Life insurance is chiefly a risk management tool destined to offer financial guard to your dependents in the ill-fated occasion of your death. If you are sufficiently insured, your life insurance should enable your dependents; spouse, children or parents to maintain their current lifestyle and pursue their life’s financial goals till such time are able to set up an alternate income stem on their own.
Capital protection
He summation assured in a life insurance policy is assured as per the terms of the policy as long as the premiums are paid regularly and the policy is in force.
Inflation Protection
Life insurance is not price rises protected because insurance is a set cover-fixed term product, in which the sum guaranteed is fixed. On the other hand, a few policies do offer a cost of living adjustment {COLA} option where the cover and premium increase to match increasing need for insurance cover over time.
Guarantees
The summation guaranteed and the premium is fixed for the term of the policy. There are only some with profit policies that may assurance a bare minimum return, which varies crossways insurers and policies. Policies from the Life Insurance Corporation of India carry a sovereign guarantee.
Liquidity
Life Insurance policies are liquid depending on the policy type and the number of years a policy has been in force. There are some policies that are liquid such as pure term insurance policy.
Credit Ranking
Life insurance policies do not carry credit ratings.
Exit Option
Premature closing of the policy is permitted at financial loss.
Other Risks
The risk of payment going down after you have buy a policy exists and so does the risk of premium departing up. In attendance is also the risk of new policies up-and-coming that suit your financial necessities better.
Tax Implications
Premiums rewarded towards a life insurance policy are eligible for tax assumption under section 80C with a limit of Rs. one lakh in a financial year.
Where to Buy Life Policy
- Life insurance can be bought from different sales point such as:
- Individual life insurance agents representing a particular insurer
- Banks representing a particular insurer
- Corporate agents representing a particular insurer
- NBFCs representing a particular insurer
- Brokers representing a particular insurer
- Direct Mail from an insurer
- Telemarketing
- Retail stores and Malls
- Policies packaged with banking products
- NGOs or SHGs for rural and social sectors
- Internet sales
How to Buy a Policy
Once you have evaluated the amount of insurance you need and the insurer offering the policy, you need to fill the proposal from provided by the insurer and will need to provide for:
- You will need document that provides your date of birth and identity proof such as a copy of the passport, driving license, voter ID or Aadhar Card.
- Income proof in case of high value covers.
- You may have to undergo a medical examination depending on your age or the cover that you seek.
- Choose a nominee and get a witness sign.
How to manage the policy
- Premium payments can be made by cash or cheque and through electronic Clearing Services {ECS}.
- A policy certificate is issued with details including your name, premium, policy tenure and terms and conditions.
- Premium receipts confirmation payment is issued on premium payments
Pointer to Ponder
- Free lock period to return the policy which varies from 15 days to a month depending on the insurer.
- Additional cover in the form of riders.
- Provisions to make late premium payments with penalties
- Costs and charges on facilities offered to policy holders
- The workings of the policy through its tenure
- Policy terms and conditions
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Life Insurance Policy Variants
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Policy Type |
Salient Features |
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Term Plan |
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Endowment Plan |
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Child Plans |
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Money Back Plan |
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Whole Life Plan |
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Pension |
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Annuities |
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ULIP {Unit Linked Insurance Plan} |
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All about Riders
Riders are additional {protection} benefits attached to the basic {life} insurance policy. They are generally, limited in size relative to the base sum assured and may have separate terms and conditions, possibly with additional exclusion clause. Just put, riders are options that permit you to enhance your insurance cover, qualitatively plus quantitatively.
Riders cover three aspects that may need to be covered – critical illness insurance, medical expenses covers and disability insurance cover, they may be termed differently but, these are the three areas that they cover broadly, of course there is another set of riders that do not fall under any such category such as wavier of premium.
- Critical Illness: Added life insurance policy, it provides an additional cover to the insured in the event of a ‘critical illness’. In most cases, the extra cover is paid upon diagnosis of a critical illness. The sickness roofed and the premium you have to pay vary among insurers, but the majority insurers cover cancer, coronary artery bypass, kidney or else renal failure, major organ transplant plus paralytic stroke, the catalog can get very extended.
- Medical Expenses: Riders under this category cover risk for ailments that may require medical treatment. With living expenses on medical treatments going up, riders under this category are useful, especially with age, when most often medical conditions start to alter
- Hospital Cash Benefit: The worry of settling hospital bills {room rent charges} add to trauma of hospitalization. This rider decreases this financial load and helps you to get well with peace of wits. But these come in with huge exclusions, do check before you sign on, as most insurers cover hospitalization with a minimum stay of 48 hours.
- Major Surgical Assistance: This clause provides financial support in the event of medical emergencies. Specified surgical procedures are covered under this rider, with clear stated exclusions.
- Disability Benefits: It is probably the worst thing that can happen to an individual- disability, which can seriously impair the ability to earn a livelihood. While most of us cover life and medical insurance the thought of disability never arises. However, it is one cover that everyone must consider. The riders that fall under this category address exactly the situations that arise in case of disability.
- Disability or Dismemberment Benefit: This rider provides for an additional cover equal to the sum assured on the base policy, in the event of disability as a result of an accident. If the accident consequences in total and enduring disability, the rider provides for other benefits: a proportion of the reimbursement will be paid to the cover person every year until he recovers. Some insurers provide the ‘wavier premium’ benefit as well, in the event disability.
- Wavier of premium: This rider gets make active in the occasion of a person {who has in use a life insurance plan} becoming ‘completely disabled’ {or lose his ability to earn a living due to the disability} owing to an injury. In that case, the premiums due on the base policy are waived till the person is able-bodied again. Even though the premium is not paid during this period, the policy cover is not terminated; it continues as if the premiums were being paid. In other words, this rider acts as a ‘disability insurance’ against your life insurance policy.
Other Riders
- Accident Death Benefit: this rider gets into effect in case of death due to accident during the term of the policy. This adds to the sum assured in the life policy but excludes normal causes of death and it comes into effect only in case of death due to an accident
- Level term cover rider: This rider provides you additional life cover for a specific interval which is less than the tenure of the policy. These are useful when you are in a stage in life with additional responsibilities or financial liabilities
- Guaranteed insurability option rider: In effect, this rider ‘insures your insurability’ in future. It gives you the right to purchase additional insurance {of the nature of your base policy} at different stages in your life, without having to undergo any further medical examination.
Features
ELIGIBILITY
- You need to be a Resident Indian.
ENTRY AGE
- You need to be over 18 years old
- Upper limit varies across Insurers and policy types
TENURE
- Up to 40 years, which depends on the policy type Insurer
SUM ASSURED
- Depends on the policy type, tenure, premium, your health condition and income
PREMIUM
- Depends on the Insured’s age
- Depends on the sum assured
- Depends on the policy type and tenure
- Premiums frequency can be monthly, quarterly, half yearly, yearly or single {premium]
POLICY HOLDING
- Individual
- Joint
NOMINATION
- Facility is available