Ask your agent for an explanation of the illustration; some figures are guaranteed and some are not. Remember that the insurance company will honor the guaranteed figures regardless of its future financial experience.
If your policy is a variable life policy, be sure that the interest rate assumed is reasonable for the underlying investment accounts to which you choose to allocate your premiums. For example, some investment advisors suggest that a higher interest rate assumption may be warranted if you plan to allocate your premium to a stock account, while a lower rate should be assumed for more conservative alternatives.
It is important to keep in mind that an illustration is not a legal document. Legal obligations are spelled out in the policy itself.
Here are additional questions to ask about the policy illustration:
Is the illustration up to date? Is it based on current experience? Is the classification shown in the illustration appropriate for me (i.e., smoker/non-smoker, male/female)? When are premiums due annually, monthly or otherwise? Which figures are guaranteed and which are not? Will I be notified if the non-guaranteed amounts change? Does the policy have a guaranteed death benefit, or could the death benefit change depending on interest rates or other factors? Does the policy pay dividends
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or provide for interest credits? Are those figures incorporated into the illustration? Will my premiums always be the same? Is it possible that the premium will increase significantly if future interest rates are lower than the illustration assumes? If the illustration shows that, after a certain period of time, I will not have to make premium payments, is there a chance I could have to begin making payments again in the future? Is the premium level illustrated sufficient to guarantee protection for my entire life?
What happens if I fail to make the required premium payments? If you miss a premium payment, you typically have a 30- or 31-day grace period during which you can pay the premium with no interest charged. After that, the company can with your authorization draw from a permanent policy’s cash value to keep that policy in force. In some flexible premium policies, premiums may be reduced or skipped as long as sufficient cash values remain in the policy. However, this will result in lower cash values.
What happens if I become disabled and can’t pay the premiums on my policy? Provisions or riders that provide additional benefits can be added to a policy. One such rider is a waiver of premium for disability. With this rider, if you become totally disabled for a specified period of time, you do not have to pay premiums for the duration of the disability.
Are other riders available? Another rider, called an 'accidental death benefit', provides for an additional benefit in case of death as a result of an accident.
A relatively new rider offered by some companies provides 'accelerated benefits,' also known as 'living benefits.' This rider allows you, under certain circumstances, to receive the proceeds of your life insurance policy before you die. Such circumstances include terminal or catastrophic illness, the need for long-term care or confinement to a nursing home.
Ask your agent for information about these and other policy riders.
When will the policy be in effect? If you decide to purchase the policy, find out when the insurance becomes effective. This could be different from the date the company issues the policy.
Is a 'Buyer’s Guide' available? Most state insurance departments require companies to provide consumers with a buyer’s guide to help them understand life insurance terms, benefits and costs. Ask your agent for a copy.
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FINAL TIPS
Here are a few tips to keep in mind about your life insurance purchase: Take your time. On the other hand, don’t put off an important decision that would protect your family. Make sure you fully understand any policy you are considering and that you are comfortable with the company, agent and product. Don’t rush into a decision just because you are feeling pressured. When you purchase a policy, make your check payable to the insurance company, not to the agent. Be sure you are given a receipt. After you have purchased an insurance policy, keep in mind that you may have a 'free-look' period usually 10 days after you receive the policy during which you can change your mind. During that period, read your policy carefully. If you decide not to keep the policy, the company will cancel the policy and give you an appropriate refund. Ask your agent. Review the copy of your application contained in your policy. Promptly notify your agent or company of any errors or missing information. If an agent or company contacts you and wants you to cancel your current policy to buy a new one, contact your original agent or company before making any decisions. Surrendering your policy to buy another could be very costly to you.
If you have a complaint about your insurance agent or company, contact the customer service division of your insurance company.
If you still are dissatisfied, contact your state insurance department. Most departments have a consumer affairs division that can offer help. Review your policy periodically or when your situation changes to be sure your coverage is adequate.
OTHER RESOURCES Where else can I get information about insurance? Your personal insurance agent and company are good sources of general information about insurance. Contact the National Insurance Consumer Helpline (NICH) at 1-800-942-4242. NICH is a toll-free consumer information telephone service sponsored by insurance industry trade associations. Look in your local library for magazines or books on insurance or personal finance. The consumer affairs division of your state insurance department can provide useful information. Some departments have toll-free numbers to respond to consumer questions.