The first step in buying life insurance is to understand the different types. In this article, we take a look at whole life insurance.

There is a common saying about life insurance that is one of those things that is half joking and half serious. It is said that life insurance represents a bet between you and the Insurance Company. The Insurance Company is betting that you live a long time, and you are betting that you die. If you do die, you win the bet. This simplification contains some elements of truth. A Whole Life Insurance policy is designed to collect premiums or payments from the holder of the policy. These premiums are combined with the funds collected from all of the other policy holders and invested. When a policy holder dies, the agreed upon benefit is paid to the designated beneficiary.

In some cases, a Whole Life policy will pay the designated benefit upon the diagnosis of a critical illness, but basically, they are designed to provide the benefit upon the death of the policy holder. There are several different forms that a Whole Life policy may take and each has slightly different rules. In some forms, the policy holder shares in a portion of the investment earnings of the company. Under this system, the policy can actually accumulate a cash value above the basic death payout. This cash value can be borrowed against in an emergency or considered as part of retirement planning.

The Whole Life Insurance companies will often stress this cash value when attempting to sell a policy to a new customer. It is important to understand a bit about the workings of the company when evaluating this. The Insurance Company is taking some serious risks. The payout amount compared with the annual premium mandates that the majority of the policy holders remain alive long enough to cover the payouts to the beneficiaries of the unlucky ones who die. The investments that are made by the insurance companies are generally safe ones that will insure a steady influx of capital without undue risk.

There are also administrative costs that reduce the amount of investment profit that goes into increasing the cash value of the policy. There are better ways to invest for your retirement than excessive Whole Life insurance policies. The best way to view the policy is to go back to the bet concept. The idea of a personal Whole Life Policy is to provide protection to your family in the case of your death.

Insurance is one of the key elements of a sound personal financial planning game plan. It is designed to provide the protection against the uncertainties of life. The idea is to find the middle ground. Excessive life insurance can drain valuable cash resources that can be better used elsewhere while insufficient life insurance can leave your dependants at risk should the unexpected occur. A Whole Life Insurance policy can be an integral part of a well balanced financial plan, but it should be carefully thought out and all the various types of plans evaluated to find the one that best fits your individual needs.