life insurance

AccuQuote, a Leading Provider of Term Life Insurance Quotes, Provides Tips for Helping Smokers Find Affordable Term Life Insurance

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:17:20 +0000

AccuQuote.com, a leading provider of term life insurance quotes to people across the United States, recommends several tips to help smokers find affordable term life insurance.

Whether you smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, or have an occasional cigar or pipe, the life insurance quotes you'll most likely see are going to be smoker rates which are often, as much as triple (or more) the price of non-tobacco users

Wheeling, IL (PRWEB) July 8, 2008 — AccuQuote, a leader in providing term life insurance quotes to people across the United States, recommends several tips to help smokers find affordable term life insurance.

“Whether you smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, or have an occasional cigar or pipe, the life insurance quotes you'll most likely see are going to be smoker rates which are often, as much as triple (or more) the price of non-tobacco users,” says Byron Udell, founder and CEO of AccuQuote.

For example, a 40-year-old male cigarette smoker qualifying for term life insurance rates on a policy with a face value of $500,000 would be quoted a minimum of $2,480 for a 30-year level term life policy. If that same person qualified for the best available non-smoker rates he would only pay $620 for the same policy. That's a savings of $1,860 per year and $55,800 over the length of the policy!

“If you've been putting off shopping for life insurance because you're a smoker, or think you are paying exorbitant premiums because of your habit, it's time to start shopping around. Many people are overpaying for their term life insurance because they don't realize how to shop for it,” says Udell.

AccuQuote suggests the following tips for finding a life insurance company that will offer some tobacco users more favorable rates - sometimes, even non-smoker rates:

Shop around - Some companies require a negative test for nicotine in order to qualify for non-smoker term life insurance rates. While at others, testing positive for nicotine is acceptable. As a result, an occasional cigar smoker or tobacco chewer could end up paying a lot more than they have to if they buy their term life insurance from the “wrong” company.
Deal with a multi-carrier broker - Only a brokerage firm that has access to a broad range of carriers will likely know which life insurance company might offer the most favorable term life insurance rates to a given person, based on their individual profile.
Do NOT lie on your application - Because premiums offered to those who use tobacco use are often triple those of people who don't smoke, some people are tempted to lie to get a better term life insurance rate, but doing so could put the existence of the protection at risk.
Also Udell says, “If you're an ex-smoker, don't think you'll automatically qualify for non-smoker rates. Life insurance companies usually require that you be smoke-free for at least one year; however some require longer periods. Bottom line: Don't delay the process. Get the term life insurance coverage you need today. If you quit down the road, you can always reapply for lower rates later, assuming you're still healthy!”

About AccuQuote:
AccuQuote helps consumers find the best values in term life insurance by combining instant online quotes with the personal service of unbiased life insurance professionals that can help answer questions, identify important issues, and make meaningful recommendations. The company offers consumers an extensive selection of life insurance options, including term life, whole life, and universal life, as well as selected annuities. The website has many handy insurance tools, including a life insurance needs calculator to help you figure out how much to buy, a glossary that explains industry terminology, a collection of articles that cover the basics about life insurance, and a blog which answer many questions about life insurance. For additional information or to get quotes for cheap term life insurance, please call 1-888-314-4455.

