Policy Types
16 MIN READ
Final Expense Insurance: How It Works and Who Needs Coverage
Funerals cost $7,000 to $12,000 and families face those bills while grieving. Final expense insurance covers end-of-life costs with no medical exams and benefits from $5,000 to $25,000. This guide explains what these policies cover versus term and whole life, who should buy them, how age and health affect premiums, graded vs. immediate benefit structures, five shopping mistakes seniors make, how t
Olivia RamseyEstate & Wealth Planning Contributor
Renewable Term Life Insurance: How Policy Extensions Work and What They CostThat term life policy you bought at 35 is about to expire — and now you're managing diabetes, blood pressure meds, and rising cholesterol. Buried in your contract sits a renewal clause the insurer can't refuse regardless of health changes. This guide covers how guaranteed renewability works, annual renewable vs. level term differences, why premiums climb with age-based mortality math, the renewal
Mortgage Life Insurance: How It Works and Whether Your Family Needs ItYour mortgage life insurance pays the bank when you die — your family never sees a penny. Coverage shrinks yearly while premiums stay flat, and the lender is the beneficiary, not your spouse. This guide compares mortgage life insurance head-to-head with term life, reveals who actually benefits from these policies, breaks down real 2024 pricing, exposes common closing-day mistakes that cost homeown
Most read
- 1Indexed Universal Life Insurance: How Market-Linked Policies Build Cash ValueDanielle Harper/Feb 24, 2026/13 MIN
- 2Survivorship Life Insurance: How Second-to-Die Policies Work for Estate PlanningOlivia Ramsey/Feb 25, 2026/17 MIN
- 3Convertible Term Life Insurance: How to Switch to Permanent Coverage Without a Medical ExamMichael Stanton/Feb 24, 2026/17 MIN
- 4Decreasing Term Life Insurance: A Complete Guide for Debt-Focused BuyersChristopher Baldwin/Feb 24, 2026/13 MIN
- 5Final Expense Insurance: How It Works and Who Needs CoverageOlivia Ramsey/Feb 24, 2026/16 MIN
- 6Return of Premium Life Insurance: How ROP Policies Work and What They CostDanielle Harper/Feb 24, 2026/11 MIN
Fresh
Convertible Term Life Insurance: How to Switch to Permanent Coverage Without a Medical ExamWhat if a cancer diagnosis makes you uninsurable before your term policy expires? The conversion feature — often buried in fine print — guarantees your right to switch to permanent coverage with no medical underwriting. This guide covers how conversion works, critical deadlines you can't miss, attained-age vs. original-age pricing, cost comparisons across policy types, five conversion mistakes to
Survivorship Life Insurance: How Second-to-Die Policies Work for Estate PlanningFederal estate exemptions drop to roughly $7 million in 2026 — and a 40% tax rate hits everything above that. Second-to-die life insurance pays out after both spouses die, precisely when estate taxes come due, at 30-40% less than two separate policies. This guide covers how survivorship policies work, who benefits most, ILIT strategies to keep proceeds out of your taxable estate, state tax thresho
Renewable Term Life Insurance: How Policy Extensions Work and What They CostThat term life policy you bought at 35 is about to expire — and now you're managing diabetes, blood pressure meds, and rising cholesterol. Buried in your contract sits a renewal clause the insurer can't refuse regardless of health changes. This guide covers how guaranteed renewability works, annual renewable vs. level term differences, why premiums climb with age-based mortality math, the renewal
No Exam Life Insurance: How to Get Coverage Without Medical TestingBetween 2015 and 2023, policies sold without medical exams jumped from 18% to 42% — you can now apply from your phone and get approved before your train reaches the station. This guide covers three no-exam policy types from simplified to guaranteed issue, how insurers approve you using prescription databases and algorithms, coverage limits and premium costs compared to traditional policies, common
Top stories
Convertible Term Life Insurance: How to Switch to Permanent Coverage Without a Medical ExamWhat if a cancer diagnosis makes you uninsurable before your term policy expires? The conversion feature — often buried in fine print — guarantees your right to switch to permanent coverage with no medical underwriting. This guide covers how conversion works, critical deadlines you can't miss, attained-age vs. original-age pricing, cost comparisons across policy types, five conversion mistakes to
Most read
- 1Renewable Term Life Insurance: How Policy Extensions Work and What They CostMichael Stanton/Feb 24, 2026/15 MIN
- 2Credit Life Insurance: How It Works and Whether Borrowers Need ItDanielle Harper/Feb 24, 2026/13 MIN
- 3Mortgage Life Insurance: How It Works and Whether Your Family Needs ItChristopher Baldwin/Feb 24, 2026/15 MIN
- 4Decreasing Term Life Insurance: A Complete Guide for Debt-Focused BuyersChristopher Baldwin/Feb 24, 2026/13 MIN
- 5Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance: Coverage Without Medical Exams or Health QuestionsMichael Stanton/Feb 24, 2026/16 MIN
- 6No Exam Life Insurance: How to Get Coverage Without Medical TestingOlivia Ramsey/Feb 24, 2026/17 MIN
In focus
Mortgage Life Insurance: How It Works and Whether Your Family Needs ItYour mortgage life insurance pays the bank when you die — your family never sees a penny. Coverage shrinks yearly while premiums stay flat, and the lender is the beneficiary, not your spouse. This guide compares mortgage life insurance head-to-head with term life, reveals who actually benefits from these policies, breaks down real 2024 pricing, exposes common closing-day mistakes that cost homeown
Mortgage Life Insurance: How It Works and Whether Your Family Needs ItYour mortgage life insurance pays the bank when you die — your family never sees a penny. Coverage shrinks yearly while premiums stay flat, and the lender is the beneficiary, not your spouse. This guide compares mortgage life insurance head-to-head with term life, reveals who actually benefits from these policies, breaks down real 2024 pricing, exposes common closing-day mistakes that cost homeown
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance: Coverage Without Medical Exams or Health QuestionsEvery traditional insurer turned down Sarah's 72-year-old mother after a cancer diagnosis — until she discovered guaranteed issue policies that accept everyone regardless of health. This guide explains how these no-exam policies work, why premiums run 300-400% higher than standard rates, graded death benefit waiting periods that surprise most families, how to compare guaranteed vs. simplified vs.
