Currently, approximately 52% of Americans have some degree of life insurance. Additionally, about one in three Americans is covered solely by a private policy, and one in five is protected both by an employer policy and private life insurance. For many who don’t have life insurance through their employer or who supplement a work policy with a private one, part of their journey toward becoming suitably insured begins with life insurance quotes.
If you’re getting life insurance quotes to find the best policy based on your needs, ensuring you review it correctly is essential. Here’s a basic guide to evaluating life insurance quotes.
Think About Your Needs
First, anyone looking for a new life insurance policy needs to understand their needs. Usually, this involves determining not only how much coverage they require but how long they need that specific coverage level to last.
For example, an income-earning parent may require more coverage while their children are living at home but may have different needs once the children become adults and start earning their own income. As a result, they might want to choose a term length that aligns with that transition.
Looking at lifestyle factors is also wise. Smokers or those who participate in risky hobbies usually pay higher rates. Similarly, those with certain known health conditions or family histories of specific medical issues may have higher policy costs. As a result, they may want to focus on insurers that offer better rates to those with more significant risks presented on their application.
The goal is to determine what you’re looking for in a policy and whether you’ll face challenges due to aspects of your application. That helps you focus on options that can best meet your needs, leading to quotes that represent the best possible policies for you.
Research Providers
After figuring out what you need from a life insurance provider, it’s time to research the various insurers. You need to identify companies that offer the amounts and terms you want, as well as those that will accept customers with any of the risk factors that are listed in your application.
Additionally, factoring in the company’s reputation is essential, as some are more customer-oriented than others. Checking the financial strength of the insurer is similarly wise, as that can reduce the odds of company-related struggles impacting your coverage.
Check the Costs
Once you create a short list of potential insurers, it’s time for formal quotes. With those, you can see precisely what’s provided in the life insurance policy, making it easier to compare providers directly. Plus, you can look at the cost of the coverage, giving you a critical piece of financial information.
During the evaluation, don’t look at prices alone. Instead, you need to compare the value of the policy to the cost, as some may come with benefits or features that others don’t. By examining the life insurance quotes from a value perspective, you can figure out what the best price is for a policy that meets your needs best, making it easier to select the life insurance policy that’s right for you.
