Whole Life Insurance - The Policy Explained
Saturday, September 6th, 2008When you purchase a whole life insurance policy, you are getting a permanent policy. Having a “permanent” policy means that you are responsible for paying the premiums until you die. This is different than term life, which is only effective for specific periods of time and must be renewed at higher premiums or converted into a permanent policy.
When you acquire a whole life insurance policy, your monthly premiums are locked in at one fixed price. They can’t be increased during your lifetime if you are careful to make your payments in full and on time. Because the money you pay in is invested, your cash value increases. The profits you get from monthly dividends may either be applied to your account to reduce your monthly payments or you may receive the dividends. The money you receive in dividends is tax deferrable — meaning you are not required to pay taxes on that income.
Whole life insurance gives you the right to withdraw money from the policy while you are alive. You can borrow money against the face value of your policy. Of course, doing either of these will reduce the benefits to your beneficiaries if you do not replace the money before your death.
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