Life Insurance Riders Can Offer a Plan B

So you’ve decided to buy life insurance to protect your family or business?

Good move.

But there’s more to the purchase than just signing on the dotted line.

You need to pay close attention to the policy add-ons that insurers offer. In the industry, these add-ons are known as riders. Like a warranty or guarantee for other consumer purchases, riders can give policyholders additional benefits and increase peace of mind—If something goes wrong, there’s a plan B.

And while they may vary in price, they are, at the very least, prudent to consider. (more…)

Better Health Means Even Better Rates, But You Still Need to Compare

Hey, it looks like the underwriting departments of life insurance companies may be willing to look at modifying “rigid” guidelines for what they consider “good” risks to be. For example, I read that The Hartford has started paying more attention to a person’s capacity to exercise as a marker of good health and better longevity. That doesn’t mean that insurance companies won’t look at your blood pressure, cholesterol, height and weight, etc. when considering you for life insurance. It’s just that now they seem willing to look at a couple other factors, too.

People who are athletic aren’t always thin; some have a lot of muscle mass. They may not fit in neat height/weight ratio categories, but they still may be in excellent physical condition. As companies are trying to be more inclusive of those who may be outside the historic underwriting physical benchmarks, they are also sharpening their pencils on other things like aggregate cholesterol, fractionated cholesterol (how your LDL compares with your HDL), a1(c) levels and other factors to try to give very healthy folks not only “preferred” but “super preferred” rates.

When I first started in the business, the underwriting categories were pretty much “standard” or “rated.” And if you were rated, it meant your rates for term insurance, for example, could go up by about 25% for each “table” you were rated, Table 1, Table 2, etc. Since then, companies introduced non-smoker rates, preferred rates, standard-plus rates, super-preferred rates and a number of other categories that you may qualify for.

While super good health may qualify you for special discounted rates, these many different categories also mean you need to be a discriminating shopper. Companies may advertise or illustrate their very best rates in order to attract your inquiry. Just remember that the final rate will only be determined when your medical underwriting is completed. And, make sure when you are comparing companies, that you are comparing the same underwriting class, i.e, preferred to preferred. There could be a 40% pricing difference between a preferred rate and a standard rate.

But the most important advice is to make sure you have enough life insurance. If you don’t, do some shopping. All the comparisons will show you that rates are lower than they have ever been. And if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact your agent or to find one in your area with LIFE’s agent locator.