The basis of deciding the appropriate life cover is not only the cost of the insurance policy. One should also assess if a cheaper policy can provide you with the right amount and type of protection coverage. Thus, the proper way of evaluating the insurance policy being offered by the insurance agent or the insurance company is to determine if the life cover can provide the protection you want to give your loved ones.

Most of us tend to base our decision on the cost of the insurance policy. We should always remember the reasons why we are getting this life cover in the first place. The life cover is basically our way of giving our loved ones with the appropriate safety net in the event that something happens to us. We will not be able to achieve this objective if cost is the major factor in your decision. Nonetheless, it is still incumbent upon us to get an insurance policy that we can actually afford.

The term insurance provides protection cover to the policyholder for a fixed schedule. The term insurance can run for one year and up to a maximum of ten years. The protection cover of a term insurance lapses once the specified time frame is completed. Thus, the named beneficiaries can claim the death benefits of a term insurance only in the event that the policyholder dies within the specified timeframe of the insurance policy. This type of insurance policy is appropriate if cost is a major consideration.

There is also a special form of term insurance where the protection cover decreases over the entire period that the policy is in force. The protection cover is at its highest value at the start of the term insurance and gradually decreases over the entire spread of the insurance policy. Because of the limited period of cover, the term insurance is the cheaper of the two types of insurance cover. For a limited cover, the policyholder will pay lower premiums on term insurance policies. Further, you can not submit an application for a policy loan against a term insurance cover as it does not generate cash value over time.

The other type of life cover is the life insurance. The main distinction of this type of insurance cover is that it has a savings or cash accrual feature on top of the death benefit that it provides to the beneficiary. This accrued amount shall be given as the cash surrender value once the policyholder opts to discontinue the life cover. The cash surrender value takes effect once the policy reaches its first anniversary.

The whole life type of life insurance is the simpler form of the two types of life insurance cover. The basic feature of this type of life insurance is that the premium amount will remain the same throughout the entire term of the insurance cover. Under this type of life insurance, the policyholder has no control over the investment decision of the insurance company.

If flexibility is essential to you then the universal life insurance is the better option. The accrued savings can be used to reduce your premium payments. The policyholder is also given the option to submit a request for an upward adjustment of the life cover.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance Provider who specialises in Life Insurance.