Blog
Can You Borrow From Life Insurance to Buy a Home?
If you are buying a home, you know how expensive it can be. The median home price is about $200,000 in 2017 and rising quickly. In some markets, you will be hard-pressed to find a home for less than $500,000. A standard mortgage requires a 20% down payment. In a Read More »
Black Americans Save More of Their Income for Retirement Than White Americans
Black Americans face many negative stereotypes and disadvantages over their white counterparts. One difficulty Americans of all cultures face is saving for retirement. There have been many studies done that conclude that black Americans have less money saved for retirement than white Americans. The undertone is that black Americans are Read More »
Life Insurance Companies Moving Away From the Medical Exam
The life insurance industry is finally modernizing. After years of the old-style model of an agent cold calling people, getting meetings, and trying to sell a policy the client didn't understand, things are finally starting to change. It is easier than ever to buy a policy online, and the underwriting Read More »
Life Insurance with Cancer and How to Get it
You can get life insurance if you have cancer. We help our clients obtain valuable policies every day when they have cancer or any number of other serious diseases. The caveat is that the process is a bit more involved than the standard way. It will take a little more Read More »
Don’t Buy Whole Life Insurance
Here is a secret most life insurance companies don't want you to know - you shouldn't buy whole life insurance. Why are we telling you this? It sounds like a strange thing for a life insurance company to say. But at Life Ant, we are more concerned about giving our Read More »
How Much Life Insurance Costs
If you are looking for life insurance, you might be wondering how much it costs. You may even have already received a quote, but you don't know if its a good price or not. If you have an older policy, you may wonder if prices have gone down or up Read More »
If you have an Annuity do you also need Life Insurance?
Fixed annuities became very common investments when interest rates were really high. They also enjoyed bumps during the market turmoil after the ".com" bubble burst in 2001, and the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008. The reason they became popular during times of high interest rates was because people were locking Read More »
How to Apply for Life Insurance Easily
Applying for life insurance does not need to be a complicated process. We always help our clients at Life Ant through the entire application, from finding the right policy to applying for coverage to managing your policy. The life insurance application can appear daunting. It involves many pages of questions Read More »
Life Insurance With a 401k – Do you Need Both?
Here is a common scenario: A wife and husband both have 401k retirement accounts through work. They probably contributed to them for different amounts of time, and one may be quite a bit larger than the other or they may roughly be the same size. Now in their mid-30s, they Read More »
Risks of Relying on Employer Sponsored Life Insurance
Many companies offer life insurance as a benefit to working for them, much like medical insurance or disability coverage. Your employer may offer it for free, or you may pay a small amount from each paycheck, usually just a couple of dollars. The question is, is this free or highly Read More »
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Explained
Guaranteed issue life insurance is a form of "no medical exam life insurance". Just like it sounds from the name, a life insurance company can not deny a policy if someone applies for a guaranteed issue policy. While this sounds great, there are some very important catches to this type Read More »
Single Premium Life Insurance Explained
A financial advisor may propose a single premium life insurance policy instead of a policy that requires annual premiums, typically to high-end clients. A single premium life policy also known as (SPL) is a pretty straightforward life insurance concept, but this type of policy has some nuances that are important. Read More »
What to do if you Lose your Life Insurance Policy?
First of all don't worry. Insurance companies are required to pay death claims even if the beneficiary can't find the policy of the insured person. Just because you can't find a policy doesn't mean that the contract isn't still enforceable in it's original form. You don't need to buy a Read More »
Can I Avoid a Paramedical Exam When I Buy Life Insurance?
There are many reasons why someone might want to avoid taking a paramedical exam, which is also more commonly known as a life insurance medical exam or a paramed. Some are not sinister, it may make you nervous to have someone examine you for instance. Some people may want to Read More »
Buying Life Insurance For Your Baby Can Set Them Up For Financial Success
It sounds like a gimmick right? Why would you need to buy life insurance for a baby? The baby doesn't have any kids or husband or wife. The baby doesn't own a business. It can sound ludicrous. The truth is there actually are a couple good reasons to buy life Read More »
Life Insurance for Runners
Though you may not participate in marathons, you definitely enjoy running. It helps you stay focused, clears your mind, keeps your weight in check and offers a whole host of other health benefits. Because you are in such good physical health, you wonder to yourself, “Could I actually save money Read More »
Life Insurance for Alcoholics
When applying for life insurance, there are several factors that your life insurance provider will take into consideration when determining the premiums you will pay, or if you will be approved at all. You may be worried that a life insurance company will deny you if you are an alcoholic, Read More »
What Age Should You Buy Life Insurance?
