Magazine : 
An In-depth Look at Life Insurance Premiums
There are many uncertainties in life. Therefore, it is always a good idea to prepare for the future. Buying a life insurance policy is one method of preparing for the future. Even if something unforeseen might happen to you, it helps to safeguard the financial security of your loved ones. Your family's life goals won't suffer if you have a financial safety net in place. All you are required to do in return is to pay the life insurance premiums on time throughout the policy term.
But what exactly does 'life insurance premium' mean? That's all we'll be talking about today.
What Are Premiums, And How Can You Pay Them?
A policyholder pays a certain amount to the insurer at regular intrevals or in lumpsum to receive life insurance coverage and other benefits. This amount is termed as premium. The insurance provider will only honor the agreement and provide the policy benefits on time if the policyholder makes all the payments on time. The payment of premiums can be made in a single payment or a series of equal installments, depending on the particulars of the policy. Additionally, policyholders of life insurance policies can pay monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual premiums. This again varies from one plan to the other.
How do Insurance Companies use premiums?
Now that you know what a life insurance premium is, you must wonder how the insurer would use the money you pay. A life insurer uses the premium you pay to provide you life insurance coverage in several ways. The premium is split between maintaining day-to-day business operations and paying the death benefit to the policyholder's beneficiaries. Furthermore, premiums are also put in various investment plans and government bonds to generate returns.
What are the factors that affect premiums?
Numerous variables affect the life insurance premium for various life insurance plans. Insurance companies such as Quote Leader calculate the premium after considering several factors, including the applicant's gender, age, policy term, lifestyle and occasionally even their type of employment.
Let's examine these factors' effects on the determination of life insurance premiums in more detail:
- Gender: According to reports, women have a longer life expectancy than men. As a result, women often pay lower life insurance rates than male policyholders of the same age.
- Age: Age alone significantly impacts how life insurance premiums are determined. You will be prompted for this information on all life insurance application forms. This is so because, in most circumstances, age directly predicts health and life expectancy. Younger people tend to have better health. Therefore, compared to what is charged for older people, the premiums offered are much lower. The cost of your life insurance will increase as you get older.
Take the scenario where you are 25 and have just started your first job. With your first salary, you buy a life insurance policy whose coverage period is 40 years. If you do not select a single or limited payment option, you will be required to pay premiums until you are 65. However, the cost will be considerably less than what someone older would pay.
- Policy term: The period for which the life insurance policy is active is known as the policy term. It is the tenure for which the insurer provides life cover the policyholder. In case of death of the policyholder during the policy term, the insurer pays out a death benefit to their beneficiaries.
- Lifestyle: Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking may affect your insurance premium. These behaviors can shorten life expectancy and cause premature deaths. With this increased risk, the premiums you have to pay for life cover can be significantly higher.
- Occupation: Some jobs are riskier than others. For instance, a flight attendant's job has greater danger than an office worker's desk job. The premium rises proportionally to how dangerous the job is.
- Sum Assured: The sum assured is essentially the coverage under the life insurance plan. It is the guaranteed amount that will be payable to your nominee in case of your demise during the policy term. The chosen sum assured amount should ideally be directly proportional to the premium payment. This simply implies that the cost of your term insurance plan will increase in direct proportion to the amount of life cover you opt for. Using an online life insurance calculator, you may see how the policy premium rises as the life cover amount increases. Additionally, the sum assured should be based on your requirements, gross income, existing debts, and other elements.
Now that you are aware of the elements that are important in determining life insurance premiums, here are some strategies for lowering these expenses:
- Make sure you stay active and healthy. Do frequent exercise.
- Give up unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking.
- If you can, acquire life insurance online when you are younger.
What Happens When You Stop Paying premiums?
Your plan enters a grace period if the premium is not paid on time. This period is usually 15 (for monthly premium payments) or 30 days (for annual premium payments). Your plan expires if no premium is paid within the grace period.
So that's all there is to know about life insurance premiums. Pay your premiums on time when you buy a life insurance policy. As a result, your policy won't expire, and you can keep enjoying your life insurance coverage for your chosen duration.
