Life Insurance

 
Mar
3

Wawanesa Life Insurance

Posted by harry Comments (0)

It is sometimes said by poets that life is but a span, and if something bad happened to you, yours family would have to go through a heavy time; the welfare of your family would be deteriorated. Life insurance companies offer you various insurance programs, which will provide financial security of your family in case of death, disability in your future. They help you keep your head above water, as well as support your most optimal plans.

Most life insurance companies are reputable because of the strict regulations in Canada and throughout the world. The best way to get a good selection of life insurance most fitted to your needs in this day is to use the Internet. It could be quickly found out that Wawanesa Life is among best rating life insurance companies.

Wawanesa Life is a subsidiary company of the Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Co. Wawanesa has a rich history dating back to 1896, when it was founded in the Village of Wawanesa, Manitoba. Today executive offices are located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Wawanesa Mutual operates in all areas of Canada as well as in the states of California and Oregon in U.S.A.

Wawanesa was awarded an A+ (Superior) Rating for its financial strength from A.M. Best Co. the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. Some of Wawanesa traits are the out standing claims service and underwriting service, consistent range of quality products and among them:

Individual Products and Services

It should be noted that a vast array of life insurance policy types available consists of one of two basic forms: Permanent insurance and Term insurance.

As the names imply, permanent insurance is permanent for life and term insurance is temporary. Examples of permanent needs are funeral expenses, survivors’ income, taxes at death on capital gains and charitable bequests. Examples of temporary needs are mortgages, education and business loans.

Permanent Products

Types of permanent insurance plan:

Universal Life is a permanent insurance plan providing for separation of the insurance and savings components of the policy. All premiums are generally deposited to interest bearing investment accounts. From these accounts it is deducted Cost of Insurance (COI) charges and administration fees. Policyholders could direct premiums to different account choices, such as a Daily Interest Account, a Canadian Equity Index-Linked Account, a U.S. Equity Index-Linked Account, an International Equity Index Account and a Canadian Bond Index Account. It may be selected two COI charge methods by the policyholder. The charge may be level for policy’s life, or may be level (at a lower amount) up to age 65 with a following increase to a new higher amount for policy’s remainder.

The tax-free death benefit will consist of the death benefit provided by the insurance coverage selected plus the value of the different investment accounts. The Account Value, less a surrender charge in the early years, will be available to the policyholder upon surrender before the death of the life insured;

Term to Age 100 – this plan provides a level amount of permanent life insurance, to ago 100 of the life insured, at which time the face amount of insurance is paid.

Premiums are level and payable to age 100. This plan is also available on a joint-last to die basis;

Fifteen Pay Term to Age 100 plan provides a level amount of permanent life insurance to age 100 of the life insured, at which time the face amount of insurance is paid. All premiums are guaranteed, level and payable for 15 years only. Commencing in the 10 th year.

A guaranteed cash value will develop to be available to the policyholder upon surrender before the death of the life insured;

Twenty Pay Term to Age 100 plan provides a level amount of permanent life insurance to age 100 of the life insured, at which time the face amount of insurance is paid. All premiums are level and payable for 20 years only.

Commencing in the 10 th year a guaranteed cash value will develop to be available to the policyholder upon surrender before the death of the life insured;

Final Expense Plan is designed for individuals age 45 to 75. This permanent plan is a guaranteed issue with just 5 qualifying questions.

Premiums are level and payable for 20 years only. The death benefit in the first 2 years will be the return of paid premium plus 10 % interest to the death date. When death occurs it is paid the full protection. The death benefit amount is paid to the policyowner if living after the later of 20 years, or age 85.

Types of Temporary Products:

Life Style Term – these plans consist of 10 years or 20 years Renewable and Convertible Term Insurance. The insured sum is level and premiums are guaranteed.

Life Style Term can be renewed until age 80 of the life insured, at which time the insurance terminates. These plans are also available on a joint – first to die basis;

Preferred Underwriting of Life Style Term – these plans allow applicant to be grouped into a greater variety of lifestyle categories resulting in a more appropriate premium being charged. In the past, healthier applicants subsidized the insurance costs of less healthy ones. Life Style Term rewards better risks with lower premiums. Three nonsmoker classes and two smoker classes are included in Preferred Underwriting classes available for Life Style Term;

Lifestyle Adjustment Plan (critical illness protection) – this plan is designed to provide funds helping you care financially for yourself and your family maintaining the same quality of life after surviving a critical illness.

The plan provides a tax-free lump sum living benefit to the plan owner on the occurrence of the first of the covered illnesses of the insured, provided the insured survives the waiting period following the critical illness onset.

