Life Insurance: Why Theres No Need To Be A Desperate Housewife
|
Life insurance looks set to make a comeback in the UK, after a period of neglect by consumers who were simply occupied with affording a home. The stabilising of the UK house market has made many consumers take a broader view to their personal finances.
LifeSearch (a life insurance broker), in the September issue of Money Observer, highlighted a few common mistakes people make when buying life insurance:
* Believing life insurance is relevant to everyone
Life insurance is only relevant to people who have financial dependents. If you have no financial dependents, it might be more appropriate to consider income protection or critical illness insurance.
* Paying too much for life insurance
According to Money Observer, research for Sainsbury's Bank Life Insurance revealed that many people take life insurance policies from their mortgage providers and as a result could be paying too much.
* Opting to buy joint life insurance policies instead of single life insurance policies
The advice to married couples is to avoid taking out joint life insurance policies which pay out when the first spouse dies over the term of the policy, but not on the second. Single policies could provide additional cover by paying just an extra £3-4 a month.
* Missing out on a trust
The Tax Man can claim up to 40% of your life insurance payout as inheritance tax. According to Money Observer, those with assets totalling £275,000 or more (including a house) are especially prone to tax inspection. Writing your policy in trust is a way to avoid this and as a trust does not have to go through probate, beneficiaries of the policy will receive the payment without delay.
* Only insuring the main earner
Whilst it is important to cover the main breadwinner, by neglecting to additionally insure the housewife or househusband may result in extra child care costs. Family income benefit (FIB) may be an appropriate policy to put in place.
* Opting for a lump sum over income
If your dependents are likely to require an income, then buying a policy that pays out a lump sum is a mistake. Many people invest lump sums for an income, but when they invest it, they have to pay tax. Family income benefit provides a larger payout ? tax free, though the majority of banks and building societies do not offer FIB, so ask an Independent Financial Advisor for recommendations.
* Not proving full medical records or detailing comprehensive medical history
Failure to disclose a complete picture of your health, no matter how trivial, could invalidate a claim later on.
There's no excuse for not conducting your own homework, as there is an abundance of information available online. Sites such as moneynet, provide not only price comparison research on difference life insurance products, they also offer downloadable consumer product guides. Lowermybills.com proffers a similar service stateside.
Resources:
Life insurance products and research
About Rachel:
Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla.
Cashzilla - personalfinanosaurus
|
|
|
Choosing Buy-to-let Property Insurance
Risk is an area often overlooked by landlords, but failing to protect the main assets of your business, which often have borrowings secured against them could lead to ruin.Landlords often...(related: Insurance)
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers Flounder
We have just had the first year's anniversary of the flash flooding which occurred at Boscastle in Cornwall. The floods saw some of the worst damage wrought by sudden rainfall in the UK for many years.The flood was caused by the remains of a hurricane which crossed the Atlantic, collecting vast amounts of water crossing, and was then pushed high above an area inland of the village depositing around 1,500m litres (330m gallons) of water within two hours.At the time insurance companies were estimating the bill for commercial damage to local businesses, would be as high as £15m.There is perhaps some comfort for insurers in that it could have been worse. Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida around the same time, cost over an estimated £6bn.In August this year, just a week after Birmingham was b...(related: Insurance)
Health Savings Account (hsa): Helpful For Older People?
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool that a lot of people have been talking about. It is meant to help you save money on insurance and make your life simpler, maybe even help you be healthier.But do HSAs work just as well for older Americans? The answer depends on your age.Let's start with someone older than 65. Once you turn 65, you are eligible ...(related: Insurance)
7 Sure-fire Ways Of Reducing Your Home Insurance Premium
Home security improvement:All insurance companies will happily offer you a discount for burglar alarms and smoke detectors. Homes with fire and burglar alarms that communicate with a third party monitoring company receive a higher discount on their insurance premiums.When possible, choose a higher deductible:To reduce your premium, it is best advised to increase the deductible to the extent you can afford. Your home insurance premium will fall by as much as 20% if you increase ...(related: Insurance)
The Life Insurance Policy And What You Need To Know Before You Buy
Are you looking to buy a life insurance policy? Well, be careful. Life insurance can be difficult to understand and it's easy to be conned into buying something under false pretenses.Recently a prominent life insurance company together with several of its agents paid a huge fine because it permitted the sale of a life insurance policy disguised as a retirement plan. There was little attention given to what a life insurance policy is truly designed to provide.Life insurance is not an investment for your benefit. It's guaranteed income tax-free cash paid to someone you designate in the event of your death. If...(related: Insurance)
The Life Insurance Policy And Its Best Kept Secret
Do you love someone deeply enough to spend your hard earned dollars on a life insurance premium -- month after month?After all, the benefit from a life insurance policy isn't for you. It's for the ones you love, but after you've gone.Life insurance is money paid to those who rely on you today to give them a secure standard of living, which they can lose in a heartbeat.This is money when they need it the most ... with no income tax or publicity.Buying a life insurance policy can be challenging because it isn't an easy subject matter to begin with.Most people get somewhat confused about how it works and whom they can trust enough to make t...(related: Insurance)
Health Savings Account (hsa): What Happens To It When I Retire?
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is a great tool that is going to helpus all reduce our health insurance costs and avert the currenthealthcare crisis in America. But what happens when a personretires? What use is an HSA then?Your HSA transforms itself at that moment you turn 65, when youofficially become eligible for Medicare. Your Health Savings Account,which will have served you all those years as a nice financial cushionbefore you begin using your insurance policy, flips into something very similar to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).<...(related: Insurance)
Health Savings Accounts (hsa): Do They Vary From State To State?
The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool that a lot of people have been talking about. It is meant to help you save money on insurance and make your life simpler, maybe even help you be healthier.Is this tool available in all states? And are HSAs in each state the same?The Health Savings Account (HSA) was passed in the U.S. Congress in December 2003. It was signed by President George W. Bush. That means it is a federal law. The HSA is availa...(related: Insurance)
What Is Consumer-driven Healthcare?
Consumer-driven healthcare is a label that we've put on a movement in America to change the way decisions are made in our healthcare system. Instead of insurance companies making all the decisions about how people will receive their healthcare, consumers are taking back the power over their own lives.Likewise, the days of a patient totally putting their lives into their doctor's hands are over. People don't trust doctors to always do the best thing. How could they? The doctor does not know the situation as well as the patient. It must be the patient's choice, and they must be making an informed choice, not one based on a five minute...(related: Insurance)
Health Insurance And Insurance Brokers
If you are in the market to purchase your own health insurance coverage you can save yourself precious time and money by shopping and comparing policies right online. Sites dedicated to giving you quotes on various types of insurance make it very easy for you to get an idea of what your coverage and costs will be. However, please be forewarned that there are some pitfalls in using an insurance broker as I discovered within the past year.As a self employed person, I carry my own health and life insurance for my family. When making the move from New Jersey to North Carolina in 2004 I knew two things about our health insurance:1. I would have to shop f...(related: Insurance)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Insurance | All Rights Reserved. | Insurance