Is term life insurance worth it? Here's what experts say (2024)

FAQs

Is term life insurance worth it? Here's what experts say? ›

Term life insurance is a good option for people who can't or won't pay the much higher monthly premiums associated with whole life insurance. Term life is somewhat similar to car insurance. It's statistically unlikely that you'll need it, and the premiums are money down the drain if you don't.

Suze Orman recommends that generally most people should get a 20 year term life insurance policy at 20 times your annual income. What does that mean? That means if you're 30 years old and you make $50,000 a year you should get a million dollar 20 year term life insurance policy.

As a rule, term policies are cheaper than permanent policies because they don't have savings or investment components, known as cash value. They are also cheaper because coverage is guaranteed only if the insured person dies during the specified term. After the term expires, so does the coverage.

Term Life insurance Cons: If you outlive the term length, your coverage will end and you won't receive any benefits. You will not be covered your entire lifetime and your policy will not accumulate cash value like an investment account does.

Buying Too Little to Replace Income

Always buy ten to twelve times your income in life insurance coverage. That small policy you're getting through work, which might be one year's worth of coverage, isn't near enough.

At what age is life insurance no longer needed? Life insurance is no longer needed for many people once they reach their 60s or 70s. At this point they have retired, their kids have grown up, and they've paid off their mortgage and other debts.

Drawbacks of term life insurance

If you outlive the term of your term life insurance, the policy expires and has no value. If you're looking for a way to leave money behind, a term life insurance policy most likely isn't a good fit. No cash value. Term life insurance doesn't build cash value.

Life insurance may not be worth if you have no dependents, if you have a tight budget, or if you have other plans for providing for them after your death.

If you've made it to the end of your term and you haven't died (let's hope this is the case), then typically one of two things happen: The policy will simply end and you'll no longer be covered, or your insurer may allow you to convert all or a portion of the policy into permanent life insurance.

If you have young children or plan to soon, term life insurance of 15 or 20 years or longer can offer security to your family. If something happens to you, your policy could help provide for your children until they're through college or out on their own.

Why take out term life insurance? ›

The main benefit to level term life insurance is that it is very affordable, with low monthly premiums and the ability to cover you for the period of time most important to you. Your beneficiaries can use the death benefit to pay for anything from a mortgage to education expenses.

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.

Cash value? 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.

Suze Orman isn't a fan of whole life insurance, and especially not as an investment. Investment portfolios for whole life policies usually have expensive fees and are overly conservative. Keep your investments and insurance separate, and stick to term life insurance instead of whole life.

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It means Zander is the only company Dave and the entire Ramsey team trusts to help you find term life insurance.

Any permanent life insurance policy with a cash value can be used to invest — but for most people, it isn't the best strategy due to high costs and low returns. Buying a term life policy and contributing to a 401(k) or IRA account is often a better option.

There are many reasons why financial advisors might consider selling life insurance as part of the services they offer their clients. These include the ability to better meet their clients' needs by providing more comprehensive wealth planning services and the opportunity to earn commissions.

Term life is typically less expensive than a permanent whole life policy – but unlike permanent life insurance, term policies have no cash value, no payout after the term expires, and no value other than a death benefit.