Hidden In Plain Sight-Term Life Conversions

Introduction

Most people do not have a clear understanding of the various options available in term life insurance, and consequently make decisions based solely on price. This document was written to help you determine what additional issues may also have a bearing on the best value for you.

The Problem

As consumers, we generally concern ourselves with price because we are most comfortable when comparing something obvious such as numbers. Prices are easy to compare and understand; especially when it concerns products we generally have little experience in purchasing.

Previous Option

Compounding this problem as it concerns term life insurance in particular, is that many popular internet sites allow the consumer to obtain a quote simply by completing several questions about build, health and lifestyle. Once quotes are obtained, it’s up to the buyer to choose their best deal. We know this can be a disservice to the client, and in the pages to follow we give a specific example of why, and what to consider.

The LifeNet Solution We believe life insurance is too important to your beneficiary’s welfare and your own peace of mind to choose coverage based on limited information and undefined objectives. Certainly there is nothing wrong with checking premium costs to get some idea of the market; however, we believe clients are not well served by a mechanical procedure which does not address issues central to the reason for purchase in the first place, i.e. your beneficiaries’ security.

An Example

Let’s take a case of a 60 year old male, a non-smoker in good health and in need of a $1,000,000 policy to examine how both approaches work, and show why our method is superior and provides more value to you, the applicant.

The competition provides you a number of quotes detailing carrier name, carrier rating, health category, and premium. Should you wish to apply, simply pick your carrier and the application appears. No fuss, no bother, and no idea if this offer is the best value. In fact, it is rare to find premiums of the lowest cost carriers to vary widely.

The lowest cost provider with an A+ or better rating, which we’ll call Company A has an annual premium of $4755. Two other carriers (Companies B and C) have annual premiums of $4955 and $4980 respectively.

All three have convertibility options, but each company’s conversion rules vary and can result in very different opportunities for the insured. In each case, conversion will be at the same health rating that the insured received at the time of the original purchase. In essence, this guarantees the health rating at conversion without evidence of current insurability. This is extremely important since health tends to worsen as we grow older, you could even be uninsurable. In addition, most carriers will allow a partial conversion. That is, a $1,000,000 term may be converted into a permanent policy of any size up to the original face amount of $1,000,000. Most permanent policies have a minimum face of $100,000].