Pros & Cons: Which Policy is Better?
| Benefits | Term Life | Whole Life |
|---|---|---|
| Builds cash value | no | yes |
| Stable premiums | no | yes |
| Long-term coverage | no | yes |
| Lower premiums | yes | no |
Term coverage only protects you for a limited number of years, while whole life provides lifelong protection—if you can keep up with the premium payments. Whole life premiums can cost five to 15 times more than term policies with the same death benefit, so they may not be an option for budget-conscious consumers.
Policygenius reports that whole life insurance can cost six to 10 times more than a comparable term policy. That greatly increases the odds that you won't be able to afford your premiums at some point down the line. If that happens, you may have no choice but to drop your coverage, leaving your loved ones vulnerable.
Disadvantages of whole life insurance
Short answer: it is. Term life insurance provides an affordable way to help financially protect your family. If you're asking yourself whether life insurance is worth it, the answer is simple. Yes, life insurance is worth it — especially if you have loved ones who rely on you financially.
If you outlive your term life policy, you usually don't get any money. ... Return of premium (ROP) term life gives you back the premiums. The downside is you'll pay more than a regular term life policy. If ROP interests you, compare policies with and without that rider to see whether the extra cost is worth it.
Term life is designed to cover you for a specified period (say 10, 15 or 20 years) and then end. Because the number of years it covers are limited, it generally costs less than whole life policies. But term life policies typically don't build cash value. So, you can't cash out term life insurance.
However, as you age, you'll likely make more money and improve your financial situation. That's a good time to convert to a permanent life policy. Permanent life will cost you more than term life, but it will also provide you with savings for your survivors or to use as an emergency fund or retirement fund.
Whole life insurance is generally a bad investment unless you need permanent life insurance coverage. If you want lifelong coverage, whole life insurance might be a worthwhile investment if you've already maxed out your retirement accounts and have a diversified portfolio.
The shorter the payment period, the higher the premium will be, but it's an option worth considering if you want to turn over a policy that's already paid off to your child. As you can see from the sample rates provided by Hoang below, premiums for a whole life policy are significantly lower for a child than an adult.
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