Life and income
Life insurance
Term, permanent and final-expense cover, sized against an actual obligation rather than a rule of thumb.
$0 advisor fee on this line, including every review afterwards
Life insurance answers one question: if your income stopped, what obligations would remain and who would carry them. Everything else, the product names and the riders, follows from that number.
Term insurance covers a defined period, usually 10 to 30 years, and is the cheapest way to cover a large temporary obligation such as a mortgage or the years until children finish school. Permanent insurance lasts for life and builds cash value, which makes it more expensive and more useful for obligations that do not expire, such as final expenses or leaving a specific legacy. Final-expense policies are small permanent policies, often issued with simplified underwriting, sized to funeral and settlement costs.
We do not lead with a product. We start with the obligation, the years it runs, and what other assets already cover it. In plenty of cases the honest answer is a smaller policy than the client expected, or none at all beyond what an employer already provides.
What this covers
- Term life. Level premiums for a set term. The most coverage per dollar, for temporary obligations with a known end date.
- Permanent life. Whole life and universal life. Lasts for life, accrues cash value, and costs considerably more per dollar of death benefit.
- Final expense. Smaller permanent policies with simplified or guaranteed-issue underwriting, sized to funeral, burial and settlement costs.
- Riders worth understanding. Accelerated death benefit for terminal or chronic illness, waiver of premium on disability, child riders. Some are free and useful; some are neither.
- Beneficiary review. Policies pay to the named beneficiary regardless of a will. We check the names are current, especially after a marriage, divorce or death.
How we work it with you
- Name the obligation. Mortgage balance and years remaining, education costs, income replacement years, final expenses, any business debt personally guaranteed.
- Subtract what already exists. Employer group life, existing policies, savings, and a surviving spouse's earnings. The gap is what needs insuring.
- Choose the structure. Term for temporary obligations, permanent for permanent ones, and a combination where both exist. We show the cost of each.
- Underwrite honestly. Medical history, medications, tobacco, driving record. Accurate answers get accurate offers; inaccurate ones get contested claims.
- Review after life changes. New child, new mortgage, divorce, a business sale. Any of these changes the number and the beneficiary.
Who this usually fits
- Someone depends on your income
- You carry a mortgage or business debt that would outlive you
- You want to leave funeral costs covered rather than to your children
- You have employer group life only and want to know whether that is enough
When we would point you elsewhere
If no one relies on your income, you have no dependants and your final expenses are already funded, you may not need a policy. We will say so.
What drives the cost
Typical ranges for this area. Your own price depends on your address, your age and the plan you pick.
| Factor | Typical range or shape | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 20-year level term, age 45 | Priced by health class, sex and face amount | Tobacco use is typically the single largest premium factor. |
| Permanent policy | Several times the term premium for the same face amount | You are paying for lifetime coverage and cash value, not for a better death benefit. |
| Final expense | Small face amounts, simplified underwriting | Guaranteed-issue versions usually carry a graded benefit for the first two or three years. |
| Advisor fee | $0 | Carrier-paid. The premium is the filed rate either way. |
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Carriers we can quote on this line
Term, permanent, final expense, critical illness and hospital indemnity.
- Alderwood Life
- Windward Life
- Quarrystone Life
- Saltgrass Benefit
- Halcyon Benefit
Questions we are asked about life insurance
Enough to clear the obligations that would remain, less the assets already available. We build that number with you instead of applying a multiple-of-salary rule.
Often not, and it usually ends when the job does. We treat it as a base layer and size private cover around it.
Many carriers now offer accelerated underwriting without an exam for healthy applicants within certain ages and face amounts. Others require a paramedical exam. We route the application to the carrier most likely to suit your history.
Yes. They are unrelated. Life insurance is not affected by Medicare enrolment and Medicare eligibility does not change a life policy.
Related coverage
Critical illness and supplemental
Policies that pay cash directly to you when a diagnosis or a hospital stay also stops your income.
Compare coverage
Self-employed health cover
For 1099 earners and one-person businesses, where income moves and the subsidy moves with it.
Compare coverage
Group employee benefits
Medical, dental and ancillary lines for small employers, with participation rules and contribution models explained.
Compare coverage
Call and ask us anything. Nothing is sold on the phone.
Twenty minutes with someone who will ask for your doctor list before naming a plan. If the right answer is the plan you already have, that is what you will hear.
(727) 555-0241Mon - Thu 8:30 am - 5:30 pm · Friday 8:30 am - 3:00 pm · TTY 711 · Se habla español
No cost to you, ever. We are compensated by carriers, not by the people we advise.