Life Insurance

What Is Life Insurance?

Understanding how life insurance works and how to shop for a policy can help you find the best coverage to meet your family’s needs. Life insurance is a contract between an insurance company and a policy owner in which the insurer guarantees to pay a sum of money to one or more named beneficiaries when the insured person dies in exchange for premiums the policyholder pays during their lifetime. The best life insurance companies have good financial strength, a low number of customer complaints, high customer satisfaction, several policy types available, optional riders,
and easy application processes.

Types of Life Insurance

Many different types of life insurance are available to meet all sorts of needs and preferences. Depending on the short- or long-term needs of the person to be insured (or their family members), the choice of whether to select temporary or permanent life insurance is a major consideration.

How Does Life Insurance Work?

Life insurance works by providing a death benefit in exchange for paying premiums. One popular type of life insurance—term life insurance—only lasts for a set amount of time, such as 10 or 20 years. Permanent life insurance also features a death benefit but lasts for the life of the policyholder as long as premiums are paid.