Financial needs change with change in one's life stage. Whether it's your marriage, children's education or retirement years, you need money to get through the various stages of life comfortably. Life insurance helps you meet these requirements and prepares you for unforeseen expenses. Insurance provides you with financial security that helps you take care of your loved one.

In order to reap the benefits that insurance has to offer, you must factor in insurance early in life.

When it comes to insurance, be an early bird

Ideally, it makes sense to buy at least one life insurance policy when you have just started to earn. Doing so has its own advantages. Not only do you add a crucial instrument to your financial portfolio, but it also helps ensure that your family's financial situation does not debilitate should anything untoward happen to you. Besides, when you start young, the premium amounts too are lower.

At a later stage in life, you can always revisit your insurance portfolio and add another policy keeping with your changing financial needs. This process is called a life insurance review and is extremely important.

Review your insurance plan from time to time

Life insurance is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is therefore important to review your insurance plan at regular intervals. It will prepare you for life's various milestones and the associated expenses. One of the biggest advantages of a life insurance review is that you do not stay underinsured. As age advances, your responsibilities increase and lifestyle undergoes changes. Based on timely reviews, you can revise your life insurance cover from time to time.

It is only with constant reviewing of your insurance plan can you start building a corpus for your old age.

Planning for the future

You start working, get married, have kids and soon enough, your kids grow up. Even before you realize it, you find yourself standing with a farewell bouquet at the threshold of a new phase of life - the post-retirement period. To ensure that you don't take a financial hit in your older age, you must plan for it in advance. Taking a life insurance policy at a young age will simplify things for you as you approach the golden years of your life.
There are varied options of retirement plans that one can choose from. You can choose to go with monthly income or annual payouts as per your requirements. If you choose to buy a monthly income plan, you will be entitled to a monthly income during your post-retirement years.

How your retirement plan will help you in your old age

On various occasions, people are under the impression that savings accrued over a lifetime are sufficient to see them through old age. This is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions. Life is unpredictable and sometimes all it takes is a bout of critical illness to wipe out all that you had saved. You can avoid such a situation by opting for a retirement plan early in life (preferable in late 20s or early 30s). It supplies you with an income every month, almost similar to the salary that you used to receive when you were employed. You can use this money for your routine expenses as also for health emergencies.

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Life insurance is supposed to provide peace of mind. But for many, the approval process gives them nothing but nightmares. 

The cost of life insurance varies depending on an applicant’s health history. According to a recent survey, smokers, on average, pay more than three times for the same policy than non-smokers.A non-smoking 45-year-old woman pays around $45 a month for $500,000 of 20-year level term coverage, while a female smoke of the same age will pay $167 month.

Age, your overall health, and your hobbies and occupation are also taken into consideration and can drive premiums higher. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying a higher cost or skip insurance all together.

“There are many ways to save,” on life insurance, says Tony Steuer, an author and insurance literacy advocate. “Each insurance company has their own pricing strategy and can be more [or less] competitive in specific tiers. Companies also have different perspectives on medical/health issues, such as some companies are more lenient on build or on other more complex medical issues”

Here are four tips experts to employ to get life insurance without breaking the bank:

Tip No.1 Shop Around

Take the time to compare plans. “Some carriers weigh the fact that you are a smoker more heavily than other carriers,” says Laura Adams, senior analyst.

There are online aggregators that will compare plans and rates, or you can use an agent to shop around for you. If you use an agent, experts recommend making sure the professional has access to multiple policies and insurers since each company has different underwriting and rating polices.

“Every company has their own secret sauce on what they quote a customer,” says Adams. As a result, she says consumers should get at least three quotes and include one from a top carrier or a company that provides coverage nationwide.

Tip No.2: Get in Shape Now

In general, healthy people pay less than for coverage.

While it’s going to vary from one insurer to the other in terms of how long you’ll have to be smoke free to qualify as a non-smoker, kicking the habit is going to be your best shot at getting a lower rate.

“An individual who might be declined or facing life insurance premiums that are higher than they anticipated might use their quest for coverage as a wakeup call to improve their health,” says Jack Dolan, a spokesman for the American Council of Life Insurers. “When they do that, they can then come back to the life insurer and show how they have improved.”

If you already have a life insurance policy and quite smoking, Adams suggests alerting the insurer and inquiring about getting reclassified for a lower premium. The one thing you don’t want to do is lie or stretch the truth on your application--even if it’s something they can’t prove such as your weekend bungee jumping escapades. “If you die before you quit smoking and they investigate your death, they can deny a payoff if they found nicotine in your blood at the time of death,” says Adams.

Tip No.3: Get in on a Group Policy

Many corporate benefit programs offer life insurance that doesn’t require a physical exam or undergo any medical tests. While the amount you can take out is often capped, it is a way to get some coverage if you are unhealthy and fear you can’t afford the premium.

Becoming a member of an association or organization can often get access to a group life insurance policy in many cases.

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Life insurance is kind of like the Rodney Dangerfield of financial planning. As one of most people’s least favorite financial topics, it gets no respect. Yet, it’s something that almost everyone needs and not having it when you need it can be devastating to your family’s well being. Here are some of the most common and dangerous myths about this often misunderstood product:

1) Your employer-provided life insurance is all you need.

Your employer may provide you with life insurance equal to 1-2 times your annual salary and you may even be able to purchase up to 4-6 times your salary. But there are several problems with that. First, your “salary” doesn’t typically include commissions, bonuses, and second incomes. Second, to replace your income for dependents, you generally need at least 5-8 times your income and some experts even recommend 10-12 times.

Even if you do have enough insurance through your job, you may lose it when you leave. You may be able to convert your optional insurance to an individual policy or purchase one on your own but either way, it may be much more expensive than purchasing a policy today, especially if your health deteriorates.

Finally, you may actually be able to get a better deal on your own, especially if you’re young and/or in above average health. Even if your employer’s policy is initially cheaper, the cost may go up each year and you may not be able to take it with you when you leave, You can purchase an individual policy that locks in your rate for a period of time or allows you to build cash value if you want to keep the policy your whole life. Only include your employer’s coverage in covering your needs if you can take it with you at affordable rates. Otherwise, consider it a  bonus.

2) Only the breadwinner needs life insurance.

“Imagine if something were to happen to the stay-at-home spouse in your family. The breadwinner may need to hire someone to clean and take care of the kids and that can cost a lot of money. Unless your family would have that extra income to spare, you may need life insurance on both spouses,” advises Marvin Feldman, President and CEO of life insurance non-profit organization, Life Happens. Insurance on the stay-at-home spouse also gives the working parent the opportunity to take time off work and help the family adjust to their loss.

3) Life insurance is really expensive.

A recent study conducted by Life Happens and LIMRA, found that 25% of Americans said they need more life insurance but only 10% planned to purchase it within the next year. The main reason given was cost, with 63% saying that it’s too expensive. However, 80% of them overestimated the cost. 25% thought that a $250k 20-year level term policy for a healthy 30-yr old would cost $1k a year or more when it actually would cost about $150.

4) My health disqualifies me from life insurance.

There are a lot of companies that cover a range of health conditions and some even specialize in high-risk cases. You can also purchase a policy that is not medically underwritten at all. Just be aware that they tend to be more expensive and have lower coverage limits.

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