What is the most popular type of life insurance?
Term life and whole life are the most popular types of life insurance. Whole life insurance premiums represented 38% of the individual U.S. life insurance market in 2022, according to LIMRA, the life insurance research organization.
Most people buy term life insurance for a length long enough to cover their prime working years. That way, if they die early, they can help a surviving spouse or other beneficiary meet short-term financial needs like paying off a mortgage or supporting their kids through college.
- Best from a big-name insurer: Northwestern Mutual.
- Best for customer satisfaction: State Farm.
- Best for seniors: Mutual of Omaha.
- Best for term life insurance: Guardian.
- Best for whole life insurance: MassMutual.
- Best for universal life insurance: Pacific Life.
Northwestern Mutual is the largest life insurance company, according to 2022 NAIC data, holding a little over 7 percent of market share.
- Auto Insurance. Auto insurance is designed to help protect you financially against vehicle damage and injury, depending on your coverage. ...
- Home Insurance. ...
- Renters Insurance. ...
- Life Insurance.
There are two primary categories of life insurance: term and permanent. Term life insurance lasts for a set timeframe (usually 10 to 30 years), making it a more affordable option, while permanent life insurance lasts your entire lifetime.
Type of life insurance | Policy length | Death benefit |
---|---|---|
Term life | Level term period varies, but often can be 10, 15, 20 or 30 years | Fixed |
Whole life | Permanent | Fixed |
Universal life | Permanent | Might be flexible |
Variable life/variable universal life | Permanent | Might fluctuate |
State Farm is the biggest auto insurance company in the country by market share, while Progressive, Geico and Allstate are the next three.
- MassMutual: Best overall.
- Guardian: Best for applicants with a history of HIV.
- Northwestern Mutual: Best for consumer experience.
- New York Life: Best for high coverage amounts.
- Pacific Life: Best range of permanent life insurance.
- State Farm: Best for customer satisfaction.
- AARP: Best for older applicants.
Life insurance offered through your employer is typically term life insurance, not permanent — so you may have a gap in coverage if you leave your employer or retire. Term life insurance does not build cash value like permanent life insurance products.
Is term or whole life insurance better?
The pros and cons of term and whole life insurance are clear: Term life insurance is simpler and more affordable but has an expiration date and doesn't include a cash value feature. Whole life insurance is more expensive and complex, but it provides lifelong coverage and builds cash value over time.
Whole life is the more expensive option. Both your monthly premium and the death benefit are guaranteed, meaning they won't change over the life of the policy.
20-year term life insurance is the most popular term length and can help cover the income of new parents or newlyweds as their family grows. 30-year term life insurance can help cover large, long-term financial obligations, such as a mortgage or college debt.
Most financial experts suggest avoiding whole life insurance and buying term life insurance instead and investing the difference in cost.
Life Insurance Types Chart Overview | ||
---|---|---|
Term | Death Benefit | |
Term Life | Limited, often 10, 15, 20, or 30 years | Fixed |
Whole Life | Entire life | Fixed |
Universal Life | Entire life | Flexible |
Most experts agree that life, health, long-term disability, and auto insurance are the four types of insurance you must have.
Term life insurance is the cheapest type of life insurance policy; the cost of whole life insurance can be significantly higher. With that in mind, here are some of the cheapest companies for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy covering super preferred applicants.
How much is $100,000 in life insurance a month? A $100,000 term life insurance policy could cost you as little as $10.28 a month for a healthy woman in her 20s, and $11.86 for a healthy man of the same age. For many insurers, this is the minimum amount of coverage you can buy, making it your cheapest option.
Term life is designed to cover you for a specified period (say 10, 15 or 20 years) and then end. Because the number of years it covers are limited, it generally costs less than whole life policies. But term life policies typically don't build cash value. So, you can't cash out term life insurance.
State | Average Annual Life Insurance Premium | Average Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|
California | $668 | $56 |
Colorado | $645 | $54 |
Connecticut | $724 | $60 |
Delaware | $657 | $55 |
What is the cash value of a $25000 life insurance policy?
Examples of Cash Value Life Insurance
An example is a cash value life insurance policy with a $25,000 death benefit. Assuming you don't take out a loan or withdraw, the cash value accumulates to $5,000. After the policyholder's death, the insurance company would pay out the full death benefit, which would be $25,000.
Like most financial experts, Dave Ramsey recommends term life insurance over whole life insurance. Whole life is significantly more expensive and unnecessary for most people. Opt for term life instead and use the money you save on premium costs to invest.
Insurance company | Best for | Bankrate Score |
---|---|---|
Amica | Best overall | 4.6 Rating: 4.6 stars out of 5 |
Geico | Best overall | 4.4 Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 |
Progressive | Best for digital policy management | 4.4 Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5 |
Safeco | Best for added perks | 4.3 Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5 |
State Farm is the cheapest national car insurance company, at $50 per month for liability-only coverage. American Family and Geico also have affordable quotes, averaging $61 per month. USAA has the cheapest rates overall at $34 per month. But only military members, veterans or their families can qualify for USAA.
In 2022, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than public coverage, at 65.6 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively.
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