Life Insurance
What is Life Insurance?
Life insurance is a protection against financial loss that would result from the premature death of an insured. The named beneficiary receives the proceeds and is thereby safeguarded from the financial impact of the death of the insured. The death benefit is paid by a life insurer in consideration for premium payments made by the insured.
How Life Insurance Works?
Life insurance is a contract between an individual with an insurable interest and a life insurance company to transfer the financial risk of a premature death to the insurer in exchange for a specified amount of premium. The main components of the life insurance contract are a death benefit and a premium payment.
Death Benefit: The death benefit is the amount of money the insured’s beneficiaries will receive from the insurer upon the death of the insured. Although the death benefit amount is determined by the insured, the insurer must determine whether there is an insurable interest and whether the insured can qualify for the coverage based on its underwriting requirements.
Premium Payment: Using actuarially based statistics, the insurer determines the amount of premium it needs to cover mortality costs. Factors such as the insured’s age, personal and family medical history, and lifestyle are the main risk determinants. As long as the insured pays the premium as agreed, the insurer remains obligated to pay the death benefit. For term policies, the premium amount includes the cost of insurance. For permanent policies, the premium amount includes the cost of insurance plus an amount that is deposited to a cash value account.