The waiting period is 30 days from diagnosis, except for Loss of Speech (6 months) and Paralysis (90 days). No living benefit is payable if cancer is diagnosed within 90 days of issue.

Three types of Life style Adjustment plans are available: 10 year Renewable to Age 75, Level to Age 75 and Level to age with Return of Premium.Wawanesa Life has a plan to meet any your insurance and financial needs which can be tailored fitting your needs.

Gregory Mamnya

Your Independent guide to Wawanesa Insurance.

Wawanesa Life Insurance, Auto Insurance, Property Insurance and more at Wawanesa Insurance website.

Categories: Life Insurance
Mar
1

Choosing Between Term and Universal Life Insurance

Posted by harry Comments (0)

Surely anyone who has been in the market to purchase a life insurance policy has run into the confusing array of plans available. The following will give you a brief summary on two of the most popular life insurance coverage choices: Choosing between term or universal life.

Term Life Insurance

The first thing to understand is that term life insurance is known as “pure” insurance. That means that term life is straight life insurance and does not build any cash value. You can buy this coverage for a certain amount of years, known as the “term,” and once the term is over you may either renew the policy for another set amount of time or simply walk away. The advantages of term life insurance is that it is the least expensive life insurance policy because it serves no other purpose other than to give your beneficiaries peace of mind knowing they are financially protected in the event of your untimely death. It is basic and to the point.

Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance. Permanent life insurance policies offer death benefits and a “savings account.” Unlike term life policies, permanent policies build cash value. The advantage of buying a permanent type of life insurance is that if the insured outlives the initially established term, they will be reimbursed some of–often more than–the amount set on the original premium.

In addition, universal life insurance policies are known as the flexible policy because you are allowed to vary your life insurance premium payments as well as adjust the face value of your coverage. Keep in mind that you must maintain enough premium payments so that the cash value on your account does not drop below the charges against your account. The more you put into this account the higher your cash value will be for future use. Universal life policies will have higher life insurance rates because it also serves as an investment vehicle.

Choosing Between Term and Universal Life Insurance?

There are a few things to consider when deciding to choose between term life insurance and a universal or permanent life insurance policy. For example, term life insurance is really a good choice for those who may have limited funds and not many responsibilities. Usually younger people choose term life insurance because they have a lower risk of dying in the immediate future. Younger investors feel that they can have the best of both worlds: coverage for themselves and their young families while also being able to use the money they save on cheaper insurance for other investments or assets.

While term life insurance seems to be a relatively short period solution, permanent or universal life insurance coverage is more advantageous for those who have built more assets and accumulated more money. A universal life insurance policy can be tapped into as a retirement account to allow for “golden years” enjoyment.

The best thing to do is contact your financial advisor for current life insurance rates on both term and universal life. Your financial advisor can also assist you in deciding which life insurance policy would best suit your current needs as well as forecast what might be needed in the future.

Sharon Taylor writes informative articles for eQUOTE Life Insurance, a premier Internet resource for term life insurance, no-obligation quotes, and other helpful insurance resource information.

Categories: Life Insurance
Feb
27

Is No Medical Life Insurance For Real?

Posted by harry Comments (0)

Have you recently been hearing about no medical life insurance, which is a type of life insurance that does not require that you undergo a physical or medical examination before signing up? This may sound too good to be true, and many people are ignoring the possibilities because they cannot imagine it being for real. Is no medical life insurance really possible? And if it were really possible, how would you go about obtaining no medical life insurance quotes? Read on to find out more about this new trend in life insurance policies.

No Medical Life Insurance Quote – For real?

Quite often, you may see an ad for a no medical life insurance policy or a website offering no medical life insurance quotes. At first thought this may seem like it is a rip off or some kind of scam. However, it is actually quite possible for you to obtain no medical life insurance quotes if you do your insurance policy shopping online rather than searching in person to meet your life insurance needs. Finding the right quote is actually only a few clicks away when it comes to searching on the computer, but only if you take the time to make sure if you are the right type of person to pursue no medical life insurance or not. Does the need for no medical life insurance apply to you, and are you the right candidate for this type of insurance or not?

