Choosing Coverage
How much coverage, how long a term, riders, underwriting and buying through work.
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? A Step-by-Step Estimate
A needs-based way to size life insurance: list who depends on you, add up their costs, subtract savings, work coverage and Social Security, then check affordability.
Read · 6 min read →Choosing CoverageChoosing a Term Length: Matching Coverage to Your Obligations
How to pick a term life length by mapping your obligations' end dates, weighing longer guarantees, and checking renewal and conversion rights.
Read · 6 min read →Choosing CoverageLife Insurance Riders: What Common Add-Ons Do and When They Fit
What waiver of premium, accidental death, accelerated benefit, guaranteed insurability and family riders do, what they cost, and the fine print to check.
Read · 6 min read →Choosing CoverageLife Insurance Underwriting: Health Questions, Exams and Records
How insurers decide whether to cover you and at what price: the application, medical exams, medical and prescription records, rate classes and your rights.
Read · 6 min read →Choosing CoverageGroup Life Insurance at Work vs. an Individual Policy
How workplace group life compares with a policy you own: cost, coverage limits, what happens when you leave a job, the IRS tax rule, and FEGLI and SGLI.
Read · 6 min read →Choosing CoverageBuying Life Insurance: Agents, Brokers, Online and Avoiding Scams
The main ways to buy life insurance, how to verify licenses and compare quotes, what to do at signing, and the scam red flags regulators warn about.
Read · 6 min read →