We are 40 & 41 are looking into changing husband's whole life into term. What amount and year should we get?

Question

Annual income appx $60k

Answer 1

go to a life insurance calculator, like the one offered at fidelity.com or metlife.com. You need to make assumptions about the amount of income you expect to need to replace and other larger needs, like college tuition and the value of your house. best of luck tba

I think term is a better product if you are willing to save for retirement in other ways. Don't spend the difference between term and whole life, instead invest it and put more away for retirement.

Answer 2

Some people forget that they CANNOT tell any possible client that whole life is an investment!! If word got back to insurance commissioner of that state, that person could jeopardize their license.

Typically it is recemmended to have at least 10 times the amount you earn per year. This does not take into account whether you want your mortgage paid off, all bills paid, funeral paid, and kids' college tuition paid. You should look for a company that will do a complete financial check up for you to provide you with the correct coverage, term and drop points for specific life events.

In almost every case, people do NOT need insurance til they are 100. With a retirement plan from work and your advisor, if things go well between 55-65 you should be fully funded for everything that could happen to you. Keep a small amount around to help with funeral expenses but the rest is not necessary.

Answer 3

Without knowing anything about your whole life policy, it is difficult to advise you. whole life is a poor investment. Most of the first 2-3 years premiums go for commissions. The return is low, albeit tax free and the amount of insurance you get for the amount of premium is usually not enough to provide the protection you need. Keep in mind that whole life insurance is term insurance plus a savings plan. If you separate them into their components, you find you can do better with pure term and your own savings arrangements.

The amount of term insurance you should get is whatever your survivors need if you die. That usually means, the maximum premium you can afford to pay. At your age you might consider reducing term, which declines as your retirement fund and personal savings build up. The premium is lower and you get the most protection during the early years when it is most needed.

Answer 4

I disagree with Nelson. As an investment product, life insurance STINKS. You only "make out" if you die. Some great product. Otherwise, you "get" a fraction of the value that you've paid in.

Would you buy a stock for $100 if you were guaranteed it would be worth $10 in 25 years? That's the kind of investment you're looking at.

Sit down and talk with a local agent, and DEFINE YOUR GOALS. What GOAL does the insurance need to meet? If your primary goal is investing, insurance isn't the proper tool.

The amount and term is going to depend on the goals - which you haven't defined here. So anyone who answers is guessing.

Answer 5

I would honestly keep a whole life policy. A term is only a policy you rent so to speak. A Whole life is one you will own till age 100 and will stay the same rate. I sell insurance and I always advise my clients that term policys are only good to have if you are paying on a mortgage or have children. You might want to consider getting him a 20 year term policy for $100,000 but still keep his whole life for the future.

Answer 6

It all depends on your personal situation.

If you have money to pay your final expenses maybe you don't need whole life insurance coverage anymore.

Also, term life insurance may be less expensive since it doesn't build cash value you pay only for the life insurance coverage.

One way to decide how much coverage you each need is to use a life insurance needs calculator like the one at http://www.term-life-online.com/term-life-insurance-calculator.html

Also, you want to decide how many years you need the coverage - 1-30 years may be available. Many people choose 10-30 years of coverage.

Also, you can compare free life insurance quotes for term life online through efinancial. You fill out one form and they give you up to 12 Instant Quotes from top-rated insurance companies. to request your free quotes visit https://www.efinancial.com/smartquoteefc.aspx?source=389-707

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you.

Answer 7

Whole life is a very good investment (investment I said). Term life is only for a term, and is not supposed to ever pay. Term life is good, but don't switch just because some fast talking agent convinced you--find out what your whole life is worth. You can always add a term instead of switching.