Summary
There are various types of life insurance quotes plan available in the market. Many people are now reaping the benefits of more economical premiums by switching to pension term assurance (PTA) because of the tax benefits available on the cost of this type of insurance policy. However it is not suitable for all customers.
It was revealed recently that the cost of life insurance policies has reduced big style in recent years. So what type of insurance plan is most suitable for you?
Term policies are the simplest typeof life insurance – you pay a monthly premium for a set value of life insurance for an agreed number of years that the policy will be in force for. If you die whilst the policy is in force, it then pays out a cash sum. If the policy terminates and you have survived, no money is paid out.
There are several sorts of term insurance: “level” term is where the payout is a set amount; “decreasing” term, which is often much cheaper because the sum to be paid out reduces year on year. In most cases this sort of plan is taken out to cover a mortgage.
“Increasing” term insurance is an option where the insurance cover rises a bit each year during the course of the term; this can be an interesting way of protecting your familyagainst inflation.
Joint life insurance policies are very useful for couples who use both of their incomes to pay the mortgage because a payout is made if either partner were to die.
Family Income Benefit (FIB) offers the plan holder’s beneficiaries a monthly income from from the date the policyholder dies until the policy comes to the end of its term rather than paying out one single capital paymemt.
The amount of insurance cover you need will be dependent upon your own individual financial circumstances. Most medium and large sized businesses offer a death in service benefit which can sometimes pay as much as 4 times your annual salary before tax to your partner if you died whilst still in employment. Therefore if you are reasonably confident about remaining with that firm, you may reach the conclusion that paying for extra life insuranc with another arrangement is wasteful.
The price of a life insurance policy depends on numerous factors, such as the sort of plan, the number of years it should be in force, and certain health questions – whether you are over-weight or whether you smoke. Insurers are also especially clamping down on obesity.
There are major advantages to moving to pension term insurance. If you already have a term policy which pays out a tax free cash sum, you can save a considerable amount on your premiums by changing to a pension term cover. The reason for this is because under new pension regulations, most policyholders qualify for tax relief on the money they pay for their life cover if they opt for a pension term assurance (PTA) policy. This type of insurance is basically the same as the usual term insurance cover in so far as it is still protection-only. So it pays out if you passed away within the term but if you survive to the end of the policy, the policy has no value.
However, not everyone stands to benefit from switching to PTA. For instance, if you bought your life insurance plan a long time ago, the more expensive premiums that you may now have to pay because of your increased agecould well outweigh the benefit of tax relief. Similarly, if your health has worsened since you took out your cover, you will probably be better off keeping your term insurance.