Aberdeen Life Insurance - Frankfort Whole Life Insurance …

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:02:44 +0000

The drawback here is that such buyer will become the beneficiary of the life insurance settlement after you die. It’s not uncommon for people to allow their payment towards their insurance policies to lapse. To obtain this type of loan, the senior person should approach the company who they have the policy with. The amount so obtained by the policy owner can be used for discharging debts, for buying a house, for a vacation trip, or anything else. When a policy is settled, the original owner is no longer responsible for paying the premiums and will not receive any amount on the maturity of the policy. Insurance companies actually hope this happens because when it does the insured loses money even after it’s been paid over a period of months or even years. They follow the rules and regulations passed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. You’ll be able to recoup a surrender value, which is the amount which has already been paid on top of interest. The Life Settlement Provider will use the insureds age and health to determine a life expectancy. This is either paid by the borrower (in most cases) or the lender. A fixed period of time is allotted for repaying the loan in monthly installments. From an investing perspective, purchasing life settlements can be a very lucrative practice. The loan amount is generally calculated on the basis of a percentage of the face value of the policy, but it differs from company to company. The life insurance settlement industry, derived from ordinary life insurance policies, is relatively new. From an investing perspective, purchasing life settlements can be a very lucrative practice. The Life Settlement Provider will use the insureds age and health to determine a life expectancy. However, the truth is that if the individual is healthy or only has limited health issues, than that required age will need to be over the age of 70. Life settlement brokers work for the benefit of their customers. Brokers for senior life settlement are found all over the United States. Since insurance is a highly secured market, it is not easy for people to find information such as the current prices of policies. Otherwise, most seniors employ the services of a settlement broker to cash in their policy. This is not the case in settlements, as there no questions are asked about the way the money is to be used. Usually, people cash in their policy with a life insurance company directly. Generally senior life insurance settlement companies purchase these policies from the senior citizens and submit all the necessary documents to the insurance company asking for the change of the ownership and the beneficiary of the policy. Life Insurance Settlements provides detailed information on Cash Life Insurance Settlements, Corporate Life Insurance Settlements, Life Insurance Settlement Loans, Life Insurance Settlement Options and more. The third party then becomes the beneficiary of the policy and will make payments on it. While borrowing a Life Settlement Loan, the borrower has to clearly state the reason for the financial requirement.

uExpress - What Does Heaven Look Like? (Part 1 of 3)

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:38:57 +0000

“I think I would have my own room and not with my brother,” says Danielle, 7.

Danielle, if you did share a room with your brother in heaven, you would love every minute. You’ll like heaven’s version of your brother.

“Well, heaven is big. God has a big house, and heaven is really big like a yard,” says Carissa, 5.

Yes, “big” is the key word. Heaven enters our hearts when we receive God’s gift of eternal life by believing in Jesus as the only way to heaven. This new life is far more than an eternal life-insurance policy. God wants us to live a full life on Earth before we arrive in heaven. Jesus called this the abundant life.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Life-Insurance Company Lincoln National to Slash Up to 800 Jobs Nationwide.

admin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:26:07 +0000

By Matthew Lubanko, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Aug. 5–Lincoln National Corp., plagued by a prolonged slump in its annuity and life insurance businesses, announced plans Monday to slash 600 to 800 more jobs nationally — on top of 200 announced earlier this year.
The Philadelphia-based company employs about 5,600, including 706 in downtown Hartford.

Business Wire - Life Settlement Solutions Seeks Stories of Life-Changing Life-Settlement Transactions

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:31:32 +0000

Stories to be Shared During Life Settlement Awareness Month[TM]
SAN DIEGO — For many high-net-worth seniors, cashing in unneeded or unwanted life-insurance policies via life settlements has been life-changing because they provide funds for investments, retirement plans or long-term care needs.
Agents and brokers who have facilitated life-settlement transactions on behalf of these seniors have many stories regarding how life settlements have changed their clients’ lives - and Life Settlement Solutions wants to hear them.

Term Life Insurance Demystified

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:48:03 +0000

Term life insurance can be a confusing topic and purchasing life insurance can be a daunting task, to some. With so many options out there, it may seem impossible to fully understand where to start. While some consider universal life insurance, many have turned to term life insurance. Either way, however, smoking can severely affect the amount that you pay. Term life insurance rates will affect people who smoke. How smoking affects term life insurance rates
Something important to understand about term life insurance rates is that they’re easily affected by multiple lifestyle habits that affect your health. One of the major things that life insurance companies look for is the health of the individual. Depending on your health, and the things you do that affect your body, your term life insurance rates may go up or down. Life insurance companies focus on health for good reason. They want their customers living long, prosperous lives. This benefits both parties. For the insured, the longer that you stay insured, the longer you can be protected by your policy. For the insurer, the longer the insured pays for insurance, the more money the company accumulates. With that being said, it becomes more obvious as to why health plays a part in term life insurance rates. But how exactly does smoking affect term life insurance rates? It’s common knowledge that smoking is bad for your health. The affect that smoking has on the individuals who smoke is impossible to ignore. There are many illnesses, many resulting in death, that are linked to smoking. The life expectancy of smokers is shorter than those who do not smoke. When life insurance companies identify that an applicant is a smoker, it automatically raises red flags. The person is considered to have a shorter life span, and is expected to possibly have health issues later in life. Because of this, term life insurance rates for that specific individual, are likely to be higher. How can they tell if I smoke?
There are multiple ways that life insurance companies can tell if someone is a smoker. First, there is a questionnaire that is given to every individual looking into term life insurance rates. Some of these questions include smoking. Many see this and think that it would be easy to lie to the company, saying that you do not smoke. That is untrue. One of the other steps in the process of getting life insurance is to have a medical exam. The company is looking for specific things through this exam. Because there are chemicals left behind in your body by smoking (such as nicotine), the company can easily tell if you are a smoker. This is why it is important to understand that you should never lie on the questionnaire, under any circumstances. All of your life insurance (and policies) can be revoked if they find out you lied. How can I lower my term life insurance rates?
While it is easier said than done, managing to quit smoking can lower your rates. If you are already locked into a life insurance policy, you are allowed to update your medical exam at any time. If you have quit smoking, updating this exam can be a way to show that you’ve quit. While quitting smoking can be difficult, managing to do so can help you out in lowering your term life insurance rates.

