Term Life Insurance

Term Life Insurance pays out a lump sum of cash on the event of the policyholder's death, as long as this happens within a specified period of time. This is generally a cheaper insurance product than Whole of Life Insurance, because you choose the length of time for which you would like to be covered, say 10, 20 or 30 years. People usually choose the time frame based on the length of time they have certain financial commitments such as their children's education or a mortgage to pay off. As with other types of life insurance, you pay a premium each month (or once a year, depending on the insurer and on your personal preference).

The downside to this type of life insurance is that the insurer will only pay out if you die within the time frame you have specified in your policy. If you live longer than the policy term, you do not receive any pay out at all. If you took out a Term Life Insurance policy as a couple however, you could specify the condition that the insurer would pay out if either one of you died within the policy term. There are several Term Life Insurance options available, which will affect the level of cover that the policy holder receives; these are Level Term Life Insurance, Decreasing Term Life Insurance and Increasing Term Life Insurance. If after reading through our guides to these insurance types you would like further guidance, or would like to receive a free, no-obligation quote from an experienced life insurance adviser, please fill out the short form.

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Important Tips for Buying Life Insurance

• Life 'Insurance' is different from Life 'Assurance' because it is not a certainty.  You would insure yourself against something unexpected happening, but would take out Assurance to minimise your financial exposure to something inevitable.

• If you take out any type of 'Term' insurance product, this means that you are choosing a set period of time when your cover will be active.  Beyond this period, your cover is no longer valid.

• The policy will be cheaper the less 'risky' you are to an insurer.  If you smoke, are in poor health or enjoy high-risk sports, statistically you are more likely to die, and therefore the cost of your premium will be higher.

• Joint policies for couples should be approached with a certain amount of caution.  The average joint policy pays out only after the first person dies, but for a relatively small amount more you could get separate policies with two payouts, which would have a greater benefit for your family (especially when you consider the expense of inheritance tax).