Whole life is a type of permanent insurance that can last for your entire lifetime. Whole life is much more expensive than term life insurance, which expires after a certain number of years. A whole life policy also has a savings component that can build cash value over the years.
One of the most appealing benefits of purchasing a whole life insurance policy is this: As long as you pay your premiums, your death benefit will never expire. It is guaranteed to be paid regardless of when you die, whether that's tomorrow, in five years, 80 years or even further away.
Whole life insurance has both pros and cons:
One of the biggest selling points of whole life, or permanent life insurance, is that it builds cash value you can borrow against. Many whole life insurance policies also pay dividends, but they aren't guaranteed.
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.
Disadvantages of Whole Life Insurance
Whole life has higher premiums than term life in the early years, but unlike term policies where the premiums usually increase at renewal time, whole life premiums remain level.
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.
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.
Generally, you can withdraw a limited amount of cash from your whole life insurance policy. In fact, a cash-value withdrawal up to your policy basis, which is the amount of premiums you've paid into the policy, is typically non-taxable. ... A cash withdrawal shouldn't be taken lightly.
Whole life insurance policies are the best option for some people, especially those who will always have dependents due to disabilities and the like. But if you're paying for an expensive policy you don't really need, cashing out may be the best option, even if you have to pay fees and taxes.
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.
Converting a term life insurance policy to a permanent policy allows you to extend your coverage without going through the underwriting process. This can be a valuable option if your health changes for the worse.
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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