“return of Premium” Term Life Insurance Comes of Age

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:58:53 +0000

If you’d like to have term life insurance in place to provide for beneficiaries yet you’re confident you’ll outlive the life insurance policy, you now have many options for “return of premium” (ROP) term life insurance. Under this type of life insurance policy, if no death benefit has been paid by the end of your life insurance term, you receive all your premiums back.

With a traditional term insurance policy, you buy a coverage term, such as 15, 20 or 30 years, and pay a fixed annual price. If you don’t die within that term, your contract ends and you receive nothing, having paid for the “risk” that you might have died.

An ROP term life insurance policy gives you 100 percent of your premium money back (it’s tax-free) at the end of your term if no death benefit has been paid. Or put another way, “You can rent your insurance or you can buy it,” says Alan Lurty, Senior Vice President at ING.

How much will it cost me?

An ROP term life insurance policy will cost more than a comparable traditional term life insurance policy, and there is a significant range among insurers for that surcharge, plus significant ranges depending on your age and the length of term you want.

It will really pay to shop around for the best term life insurance quote, but on the low end you can expect to pay 50 percent more than comparable traditional term life insurance. So, for example, if your annual life insurance rate for traditional term insurance would be $3,000, adding an ROP option could bring it up to $4,500 annually. On the high end, you might be looking at paying 150 percent more over the base premium, so that $3,000 premium would become $7,500.

Shoppers should also note that with a ROP term life insurance policy, generally the longer the term the less you’ll pay out overall in premiums. So a 30-year ROP term policy could actually end up costing less total money, at the end of the term, than a 15-year ROP policy. How does that happen? Because the 30-year term gives the insurer more time to make its money back by investing your premiums. So make sure you price out different term lengths when getting a life insurance quote.

Generally, you will not be returned premiums for extra riders you may add to the ROP term policy.
Who considers it?

The likely customer for ROP term life insurance is a person who has the confidence he’ll outlive his life insurance policy. Or it could be the person who can’t get over the feeling that term life insurance is a “waste of money” if the death benefit isn’t paid out. ROP term life insurance provides a way to hedge your bets no matter what happens.

What if I surrender my ROP policy early?

It’s not wise to buy any life insurance policy if you don’t intend to keep up on payments. However, if you do surrender an ROP term life insurance policy early, you will get some of your premiums back based on a sliding scale if you’ve held it for a few years. Check your life insurance policy details about that sliding scale before you buy.

Many life insurance companies offer no premium returns if you surrender your life insurance policy within the first few years. Your life insurance policy will spell out the rules for surrendering it, such as when partial premium returns would start and the sliding scale for those returns.

For example, just because you’re halfway through your life insurance policy term doesn’t mean you’ll get half your premiums back if you surrender it. The longer you keep it, the higher percentage of premiums you’ll get back, up to 100 percent at the very end of your term. (If you die during your term, your beneficiaries receive the death benefit without any premium return.)

Can I get it for less?

Life insurance companies such as ING and Genworth offer two flavors of ROP term life policies, usually called basic and enhanced (more expensive). Under the “basic” contract, you pay a lower life insurance rate than an enhanced life insurance policy because you get back less if you surrender it early.

For example, if you bought ING’s 15-year term life “basic” ROP life insurance policy and surrendered it in year 10, you would receive 30% of your premiums back. If you held ING’s “enhanced” 15-year life insurance policy for 10 years you’d receive 60 percent back.

