Ninety seven (97) percent of term policies lapse without paying a claim.
Determining the duration of coverage may be the most difficult decision you face concerning your life insurance coverage. Until you are certain about how long you WANT or NEED your policy to last, it is difficult to determine whether you should own a term policy or a permanent policy. The longer you want your policy to last, the higher its premium will be. But the sooner you lock in a permanent policy, the less it will be. For those who prefer to minimize and control their costs in the future, figuring out the duration issue as early as you can is wise. Permanent life insurance has a much lower net cost than term.
Since the net cost of permanent coverage is much lower, why do people stay with term longer than they should?
In a perfect world, we’d like guaranteed coverage to last for life at the cost of term insurance. If it weren’t for its higher premiums, everyone would prefer permanent insurance. As it is impossible to predict the future, maximum duration flexibility is an important feature to have in a policy. As we get older, our feelings about life insurance change. In our 30’s and 40’s, we may feel we only need coverage until retirement or when our kids are self-sufficient. Since term policies require less premium, we choose it hoping to replace it with a better policy before it expires. Unfortunately, that is not what happens. The low term premiums are enticing and the insurance industry is failing to communicate the risks of carrying term too long. This has led to a crisis defined by huge numbers of relatively young people being unable to secure a policy after their initial 20 or 30 year term policy expires.
The biggest problem with term insurance is that it doesn’t last long enough. Consider that 97% of term policies will lapse before paying a claim. The renewal premiums become unaffordable and catch people off guard and unprepared for higher premiums. If their health has changed, the problems begin to multiply. Term insurance is not better value. It’s simply less costly in the low risk years.
As we get older, we want life insurance to last longer. Waiting to tackle the duration issue can have sobering consequences.
Innovation is completely changing the insurance industry but existing coverage must be upgraded as often as possible. Did you know that you can take a $2,000,000 advance against the right policy at no cost. If you have a health emergency, it could be a lifesaver.
And, you can now get a $5,000,000 policy issued in one phone call, without a medical exam and pay the same rates as people who are underwritten traditionally.
Give us a call at 561-869-4500 or email TB@LifeCyclePlanners to get started.