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance: Coverage Without Medical Exams or Health QuestionsEvery traditional insurer turned down Sarah's 72-year-old mother after a cancer diagnosis — until she discovered guaranteed issue policies that accept everyone regardless of health. This guide explains how these no-exam policies work, why premiums run 300-400% higher than standard rates, graded death benefit waiting periods that surprise most families, how to compare guaranteed vs. simplified vs.
Decreasing Term Life Insurance: A Complete Guide for Debt-Focused BuyersYour mortgage shrinks with every payment — so why pay for static coverage? Decreasing term life insurance matches declining debt at 15-40% lower premiums than standard term. This guide explains how benefit reductions work, compares four policy types side by side with real cost estimates, covers practical applications for mortgages and business loans, five critical selection errors, ideal candidate
Decreasing Term Life Insurance: A Complete Guide for Debt-Focused BuyersYour mortgage shrinks with every payment — so why pay for static coverage? Decreasing term life insurance matches declining debt at 15-40% lower premiums than standard term. This guide explains how benefit reductions work, compares four policy types side by side with real cost estimates, covers practical applications for mortgages and business loans, five critical selection errors, ideal candidate
Convertible Term Life Insurance: How to Switch to Permanent Coverage Without a Medical ExamWhat if a cancer diagnosis makes you uninsurable before your term policy expires? The conversion feature — often buried in fine print — guarantees your right to switch to permanent coverage with no medical underwriting. This guide covers how conversion works, critical deadlines you can't miss, attained-age vs. original-age pricing, cost comparisons across policy types, five conversion mistakes to
Convertible Term Life Insurance: How to Switch to Permanent Coverage Without a Medical ExamWhat if a cancer diagnosis makes you uninsurable before your term policy expires? The conversion feature — often buried in fine print — guarantees your right to switch to permanent coverage with no medical underwriting. This guide covers how conversion works, critical deadlines you can't miss, attained-age vs. original-age pricing, cost comparisons across policy types, five conversion mistakes to
Indexed Universal Life Insurance: How Market-Linked Policies Build Cash ValueIUL policies promise market-linked growth without downside risk — but caps, floors, and participation rates determine whether you earn double digits or barely beat savings accounts. This guide explains how cash value tracks the S&P 500 without direct investment, breaks down crediting methods with real scenarios, reveals the true cost structure from allocation charges to rising COI fees, identifies
No Exam Life Insurance: How to Get Coverage Without Medical TestingBetween 2015 and 2023, policies sold without medical exams jumped from 18% to 42% — you can now apply from your phone and get approved before your train reaches the station. This guide covers three no-exam policy types from simplified to guaranteed issue, how insurers approve you using prescription databases and algorithms, coverage limits and premium costs compared to traditional policies, common
Survivorship Life Insurance: How Second-to-Die Policies Work for Estate PlanningFederal estate exemptions drop to roughly $7 million in 2026 — and a 40% tax rate hits everything above that. Second-to-die life insurance pays out after both spouses die, precisely when estate taxes come due, at 30-40% less than two separate policies. This guide covers how survivorship policies work, who benefits most, ILIT strategies to keep proceeds out of your taxable estate, state tax thresho
Return of Premium Life Insurance: How ROP Policies Work and What They CostPay premiums for decades and if you never file a claim, the company refunds every penny — but these policies cost nearly twice as much as standard term. This guide breaks down how ROP coverage works, compares real costs across coverage amounts, explains conditions that determine whether you'll actually get your refund, runs the math on investing the difference instead, identifies who genuinely ben