What are the different types of life insurance?

June 21, 2021 Kennedy Olson

Families, Health, Insurance, Life Insurance

Term life insurance

Term life insurance is generally more affordable than permanent life insurance options. It provides coverage for a set number of years, paying out as long as your policy hasn’t expired and you’ve paid the premiums. You can lock in your rate for the entire term period, which makes budgeting and planning easier.

Term policies generally costs less than permanent policies because they’re only in place for a limited time. At the end of the term period, and based on the product options available, you may be able to renew your policy at an adjusted rate. However, you can typically only renew a term life policy on a year-to-year basis — not for another term period. Your new rate will be based on your age and health at the time of renewal, and you may or may not need a medical exam to obtain coverage.

Whole life insurance (permanent)

As a type of permanent life insurance, whole life insurance provides coverage for your entire lifetime, paying your benefit no matter when you pass away — as long as you keep paying your bill. Whole life insurance also includes a savings component that a portion of your premium will pay into. The savings component has a fixed interest rate that builds cash value over time, which is part of the reason whole life policies typically cost more than term life policies with similar coverage.

The cash value of your whole life policy does not affect the death benefit paid out upon your passing. However, if the cash value grows to equal your death benefit amount by the time you’re a set age (usually 100 or 120), your insurer will terminate your policy and pay out the coverage amount.

If you’re not banking on living to 100, your cash value offers another benefit. You can choose to withdraw a portion of funds as a loan, based on your policy’s cash value. There’s typically no credit check required and a minimal loan approval process since you’re essentially borrowing money from yourself. You can pay back the loan with interest, or if you pass away before returning the funds, the remaining loan amount and interest will be withdrawn from the payout to your beneficiaries.

Universal life insurance (permanent)

Universal life insurance is another permanent life insurance option, so it provides coverage for your entire life as long as the premiums are paid. It’s sometimes called adjustable life insurance because it offers more flexibility than a whole life policy. For example, universal life policies allow you to increase or decrease your death benefit and even adjust or skip your monthly premium (within certain limits).

As with whole life, a universal policy has a cash value component that grows and allows for borrowing. However, a universal policy’s cash value works differently than a whole policy’s in two key ways:

The interest rate for a universal policy’s cash value is not fixed. You will have a guaranteed minimum interest rate, but in general, the rate at which your cash value builds can change over time based on market conditions.
Your universal policy’s cash value can eventually grow and result in a zero-cost policy, in which all premiums are paid from the cash value you’ve built.

Variable life insurance (permanent)^{†Disclaimer}

Variable life insurance is a riskier type of permanent life insurance. A common variable life insurance policy design is built on two pieces:

A face value death benefit: Just as with whole and universal, when you purchase a variable life policy, you’ll select a fixed death benefit to be paid out upon your passing as long as you pay your premiums.
A variable cash value: Your cash value will rise and fall based on the payments you make and the performance of investments you select. Unlike with whole and universal, your variable cash value can be part of your death benefit.

The greater range of investment options offered by a variable life policy means it could, in the long run, provide a greater benefit to your beneficiaries when you pass away — especially if you’re a savvy investor. But it also opens you up to much higher risk, fees, and costs than whole or universal policies.

Final expense life insurance (permanent)

Also known as funeral or burial insurance, final expense insurance is a type of whole life insurance that offers a smaller and more affordable death benefit designed to help handle funeral costs, medical bills, or outstanding credit card debt. While other types of life insurance may have age and health requirements, final expense policies can be easier for older or less-healthy individuals to qualify for. A final expense policy’s cash value would operate the same as a whole life policy’s.

There are two types of final expense life insurance policies: simplified issue and guaranteed issue. With guaranteed issue insurance, you don’t have to answer any questions regarding your health. With both types, no medical exam is required.