How to Compare Life Insurance Quotes

Life insurance is a type of protection that will pay benefits to your family members when you die. The money paid will go to your beneficiary and can be used towards funeral expenses, medical bills or to pay off other debts. If life insurance is not offered through your employer, consider taking out your own individual policy. When you do, you will need to compare quotes from different insurance carriers.

Step 1

Compile quotes from life insurance carriers. You can cold call insurance companies in your area or use a rate comparison website that provides quotes from multiple carriers. An example of this type of site is Compuquotes. A life insurance agent will likely need to know your age, income and medical history to process the quote.

Step 2

Review the terms of the life insurance policies. The two main types are permanent life insurance and term life insurance. With permanent, the protection is lifelong, under the condition that the premiums are paid. Term life insurance will only pay benefits over a set period of time, such as 10, 15 or 20 years. Term life insurance quotes will be much lower than permanent quotes, but offers less coverage to the insured.

Step 3

Look at the premiums required by the policy. While comparing, you'll need to decide whether the required payments fall within your budget and if you will have the ability to commit to pay them over an extended period of time. Premiums can fluctuate and start off lower when purchased at a young age. Over time, the premiums may gradually increase.

Step 4

Check the rating of the life insurance company. When comparing rates and companies, make sure the companies are reputable and financially stable. For example, one rating service you can use is Standard and Poor's Insurance Rating Service.

References

Article reviewed by Jenna Marie Last updated on: Oct 21, 2009

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