Life Insurance 101: What is it?

By PolicyMe

If you’ve just bought a home, gotten married, or had a baby, your bills might be piling up faster than you can count them. So you might be tempted to put off buying life insurance.

But the reality is that if you’ve just hit one of these big life milestones, buying life insurance is probably more important than ever.

Here’s what you need to know about life insurance in Canada.

What is life insurance?

To put it simply, life insurance is a financial safety net for your family. It protects them in the event that you die unexpectedly and your income is no longer around to support them.

When you buy a life insurance policy, you pay premiums each month for the coverage. In exchange, if you die while holding your policy, your insurance company will give your family a death benefit. A death benefit is a tax-free lump sum payment that equals your policy coverage amount (e.g. a $500,000 policy will have a $500,000 death benefit).

Your family can use the money in any way they’d like. For example, they can use it to pay off the mortgage, cover everyday living expenses, or fund your kids’ post-secondary education.

Do you need life insurance?

Life insurance protects your family in case you die while your family is still dependent on your income. So if you have loved ones who depend on you financially (e.g., to make mortgage payments or cover children’s expenses), you need life insurance.

On the other hand, if no one depends on your income, you don’t need life insurance. So if you’re single and don’t have dependents or if you have enough savings to cover your dependents’ expenses, you can pass on getting coverage—lucky you!

Types of life insurance in Canada

When you buy life insurance, you can get one of two types: term life insurance or permanent life insurance.

Term life insurance gives you coverage for a certain number of years (usually, 10, 20, or 30). If you die during your policy term, your family will get your death benefit.

Most young families choose term life insurance because it’s the simplest and cheapest type of coverage. It lets you pay for insurance only during the years when you really need it (i.e., when your family depends on you financially).

In comparison, permanent life insurance lasts for the rest of your life. This means that your family will get your death benefit no matter when you die.

It may be tempting to get permanent life insurance because it’ll protect your family until the day you die. But the reality is that most people don’t need permanent insurance because they’re able to live off their savings once they retire.

Because permanent insurance is much more expensive than term insurance, having permanent coverage when you don’t need it will mean flushing lots of money down the drain.

Here’s how rates for term vs. permanent insurance stack up:

What does life insurance cost?

The amount you’ll pay for life insurance depends on a few factors:

• coverage amount
• policy type (term vs. permanent)
• policy length (for term insurance only)
• age
• gender
• smoking status
• health
• lifestyle

For example, here’s how rates for term insurance might differ depending on your age, gender, and coverage amount:

For many people in their 30s, a 20-year, $500,000 term policy is enough to protect their families. And this costs only about $30/month or less!

Want to know how much you would pay for coverage? Get an instant quote on PolicyMe.

When should I buy life insurance?

The best time to buy life insurance is when someone begins to depend on you financially. This could be when you get married, have a baby, or start caring for an aging parent.

Adding another expense to your plate when you’re young and just starting a family might seem crazy. But remember that life insurance is the best way to protect that new family of yours financially. Plus, when you buy insurance at a young age, you’ll pay a lower monthly rate for the entire length of your policy.

How to buy life insurance in Canada

There are three ways to buy coverage in Canada:

• Directly from an insurance company online (like Manulife)
• Through a local independent insurance broker
• Through an online independent insurance broker

To help you decide which insurance company is the best fit for you, read our reviews of the best life insurance companies in Canada.

Not sure what kind of coverage your family needs?

Get a free personalized recommendation in just 5 minutes using PolicyMe’s online life insurance checkup.

By PolicyMe

If you’ve just bought a home, gotten married, or had a baby, your bills might be piling up faster than you can count them. So you might be tempted to put off buying life insurance.

But the reality is that if you’ve just hit one of these big life milestones, buying life insurance is probably more important than ever.

Here’s what you need to know about life insurance in Canada.

What is life insurance?

To put it simply, life insurance is a financial safety net for your family. It protects them in the event that you die unexpectedly and your income is no longer around to support them.

When you buy a life insurance policy, you pay premiums each month for the coverage. In exchange, if you die while holding your policy, your insurance company will give your family a death benefit. A death benefit is a tax-free lump sum payment that equals your policy coverage amount (e.g. a $500,000 policy will have a $500,000 death benefit).

Your family can use the money in any way they’d like. For example, they can use it to pay off the mortgage, cover everyday living expenses, or fund your kids’ post-secondary education.

Do you need life insurance?

Life insurance protects your family in case you die while your family is still dependent on your income. So if you have loved ones who depend on you financially (e.g., to make mortgage payments or cover children’s expenses), you need life insurance.

On the other hand, if no one depends on your income, you don’t need life insurance. So if you’re single and don’t have dependents or if you have enough savings to cover your dependents’ expenses, you can pass on getting coverage—lucky you!

Types of life insurance in Canada

When you buy life insurance, you can get one of two types: term life insurance or permanent life insurance.

Term life insurance gives you coverage for a certain number of years (usually, 10, 20, or 30). If you die during your policy term, your family will get your death benefit.

Most young families choose term life insurance because it’s the simplest and cheapest type of coverage. It lets you pay for insurance only during the years when you really need it (i.e., when your family depends on you financially).

In comparison, permanent life insurance lasts for the rest of your life. This means that your family will get your death benefit no matter when you die.

It may be tempting to get permanent life insurance because it’ll protect your family until the day you die. But the reality is that most people don’t need permanent insurance because they’re able to live off their savings once they retire.

Because permanent insurance is much more expensive than term insurance, having permanent coverage when you don’t need it will mean flushing lots of money down the drain.

Here’s how rates for term vs. permanent insurance stack up:

What does life insurance cost?

The amount you’ll pay for life insurance depends on a few factors:

• coverage amount
• policy type (term vs. permanent)
• policy length (for term insurance only)
• age
• gender
• smoking status
• health
• lifestyle

For example, here’s how rates for term insurance might differ depending on your age, gender, and coverage amount:

For many people in their 30s, a 20-year, $500,000 term policy is enough to protect their families. And this costs only about $30/month or less!

Want to know how much you would pay for coverage? Get an instant quote on PolicyMe.

When should I buy life insurance?

The best time to buy life insurance is when someone begins to depend on you financially. This could be when you get married, have a baby, or start caring for an aging parent.

Adding another expense to your plate when you’re young and just starting a family might seem crazy. But remember that life insurance is the best way to protect that new family of yours financially. Plus, when you buy insurance at a young age, you’ll pay a lower monthly rate for the entire length of your policy.

How to buy life insurance in Canada

There are three ways to buy coverage in Canada:

• Directly from an insurance company online (like Manulife)
• Through a local independent insurance broker
• Through an online independent insurance broker

To help you decide which insurance company is the best fit for you, read our reviews of the best life insurance companies in Canada.

Not sure what kind of coverage your family needs?

Get a free personalized recommendation in just 5 minutes using PolicyMe’s online life insurance checkup.

About PolicyMe

PolicyMe is a Canadian digital life insurance solution built to make financial protection for families simple and affordable. We make it easy to get a quote and apply for term life insurance online in 20 minutes or less.

Using technology, we've streamlined the traditional insurance process resulting in a fully-underwritten life insurance policy that delivers the same quality protection you deserve but with fewer steps and lower cost.

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