We recommend that people buy life insurance as early in life as possible. Life events such as marriage, having children, or owning a business can play a big role in determining when you really need insurance. Generally speaking though, the earlier you purchase life insurance the less money you'll pay. Read More »
What Is A Life Insurance Trust?
One of the things that people come across when they are researching life insurance is the life insurance trust. Although the life insurance trust is fairly simple it can confuse a lot of people because when a life insurance trust is set up it can have a number of repercussions Read More »
Millennials Will Change How Life Insurance Is Bought
Gathering every revealing bank statement and financial document to your name, sitting down at a table with a guy in a suit, smiling politely while he talks about stuff you don't understand and tells you how to invest your money and what insurance to buy, these are the signs that Read More »
Does Life Insurance Cover Acts Of Terrorism?
The questions of whether or not a life insurance policy covers acts of terrorism is unfortunately a necessarily one these days. The 21st century has seen more blatant terrorism than at any other time in the past and for some Americans (as well as people around the world) death as Read More »
Term Life Insurance For Veterans
Getting a life insurance policy is important for anyone who has a family that depends on them, or who has any other financial responsibilities. Even if that’s not the case and you don’t have any dependents, life insurance can still be very useful to help cover funeral costs and to Read More »
All About Small Business Life Insurance
Some small business owners don’t think about small business life insurance. If you own your own business, it’s something you’ve got to take care of. Thinking ahead can preserve your legacy and ensure your business lives on. Life insurance will help ensure your family is taken care of after you’re Read More »
What Is Indexed Universal Life Insurance?
You may have heard of universal life insurance in the past. But indexed universal life insurance may be a term that you’re not so familiar with. Although the two are similar, there are some key differences that you want to understand before you choose to go with one over the Read More »
Why It’s Smart To Buy 25-Year Term Life Insurance
You might have already heard of term life insurance policies with a 20 or 30-year term, but have you heard of a 25-year term life insurance package? Most insurance providers offer life insurance plans with terms of 10, 20, or 30 years. However, some companies offer even more flexibility with Read More »
10 Common Myths About Life Insurance
Life insurance can be extremely confusing. Naturally, a lot of myths surround it. Even term life insurance policies have several elements that must be carefully considered before you can arrive at the right type and amount of coverage. Determining how much coverage you need and why can be a thought-intensive Read More »
Most People Unaware That Life Insurance Lowers Taxes
Wouldn't it be great if there was a product that you could invest your money into and it could grow your money tax-deferred, provide you with tax-free income, and either negate or offset estate taxes? There is a product out there, but most people don't know how it works. This product Read More »
Life Insurance Taxation Survey
Over the past month, Life Ant commissioned a survey to find out if people were aware of the distinct tax benefits of life insurance. We didn't expect to find the vast majority of people to be aware of life insurance taxation, but what we found was a little surprising. As Read More »
The Difference Between Participating and Nonparticipating Policies
A participating life insurance policy is a policy that receives dividend payments from the life insurance company. It is called participating because it is entitled to share or "participate" in the surplus earnings of the life insurance company. A nonparticipating policy does not have the right to share in surplus Read More »
Life Insurance Commissions – How Life Insurance Agents Are Paid
Life insurance agents can get paid very well for making large sales. Did you ever wonder how your life insurance agent gets paid? Are you concerned that they are making too much money from the products that you purchased? Well look no further. This is the ultimate guide to how Read More »
The Life Insurance Risk Appraisal Process
When a life insurance application reaches the desk of a life insurance company, it is sent to the underwriter (where the risk appraisal process begins). Risk appraisal usually involves selecting insurance applicants who meet the standards of insurability and then assigning them to the suitable risk classes. This process is Read More »
Life Insurance for Women
Women need life insurance just as much as men need life insurance. Unfortunately, women are not insured at as high of rates as men. More women are breadwinners of their families than ever. Even those who do not work often provide valuable childcare or other domestic services. If a woman Read More »
How To Get The Best Life Insurance Rates
Shopping around for life insurance can be time consuming and intimidating. There are so many options out there from a myriad of insurers. Just because the process is daunting, however, you should not be scared away. Good, affordable life insurance policies can be found, and often times, they are just a Read More »