Shop for No Medical Life Insurance Quotes Online

Doing your shopping online for no medical life insurance quotes begins with completing an online application for your no medical life insurance quote. This will involve sharing information relating to your age, your gender and your health on a generalized basis. Once your answers have been completely assessed by online agents who work for the insurance provider website that you visited, they will be able to determine if you qualify for no medical life insurance or not. There is one thing that you should be aware of regarding no medical life insurance quotes. If the provider does not feel that you are young and healthy, or they believe that you have some kind of health issue or illness that needs to be addressed, you will more than likely not be approved for this type of insurance. This is not an attempt by the insurance provider to be unfair to you, but rather the insurance provider is trying to protect the company from risk that they view to be unnecessary.

Once you have found an insurance provider that does not require a medical examination online, the rest of the process is actually quite simple. Once you have received a reply from the insurance provider letting you know that your application for no medical life insurance has been approved, you can pay for your policy online. You can use a credit card and immediately able to print out the paperwork. It is important to tell the truth when applying for this type of insurance, however, if your insurance provider finds out that false information was given when applying for your no medical life insurance policy, you may find that it has been cancelled.

It is important for you to be an educated consumer when it comes to shopping for life insurance online. Even if you are eligible for no medical life insurance quotes, there are plenty of other considerations to make relating to choosing the right insurance policy. For example, will you seek permanent or standard life insurance, or temporary or term life insurance? Standard insurance coverage remains in effect until the insured person passes away. Term coverage on the other hand expires after a certain number of years.

Sharon Taylor is an expert life insurance writer and frequent contributor to eQUOTE Life Insurance. eQUOTE is a leading Internet resource for life insurance prices, quotes and comprehensive life insurance resource information.

Categories: Life Insurance
Dec
19

The Lowdown On Life Insurance Medical Exams

Posted by harry Comments (0)

There are three main ways a new life insurance policy is priced: Underwritten policies are those where you answer questions on your personal and family medical history and undergo a medical exam arranged by the insurance company; a simplified issue life insurance policy application asks you some medical questions but does not require a medical exam; and a guaranteed issue life insurance policy requires no questions and no medical exam. If you’re healthy, or even if you have a few medical problems, you’re likely to get the best insurance value from an underwritten policy, which is priced specifically for you. Simplified issue and guaranteed issue life insurance policies set a price that assumes risk that you may not have.

Whether you’re buying term life insurance or whole life insurance, you’ll likely be asked to undergo a medical exam. These are typically performed by licensed paramedicals who are often independent contractors hired by the insurance company. They will schedule a visit to your home for the exam and bring all the necessary supplies. The life insurance company foots the bill for the exam.

Health questions

When you submit your completed application for your life insurance policy, your agent or life insurer will call a paramedical service to let them know you require an life insurance medical exam. The service will then contact you to arrange a convenient time and place. You must have the exam or your application won’t be processed.

The life insurer may still request an attending physician’s statement (APS) from your doctor, but you cannot have the life insurance medical exam done by your own physician.

In a basic exam, the paramedical will take your medical history (even though you’ve already supplied it on your application), height and weight, blood pressure, pulse, and blood and urine samples. Beyond that, tests will vary based on your age and policy amount.

For example, MetLife will order an in-home EKG for applicants age 50 and older who are applying for face amounts of at least $1 million. For applicants age 70 and older who are applying for $2 million policies and higher, MetLife forgoes the paramedical exam and requires an exam by an M.D. chosen by MetLife (not your own doctor). The doctor will ask the same medical questions as a paramedical and get your height, weight, blood pressure and pulse, plus do a brief medical exam such as listening to your heart.

Jacki Goldstein, Vice President of Life Underwriting at MetLife, emphasizes that this is not a comprehensive medical exam and does not include sensitive issues, such as a breast exam for women. Goldstein also stresses that the M.D. life insurance exam is not a substitute for good routine medical care.

When age and face amounts get higher, a treadmill test may be required. For example, MetLife requires treadmill tests for applicants who are at least 50 and applying for over $10 million in insurance or applicants 76 and older applying for $5 million or more.

If you’re applying for a low face value policy, you may not even be asked to do a paramedical exam. For example, if you’re age 40 and applying for $50,000 of life insurance, MetLife requires no specific tests or measurements. And for some cases, MetLife asks for a “simple paramed” exam, encompassing the basic measurements and blood and urine work but without the paramedical question list. Guidelines for tests will vary among life insurers.

What are They Looking For?

The life insurance company wants to know if you have any health condition that could shorten your life – which in turn affects the insurer’s risk and your policy premium. When samples of blood and urine are collected, the insurer tests for HIV, cholesterol and related lipids, liver or kidney disorder, diabetes, hepatitis, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and immune disorders. The urine sample might go through routine analysis, plus screening for certain medications, cocaine and other drugs.

