Life Insurance
Life insurance in Australia is a type of insurance designed to protect your loved ones financially when you pass away. Upon your death, your beneficiaries or your estate will be paid a lump sum amount according to the sum insured as outlined in your life insurance policy. This money can be used to pay off any outstanding debts, your mortgage, funeral costs, and can be given to family or friends as seen fit.
Types of life insurance Australia wide
The main type of life insurance available in Australia is Term Life Insurance. As the name states, term life insurance is offered for a set term, usually until the age of 99. Life insurance premiums are paid either annually or monthly in exchange for life insurance protection – if your life insurance premiums are not paid you are no longer protected.
Many Life Insurance Companies place other types of personal insurance under the life insurance umbrella. These types of cover include total and permanent disability insurance (TPD insurance), trauma insurance, and income protection insurance.
It should be noted that Whole of Life Insurance and Universal Life Insurance is no longer available in Australia.
Who should have life insurance policies?
If you have family or friends that you would like to be taken care of financially when you pass away, then life insurance is imperative. You may also need life insurance if you have a number of outstanding debts like a mortgage or other personal loans. Ask yourself if you fit into either of these categories, and if so life insurance is essential to the financial protection of your loved ones.
How much term life insurance coverage should I have?
The amount of life insurance coverage you need will depend on a number of factors, like the amount of mortgage or personal debt you have, the age of your children if any, and the amount of income your family will need in your absence. In the least you will want enough life insurance coverage to pay for the mortgage, your funeral, and enough income for your children until the age of 18. If you would like to leave more funds for other relatives or friends then this will need to be factored in as well.
As a rule of thumb, many financial advisors will recommend that the sum insured for in your life insurance policy should be a minimum of ten times your annual salary. However this amount will vary as everyone’s situation is different.
How much do policies from life insurance companies cost?
The cost of life insurance premiums varies on a number of individual factors. Life insurance companies will base standard premiums on the following:
- Age;
- Smoking status; and
- Gender.
In assessing your life insurance rates, a life insurance company may also ask for a medical assessment. This assessment is done at the expense of the life insurance company.
It is important to note that life insurance companies who ask minimal questions and sell life insurance without medical assessment often have higher life insurance premiums. If you are seeking cheap life insurance premiums then it may be best to seek a life insurance company who does ask a lot of questions and completes a comprehensive medical disclosure statement. Doing this generally results in lower premiums without compromising on the quality of life cover.
xLife also offers a 20% rebate on your first year’s life insurance premium giving you even greater savings.
Who will get my life insurance proceeds?
Most life insurance policy contracts allow the life insurance policy owner to nominate a beneficiary, or beneficiaries to receive any life insurance policy benefit payments. A life insurance company cannot ignore or overturn this nomination as it binds the life insurance company to pay the nominated beneficiary, or beneficiaries.
You can nominate up to five beneficiaries in a life insurance policy and these beneficiaries can be amended by the policy owner at any time should you wish to change your beneficiary.
Having your life insurance policy correctly set up will ensure that your proceeds will end up in the right hands.
Advice on life insurance quotes
If you need help on which life insurance company and life insurance policy to go with, speak to an xLife adviser today. xLife offers free comparisons of Australia’s top life insurance policies and free Life Insurance Quotes.
xLife also specialises in difficult to cover situations like:
- Life insurance for Australian ex-pats
- Life insurance for seniors
- Life insurance for temporary (visa) residents to Australia
- Life insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions like multiple sclerosis, cancer and diabetes
We anlayse your particular situation, compare the top life insurance quotes available on the Australian life insurance market. We then recommend a life insurance policy best suited to your personal situation.
Exclusive Offer! Call xLife on 1300 135 205 today and
save up to 20% on your first year’s life insurance premium.
August 2010