For either basic or enhanced life insurance policies you always receive 100 percent of your premiums back if you get to the end of your term.

Invest the difference?

Maybe now you’re thinking that another option would be to take the premium difference between traditional term life insurance and ROP term life insurance and invest the difference. Would you come out ahead at the end? It depends mainly on your term length. Lurty of ING offers this example: Say you’re looking at traditional 30-year term for $1,500 or ROP 30-year term for $2,000 annually. That’s $500 a year you could otherwise put into investments. To equal the money you’d get back from your ROP life insurance policy at the end of 30 years, you would need to see an investment return on the premium difference of about 7 to 8 percent. How well has your portfolio been doing? Lurty says that with ROP term life insurance policies you don’t have to worry about “investing the difference” because it’s being done for you.

Note that the example is for a 30-year term. With shorter-term ROP life insurance policies, like 15 or 20 years, you might indeed yield more at the end of the term by investing the difference. And you would need the self-discipline to actually invest those extra dollars each year.

Of course, should you die within the term, only the death benefit is paid out. Thus, don’t view this as an investment product.

Expect to see more return-of-premium insurance policies as it catches on.

Companies selling return of premium term life insurance:

-American General Life Insurance Co.
-Fidelity Life Association
-Genworth Life & Annuity Insurance Co.
-ING Reliastar Life Insurance Co.
-Lincoln National Life Insurance Co.
-Pruco Life Insurance Co.
-Pruco Life Insurance Co. of New Jersey
-Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Co.
-The United States Life Insurance Co. in the City of New York

Market Wire - Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Company Rated Among the Strongest Life Insurers in the United States

admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:09:16 +0000

Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Company was
rated “A” (Excellent) by TheStreet.com Ratings, Inc., formerly Weiss
Ratings.(1)

According to TheStreet.com, an “A” rating means that a company offers
excellent financial security and has maintained a conservative stance in
its investment strategies, business operations and underwriting
commitments. The “A” rating puts Fort Dearborn Life among the top companies
in the United States.

“We are proud to be listed as one of the highest rated life insurance
companies in the country,” said Larry Newsom, president and CEO of Fort
Dearborn Life. “The rating reflects our dedication to providing and
maintaining financially secure products for our brokers and policy
holders.”

Most Popular
Business Plan Sample
13 Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid
5 Regular Mistakes In Public Speaking
10 Jobs That Pay $30 An Hour
3 Questions No Job Seeker Ever Wants To Be Asked?

With nearly 40 years’ experience, Fort Dearborn Life is among the country’s
leading providers of employee benefits. Fort Dearborn Life markets group
life, short- and long-term disability, dental and individual annuity
programs. Fort Dearborn Life has $2.2 billion in assets and $153 billion of
life insurance in force. Fort Dearborn Life is rated A (Superior) by A.M.
Best Company, affirmed November 1, 2007,(2) and is rated A (Strong) by
Standard and Poor’s for financial strength in its most recent report. Fort
Dearborn Life is a subsidiary of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a
Mutual Legal Reserve Company.

(1) As of May 5, 2008.

(2) A.M. Best Company rates the overall financial condition of a company
using a scale of A (Superior) to F (In Liquidation).

Contact:
John Myers
Manager, Corporate Communications
(630)-824-5637
Email Contact

