Life insurance is a simple concept - you buy a policy that pays to your beneficiary or beneficiaries when you die - but the decisions of what kind of life insurance to purchase, how much of a death benefit and how much you pay are extremely complex.
Note. There are more than 2,000 companies selling life insurance in this country. Some are very good, financially solid companies; others are not so sound. A company's financial strength is vitally important to you because, hopefully, no one is going to collect on your life insurance for a long time.
You want to make sure your life insurer will be around for the long haul. How do you do this? You can consult with an experienced insurance professional, which is probably your best bet, or you can look at how various independent organizations "rate" the life insurers you are considering. Ratings are like school grades, A+, A, A-, B+, etc. In general, it's wise to stick with companies that are rated A or better by most rating organizations.
To learn more about life insurance, visit our Learning Center.