How Does Whole Life Insurance Work?
Since whole life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance, you will continue to have coverage for your entire lifetime so long as the premiums are paid. In the case that you pass, the policy beneficiaries should file a claim with the insurer, after which point the circumstances of your death will be reviewed and receive the payout (also called a death benefit or the face value of the policy) so long as everything is in order.
This process may sound simple but, for example, if your child doesn’t know they are the beneficiary to your life insurance policy, they may not be able to claim the payout should you pass, so make sure to keep your family informed.
Each whole life insurance policy consists of a few key elements:
Death benefit
Also called the face value of the policy, this refers to the payout the beneficiaries will receive upon your passing. Death benefits are tax-free so long as you’re below federal and state estate exemption levels, which is the case for most households as the federal exemption level is approximately $5.5 million and only 18 states impose estate or inheritance taxes. Policy face values are typically available in increments of $50,000 or $100,000, though they can go up to several million dollars. Whole life insurance policies are generally more expensive than alternatives, such as term life insurance, and the death benefit directly impacts that cost, so it’s important to evaluate your family’s needs before deciding to purchase.
You may see products, such as final expense whole life insurance, with death benefits as low as a few thousand dollars. These policies tend to be less expensive as they have a low face value and are designed to cover end-of-life costs. Given the average cost of a funeral is around $10,000, these policies can be incredibly valuable if your family doesn’t have an established emergency fund, or would be put in a difficult financial situation trying to cover burial expenses.
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