how does term life insurance work

You have many options when choosing how long your term life insurance should last. Typically, you can buy coverage for one, five, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. Policies that last one or five years can help cover short-term debts or expenses you currently pay, like a child's tuition. Alternatively, if you're the breadwinner and want a policy to cover your mortgage, a 30-year term might be a better match. These needs disappear over time, and so might your need for a policy.

There are many types of life insurance policies. The most popular ones are whole and term. Term life insurance is more practical for most people because it's simple, affordable, and lasts as long as you need. The policy that works best for you depends on your personal circumstances. This includes your income, financial obligations, and lifestyle.

The most common type of death benefit for a term policy is a level term policy, which means that the value of the death benefit stays the same for the entire time your policy is active. The benefit can also decrease, meaning it shrinks over time, typically in one-year increments.

If you don't plan to have children yet, you can lock yourself in a lower monthly premium while you are still young and healthy. You can also lock in a lower rate so your policy doesn’t mature before you have children.

There are no whole and term life insurance policies that require a medical exam. However, whole life insurance policies typically have death benefits of $50,000 or less. This is ten-fold less than the limit for term benefits. An insurer that doesn't offer medical exam coverage will typically not offer a higher death benefit. This means that the medical examination is dependent on your responses to questions about your health.