Most people get a life insurance quote or have a life insurance review when there is a significant change in their circumstances such as moving home or a change in life that means there are one or more individuals (this could be getting married or having children) are financially dependent on you to pay all or some of the monthly bills such as a mortgage.
Life insurance pays out a lump sum if you die during the term (length) of your life insurance which means that financial obligations can still be met and your family can continue to live at home without worrying about meeting the monthly payments.
If you have a family that rely on you financially then you should consider life insurance. To work out if you should have it then you should consider the following questions;
If your salary not being paid to the family each month would hinder their ability to pay bills or stop a child going to university then it is recommended you get life insurance for their protection.
You need it as long as you have financial commitments. If you are getting life insurance to only cover your mortgage then the term (insurance period) should match the number of years you have remaining on your mortgage. If you are taking out a life insurance policy to protect your families income then you should consider at what age you think your children will no longer be financially reliant on you and how long you have remaining on your mortgage and get covered for whichever one is longer.
This is a tricky one because it varies from one person to another which is why we go through things on the phone, but in general you will need enough to cover your mortgage and any debts on loans or credit cards that you have. Then you need to think if you wanted to leave a lump sum to anyone, if you do then factor in this figure to any life insurance policy value you want to get a quote for.
The policy will only pay out upon death during the term of the insurance policy, it is not an investment product and in reality you hope that you never have to utilise the pay out on a regular policy. You state how many years you want to be insured for (between 2 years and 40 years depending on age) and as long as you have adhered to the terms and conditions of the insurance policy then your family will receive the cash pay out of the life insurance policy value. If you selected a 25 year term for your policy and paid the monthly premiums and are still alive at the end of the 25 years your policy will lapse and will have zero value. You can select a whole of life insurance where there is a guaranteed cash payment at the end of your life, these are considerably more expensive and are best discussed over the phone.
Life insurance will vary on your age, your health, whether you have used any nicotine products (smoked or vaped), what the policy value is and what the term is (duration). Life insurance can be affordable and can suit virtually every budget. If you are in good health and haven’t used a nicotine product then the policy cost will be lower the younger you are so it is definitely not something you should put off.
Below is a table of costs from 1st February 2022 comparing a person with no health conditions (and no family history of health condition) on a level term (the insurance value will be the same on the first day of the policy and the last day of the policy) and paying £10 a month for the duration of the life insurance policy
Age at the start of the policy | Term Years (length) | Monthly cost | Cover amount | Insurer |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 20 | £10 | £345,117 | AIG |
35 | 20 | £10 | £225,197 | Aviva |
40 | 15 | £10 | £166,478 | AIG |
45 | 15 | £10 | £104,303 | Aviva |
50 | 10 | £10 | £74,806 | Aviva |
55 | 10 | £10 | £42,449 | Aviva |
60 | 10 | £10 | £23,379 | AIG |
65 | 10 | £10 | £14,016 | Aviva |
70 | 10 | £10 | £8,524 | Aviva |
*Examples of cover from £10 a month
We have partnered with 2 of the UK’s leading life insurance brokers
Life Search who have helped to insure over 1,000,000 people since 1998. They work with every major UK life insurance provider and because of the quality of their work have been awarded ‘Best Protection Adviser’ in 13 of the last 15 years. They also have a score of 4.9/5 on Trustpilot from over 18,000 reviews – you’re in safe hands.
Reassured is the largest life insurance broker in the UK (Based on total revenue in latest published accounts following competitor market analysis) who compare major life insurance providers to find you the best policy. Their Trustpilot rating is 4.8/5 from over 68,000 reviews
Not all brokers we work with can offer advice for a policy