Results go to the life insurer’s home office for an underwriter to review. You can usually send a written request if you want a copy of the results, and some insurers will automatically send you a copy of your lab work. If there’s anything of concern about the lab results, you would need to consult your own doctor. Goldstein says, “It’s not uncommon to have abnormalities that don’t mean anything.”

A life insurance underwriter then reviews your application and the results of your medical exam. They decide your life insurance rating, which sets your premium. If there are lingering questions about your health, they may request additional information or medical tests. In the very rare event you are unknowingly quite ill – chronically or terminally – your application would be declined and you would have to look for a high-risk carrier or one that offers guaranteed issue life insurance.

Don’t Let Your Life Insurance Premiums Go Up In Smoke

Smokers pay higher premiums for life insurance because of their higher mortality rate. If any nicotine shows up in your results, you’ll be considered a smoker. The test also detects nicotine from a transdermal patch.

After the Life Insurance Exam Results

If your test results correlate with the classification used for your original life insurance quote, you’ll have no problem getting that rate. If a medical problem is discovered, you might be offered a life insurance policy with a higher premium.

There are two types of risk ratings: “flat” ratings, sometimes called temporary flat extras, and “table” ratings. Underwriters assess health conditions based sophisticated table to determine how to rate certain health conditions.

For instance, an underwriter might apply a flat rating for a short period of time for a person who has just had surgery. On the other hand, a person with high-blood pressure could receive a table rating, which increases premiums by a set amount for the duration of the policy, depending on your medical condition and age. If you disagree with a rating you receive, contact your agent. Agents can find out if the rating can be revised based on supplemental medical tests to prove you qualify for a better rating.

Even if you end up declining the life insurance policy, your test results become part of your record in MIB Group’s database (formerly the Medical Information Bureau), a clearinghouse of medical information that insurers share which stores information for seven years after you apply for a life, health, disability income, long term care or critical illness insurance policy.

MIB is jointly owned by about 470 insurance companies. So, if you go shopping around for other term or whole life insurance policies, remember that your medical information is accessible to other insurers in the near future. Note that MIB’s database does not contain actual medical records but rather codes that represent medical conditions and tests, hazardous hobbies and even your bad driving record.

If you want to check your MIB file, or dispute information in it, you can obtain one free report annually at www.mib.com.

No Way, You Say?

Life insurance medical exams are really quite routine. But if you want to avoid a medical exam at all costs, you could buy a simplified issue life insurance policy, which requires only that you answer a few medical questions, or a guaranteed issue life insurance policy, which requires neither an exam nor questions.

Keep in mind, though, that if you’re in general good health, or even with a history of some health issues, you’ll likely get a much better rate by buying a life insurance policy that requires a medical exam.

Tips for a Better Life Insurance Medical Exam

Certain health conditions simply cannot be masked, but to obtain the best possible results, here are some recommendations:

Get a good night’s rest the night before your exam.
Don’t drink for at least eight hours before the exam.
Avoid coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks such as soda for at least one hour prior to the exam.
Limit salt intake and high-cholesterol food 24 hours before your exam.
Don’t engage in strenuous physical activities 24 hours before the exam.

Source: Exam & Profile Services, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Amy Danise is a staff writer for http://www.Insure.com Visit Insure.com for a comprehensive array of comparative auto, life and health quotes, including a vast library of originally authored insurance articles and decision-making tools that are not available from any other single source. Insure.com is dedicated to providing impartial insurance information to consumers. Visitors can obtain instant insurance quotes from more than 200 leading insurers, achieve maximum savings and have the freedom to buy from any company shown.

Categories: Life Insurance
Dec
17

Term vs Whole Life Insurance – The Debate Continues

Posted by harry Comments (0)

If you are considering your life insurance options, you have undoubtedly encountered the “term insurance” versus “whole life insurance” debate. With so much information and so many opinions, it is easy to get caught up in a whirl of confusion. The key is to research your options, because there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

First, you need to understand the basics of each type of insurance. Once you know that, consider how they will apply to you. What are your financial goals? Do you have other investment tools at work for you? Would a combination of strategies be your best option? Once we address a few of these questions, it will be much easier to determine which route will suit you and your family – term or whole life or even a combination of the two.

Defining Term Life

Term life insurance offers coverage to the policyholder for a specified length of time. Generally, this type of policy is bought with an objective in mind. For example, term life insurance is a popular option for individuals with limited income. It is also sought after by those with high, but short term insurance needs; entrepreneurs who wish to cover a business loan, or for personal family protection. While term life policies offer no cash value accumulation; they do provide for beneficiaries upon your death. The face value is usually collected tax free, assuming that all premiums are paid current.