Scarborough Life Insurance Quotes - Joliet Whole Life Insurance …

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:50:26 +0000

AARP, however, does not limit itself exclusively to legislative lobbying for its membership demographic; it also (in conjunction with established companies) provides insurance opportunities to its members. In addition to using its membership to wield political clout, AARP has also used its massive membership as a group for insurance purposes. It has acquired Traveler’s Life and Annuity, General American Insurance and New England Financial. Individuals are not to be “singled out” for rate increases, either. In addition to using its membership to wield political clout, AARP has also used its massive membership as a group for insurance purposes. Life insurance settlement has also captured the attention of the masses through specialize press coverage, being the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, the main supporters of this industry. To get free quotes and learn more about insurance please visit the following recommended sites. Your dependents will no longer need to wait your death to solve immediate problems, if you have a life insurance settlement and you go to negotiate it, receiving money from the purchaser instead of the insurance company. AARP offers a health insurance policy designed to supplement the coverage provided by Medicare. Two of these products include AARP life insurance and AARP Medicare health insurance. To get free quotes and learn more about insurance please visit the following recommended sites. There are two kinds of life insurance policies — term life and permanent life. The family of the insured who has passed away can benefit from the protection of life insurance, also covering costs implicit with the funeral and medical bills, as well as college or eventual relocation. The massive non-profit organization is recognized as a political advocacy powerhouse whose influence seems to grow along with the “graying” of America. One should think about various factors before opting for life insurance like time, monthly budget, liquidity and need of risk coverage before taking on any life insurance policy. For well over ten years, AARP has been offering whole and term life insurance policies to its members in association with the New York Life. Life Insurance Companies is affiliated with Life and Health Insurance Agents. Today, more than one hundred and fifty companies offer life insurance of various types and cater to an individual or family’s various needs. Purchasing life insurance is always recommended, but it is necessary to do some research about the various policies available to make sure you are getting the one that is bested suited for you. To get free quotes and learn more about insurance please visit the following recommended sites. They need health insurance, especially because they need care for their pre-existing health conditions; however, because of their pre-existing health conditions, they pay high prices. Teaming up with established providers like New York Life and United HealthCare, AARP offers its members insurance packages ranging from AARP life insurance to AARP Medicare supplementary health insurance. In return, the insured receives a policy and pays a pre-determined amount of premium for a set amount of time. Senior Life Settlement Industry focus all the effort on senior citizens, who possessing an unwanted or unneeded life insurance policy, decide to sells life settlements to a third party company instead of surrendering it back to their default life insurance company. Life Insurance Companies is affiliated with Life and Health Insurance Agents. Life insurance settlement has also captured the attention of the masses through specialize press coverage, being the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, the main supporters of this industry. Every life insurance company has various policies that cater to people from all walks of life. AARP’s Medicare health insurance program allows members to continue utilization of their own physicians and is promoted with a focus on its ease of use, as well as its coverage. Over-insurance, unsuitable life insurance and various other problems have made life insurance policies a pretty risky purchase.

Bonded Life Settlement: the secondary market for unwanted life …

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:46:11 +0000

Since everyone dreams to live a prosperous and financially free life, financial services that are helpful in making this dream true, are getting high heed by consumers. Purchase of life insurance policy is one of those financial activities that are helping people in securing their future financial requirements. These life insurance policies are helping people in making their old age hassle free to some extent but when it comes to arranging urgent finance for any emergency requirement, these policies fail to provide premature financial benefits to the policyholder. However, these policies carry supreme financial benefits but, as these benefits can be availed only after a cretin time period, a senior citizen may find his or her existing policy burdensome. To solve this problem, insurance companies offer life settlement facility, so that the senior policy holders may get an opportunity to sell their immature policy to arrange money for meeting their requirements. As far as profitability of life settlement procedure is concerned, the policyholder gets maximum amount from the sale of his or her policy. Life settlement procedures that are protected by bonding company are known as bonded life settlement procedures. This kind of life settlement procedure is safe and highly beneficial for both the parties.

Bonded life settlement is opening a secondary market for unwanted life insurance policies, as this procedure allows the investor to become new owner of the entrusted policy. This not only circulates a policy for a long time but also generates more profit for insurance companies. In fact, bonded life settlement is highly beneficial for every party that is involved in this policy circulation process. There are people, who think that selling an existing life insurance policy may decrease their financial benefits but in reality, it provides the policyholder with instant and reasonable financial benefits.

Basically, bonded life insurance policies are those insurance polices that have been underwritten as per the standards of the bonding company. This kind of sale and purchase of policy carries lower return on investments, as the investor pays the remaining premium amount after settlement. However, it is for sure that the policyholder gets maximum amount on the basis of face value of his or her policy. The insurance company plays a vital role in bonded life settlement therefore, the policyholder can be rest assured about authenticity and security of that procedure.

Bonded life settlement is an unbeatable tool for seniors to sell off an existing policy that is no more needed. This kind of life settlement procedure offers maximum financial benefit on the investment of the policyholder. For all senior policy holders, who possess a bonded life insurance policy, this life settlement procedure is a considerable option, as it can sell off their unwanted life insurance policy in an highly profitable manner. An investor can purchase bonded life insurance polices through a bonded life settlement company, as only such companies are authorized to conduct life settlement procedures. In fact, this is a highly beneficial scheme for both the policy holder and investor, as it provides them with supreme financial benefits.