Considerations For Business Owners When Buying Life Insurance
Most people buy life insurance to protect their loved ones from financial hardship. Business owners, on the other hand, must consider other aspects of life insurance. Being prepared in the event of your premature death will provide future financial support for those involved in your business. How Can Life Insurance Read More »
Disability Income Rider Explained
A disability income rider is a very valuable add-on available to policy owners when they purchase a life insurance contract. A disability income rider provides financial protection to the owner of a life insurance contract that a disability will often incur. It does so in a couple of ways (potentially depending Read More »
How Variable Universal Life and Universal Life Insurance Are Different
Variable universal life insurance and universal life insurance are two very different products. While both function similarly in terms of the flexibility of premium payments, cash value accrual account, and changes in premium payments, the difference lies in the way the cash value account earns money. While a universal life Read More »
How To Save Money On Taxes With Life Insurance
Life insurance is more useful than many people realize when it comes to saving money on taxes. This is because life insurance enjoys special tax benefits that other forms of investments do not receive. Not only is the death benefit normally paid free of any taxes to the beneficiaries, but owners Read More »
How Does Obamacare Affect Your Life Insurance Coverage?
Obamacare, also known as the “Affordable Care Act”, has been met with its fair share of controversy. Although the ACA helps mainly in providing affordable health insurance, its effects on life insurance coverage must also be considered. Obamacare’s requirements on individuals and employers, for example, may affect your ability to Read More »
Why A Variable Universal Life Insurance Policy (VUL) Is A Good Investment
A variable universal life insurance is an interesting product. It combines many of the unique benefits of life insurance with with earnings power of an investment account. Many advisors will point to the high fees of a variable universal life insurance product and declare it a bad investment, but this Read More »
How To Make Money On Variable Universal Life Insurance (VUL)
Variable universal life insurance is a tricky product. There are a lot of features of this complicated product, some of them are beneficial to the consumer and some are not. Making money on a variable universal life insurance policy depends upon understanding how this insurance policy works, what to avoid Read More »
How Much Life Insurance To Buy After A Child Is Born
When you are a parent, you know that you need life insurance. What is less obvious is how much you need, and how long you need the coverage to last. There are so many options when it comes to life insurance that it can be very overwhelming, especially for a Read More »
Understanding A Whole Life Insurance Illustration
A whole life insurance illustration can be complicated for people who are not familiar with life insurance. The illustration shows a lot more about your insurance than the amount of money that you need to pay. Not only does it show the annual cost of your insurance, but the illustration Read More »
Why Term Life Insurance Is The Cheapest Form Of Life Insurance
Term life insurance is, when judged by the annual premiums, the most affordable kind of life insurance by far. But why is it so much less money than whole life insurance and other forms of permanent life insurance? Is the coverage less valuable? Will the insurance coverage still pay out, Read More »
Choosing The Right Length For Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance gives owners a lot of flexibility regarding how ,many years that the coverage is guaranteed to last for. On the shortest end of the spectrum, level term policies are available starting at 5 years in length, and annually renewable policies can be used for even shorter periods of Read More »
Choosing A Life Insurance Beneficiary
After you get married, have kids, or buy a house, you may realize that you need life insurance. You may know that you want your family to be financially secure if something happens, and you know that you want to preserve the house and your spouse's retirement. You may also Read More »
Term Life Insurance Vs. Universal Life Insurance
Life insurance can be very confusing. There are different types of policies that work in very different ways. Some policies have cash values, and some do not. Some policies pay dividends, some pay interest, and some invest the cash value in variable sub account funds. Each policy has different expenses, features, Read More »
High Risk Life Insurance Policies
Many people who have experienced a serious health condition such as cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke may be denied life insurance coverage through traditional means. Luckily, it is not impossible for these people to obtain life insurance coverage. While major companies will take on a small amount of Read More »
Cashing Out A Whole Life Policy For Term
For most people, surrendering a whole life insurance policy for a term life insurance is a good idea. Term life insurance provides the same death benefit as whole life insurance for a tiny fraction of the cost. While there are benefits to whole life insurance that are not available with Read More »