The Advantages of Term Life

Term life insurance typically boasts low premiums. Given the lower premiums, many industry experts believe that term insurance provides the best insurance coverage per premium dollar. In addition, this type of policy does provide you with the coverage you need to meet all your short-term needs. A good example of such a need would be your mortgage.

Finally, term life insurance policies can also serve as a complement to your whole life insurance policy, should you opt to have both in place. Convertible term policies are available. These policies will enable you to convert your current term coverage to permanent life insurance at a later date, and generally a medical exam is not required.

The Disadvantage of Term Life

To truly determine what type of coverage is right for you, you must also consider the disadvantages or cons of term life insurance. The first thing to keep in mind is that coverage only lasts a pre-determined length of time. In addition, premiums will continue to climb as you age, or your death benefit will decrease. As stated above, there is no cash value accumulation.

You will also need to look to the future, by realizing that riders that are available with whole life insurance policies are not usually obtainable, and you may be unable to purchase additional coverage at a later date. Finally, term life is not typically available to seniors and these policies are not appropriate for paying estate taxes.

Defining Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance offers policyholders permanent and lifelong insurance coverage. Of course, this is assuming that you continue to pay your premium payments! The policy benefit typically remains the same over the course of time, and is payable to the beneficiary(s), upon the insured’s death.

Unlike term life insurance, whole life is designed to last over an extended period of time. Those wishing to cover permanent needs favor these types of policies. Permanent needs may include covering final expenses or contributing to a survivor’s nest egg. Whole life policies also present you with an opportunity to build cash value. This may become important later in life, if you are faced with unexpected costs. You can take a loan on your policy to cover major purchases or help finance that ‘rainy day’.

The Advantage of Whole Life Insurance

There are a number of advantages to consider. First, whole life insurance policies offer guaranteed protection for life, as long as you continue to meet your premiums. Premiums do not increase in direct correlation with age, and typically, your death benefit is tax-free.

In addition, whole life insurance offers low risk cash value accounts, and the cash may accumulate tax-deferred. In certain cases, you may be able to convert your cash value to an annuity or even opt to make tax-free loans of your cash value. Finally, many depend on a whole life insurance policy to provide their loved ones with the funds to pay for medical bills, final expenses and any remaining debt.

The Disadvantages of Whole Life Insurance

One of the major disadvantages associated with whole life insurance is the cost of premiums. Many find the high premiums to be a hindrance, and are unable to purchase the appropriate amount of protection. Following along that same thought, in order for a whole life insurance policy to be beneficial, you will have to maintain the policy for a considerable amount of time. You are unable to vary your monthly premium payments and the payment period time is lengthy.

Another disadvantage is that at the ‘end of the day’ the cash value of your policy may be less than your face value. This is one major reason that proponents of term life insurance encourage policyholders to buy a term policy and invest the difference. But we will touch more on that later.

There are two final points to consider when shopping your options. First, should you opt to take out a loan, the amount is deducted from the cash value or death benefit of the policy. In addition, you generally are unable to increase the amount of coverage at a later date.

What Type of Policy is Right for Me?

There are a few basic questions to ask yourself. First are your insurance needs permanent or temporary? Also, you must face the practical issue of premiums. Can you afford the high premiums associated with whole life insurance? Are you disciplined enough to, ‘buy term and invest the difference’? If you were faithful in putting your pennies in the piggy bank as a child, this may be a smart option. However, if you know that you will spend every extra dollar buying fabulous shoes or that amazing set of golf clubs – you will want to consider the ‘forced’ savings that whole life insurance provides.

There is always the option of a convertible term policy. Many find that it is an appropriate way to begin. Despite your choice, at the end of the day, you want to ensure that the type of coverage you opt for will help you build a strong and solid financial foundation for you and your family! Our last tip? Do not depend on either term or whole life insurance as your primary source of investment. Talk with a financial advisor regarding other options, such as 401Ks, IRAs, Stock Options, etc. You can never over prepare for the future.

Establishing his insurance career in 1985, Gary Stuart began from the ground up, building and cultivating an agency which specialized in several lines, including long term care, group health, disability, whole life insurance and more! In 2001, Gary translated his 15 years of experience in the industry to the development of his website which provides his customers with an opportunity to explore their insurance options. Gary sees education as the key element in purchasing a policy best suited to the needs of the individual. For more information, you can vist his site at: http://www.acculifeinsurance.com

Categories: Life Insurance