Be responsible, get life insurance
Thinking about life insurance is depressing. Nevertheless, it is still an essential part of sound financial planning. As a general rule of thumb, you will only need life insurance if you have dependents who are not financially capable of supporting themselves. It might be a child, a housewife, ageing parents, or other family members that depend on you, the sole breadwinner of the family.

All of us recognise the imperativeness of life insurance but are at times apprehensive in securing one. We might shy away from the thought of it, due to the morbid nature of life-and-death, or simply from being overwhelmed by financial jargons and calculations that clutters our head. Let us try to decrypt your worries by providing some insights into life insurance in layman terms.

Who needs life insurance?
At your 20s, you are probably at that stage of launching your career or startup. With your competitive drive for financial freedom, you are scurrying up the corporate ladder or creating blueprints to make your dream business come to life. Whatever it is, your roadmap to success had disregarded the importance of sound financial planning for your loved ones, in the unfortunate event of our passing.

By purchasing a life insurance at an early age, you are generally eligible for a lower insurance premium. Moreover, a term insurance of let’s say 20 to 30 years will cover your current/future family financial stability if your health ill-fatedly deteriorates as aging takes place.

In the event that you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or died due to a freak accident, your spouse or underaged child will have to resume the role of breadwinner. Adding on to the grievance from the loss of a loved one, your family will have to take up additional job roles or put their education on hold to generate a regular stream of income. Securing a life insurance is an altruistic decision to prepare for the worst.

How do I get started?
Here comes the slightly more sophisticated part. There are 2 types of insurance, term life insurance and whole life insurance. The differences and individual benefits are as listed below:

Term life insurance: A term life insurance purely provides financial protection over a fixed period of time. It is a finite policy which would pay out the agreed sum of amount, in the unfortunate event of death or critical illness.

As its name suggests, the insurance coverage will end when the term ends, or when you stop paying the monthly premium on your insurance.
Unlike whole life insurance, you will receive no cash payout if the insurance is surrendered early or when the term ends.
Features
• Significantly cheaper as compared to whole life insurance
• A 10 to 15 years coverage of your annual income will be ideal
• Only provides death benefits
• Purchased for a specific term period of up to 30 years

Whole life insurance: A whole insurance provides both financial protection capabilities and aids in accumulating your savings. It is referred to as a cash value insurance or endowment policy. It is an infinite policy which lasts throughout your lifespan, and will discharge the insurance amount along with the accumulated savings in the event of death or critical illness.

As compared to term insurance, your beneficiaries (loved ones) is guaranteed to receive your accumulated savings and insurance cash payout if the policy is surrendered early.
Features
• More costly due to its added cash accumulation feature. It is generally 5 to 15 times more expensive as compared to a term life insurance
• Provides both death benefits and savings function
• Life-long insurance coverage
• The cash value can be withdrawn during the policy period

Is whole life insurance always better?
Some may perceive whole life insurance as more attractive. For those who are less financially savvy or lack the investment know-hows, the cash value accumulation may appear more rewarding.

If truth be told, the year-to-year returns generated is a measly 3-5% due to its low-risk function. Moreover, this type of insurance requires you to leave your cash idle for at least 10 years, to make the upfront costs worthwhile. For the more ambitious individual, the annual amount placed in whole life insurance plans can be invested elsewhere to generate higher returns.

To some, whole life insurance is just an absurdly expensive plan to suck unexpecting consumers off their monthly paycheck. To others, they have far-sighted financial goals. It could be for your child’s future educational fund, or to save up to upgrade your current home into a condominium. In addition, saving up for retirement or to expand one’s investment portfolio are several other objectives for securing a whole life insurance.

Why Choose Us? (Life insurance)
Life insurance comes with appallingly high tenure periods. Make sure that you engage with reputable insurance firms or financial institutions to ensure guaranteed payouts if the worst were to happen.

Leveraging on our long-standing presence in these industries, let us perform a quick comparison of all the available insurance plans in the market, to derive the cheapest and most relevant quote to your specialised needs.

Let us link you to exceptional firms with a proven track record in life insurance dealings, while shying away from fishy businesses which aim to rip you off your hard-earned salaries.

Compare competitive life insurance rates here: