Who needs a million dollar life insurance policy?
Life is all about finding the right balance. The perfect blend of work and play, needs and wants, saving and spending.
You’ll face the same type of decision-making when shopping for life insurance. Purchasing too little coverage can leave your family underinsured, too much can have you allocating too much of your budget to life insurance.
If the unthinkable happened and your family faced a future without you, a life insurance policy is your family’s financial safety net. A good rule of thumb is to have coverage that’s about 5 to 10 times your annual salary. So if you earn $100,000 a year, a $1 million life insurance policy may be the right choice for you. Or if you earn less but have substantial debts like a mortgage or student loans, it could still be the right fit. A million-dollar term life insurance policy is probably more affordable than you think. A healthy 35-year-old woman can buy a 20-year, $1 million term life insurance policy from Haven Life for about $29 per month.
For those of you readers who want to understand all the factors that go into deciding if a $1 million life insurance policy is right for you, read on. If you want the cliff notes version to understand if it’s the right amount of coverage for you, try using an online life insurance calculator.
Eligibility for a million-dollar life insurance policy
If you’re thinking about buying $1 million in coverage, it’s important first to find out if you’re eligible. A combination of your age and salary information helps an insurer determine if you qualify for the amount of coverage you’re seeking. For most insurers, the maximum is anywhere between 10 to 30 times your annual salary with some variation based on your age. Typically, the younger you are, the higher your coverage eligibility is.
Additionally, you could use your income as a barometer for how much coverage you really need. If you earn $30,000 a year, for example, $1 million in coverage might be excessive.
Rather than trying to guesstimate, an online life insurance calculator can help you find your ideal coverage and eligibility. This way, you can properly gauge your family’s needs without having to do any air-math during the process.
Determine if $1 million fits your life insurance needs
In general, you should get coverage that’s 5 to 10 times your salary, and make sure your coverage is enough to help account for:
Your mortgage and other significant debts
Child care and dependent expenses
Intentions to pay for your child’s education
Cosigned debts
Health care costs for a non-working spouse and children
The cost of a funeral and final expenses
After considering how your family could afford these expenses without your income, you might find that $1 million in coverage is just right. Or, you might decide that you’d rather have additional coverage to lock in affordable pricing for the next 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. Again, a life insurance calculator can factor in all this information to provide an estimate based on your family’s situation.
In situations where you’re considering the coverage needs of a stay-at-home parent, it can be a bit more difficult to determine the right amount of coverage since they don’t technically earn a salary. Typically, the child-rearing partner will be eligible for the same amount of coverage as the working spouse. And remember: yes, households should have coverage on stay-at-home moms and dads.
The price of a $1 million life insurance policy
It may surprise you how affordable $1 million in coverage can be. A healthy 35-year-old woman could purchase a 20-year, $1 million policy for about $29 per month. That’s a little less than $1 per day. Not a bad price for a significant amount of peace of mind. And, she gets to lock in that price for the next 20 years.
And remember, pricing for coverage is affordable the younger and healthier you are. That’s why, if you know you need coverage, you’ll want to lock in your lower rate now.
Rates are also impacted by the term length of policy you choose. A 30-year term typically costs more than a 20-year or a 10-year term.
The bottom line: Your age and health, the amount of coverage, and the length of your policy will all impact how much you pay for coverage each month.
Average premium cost for a $1,000,000 term life insurance policy
AgeGender10-year term20-year term30-year term
30Male$19.52$30.82$53.32
30Female$15.70$24.55$43.31
35Male$21.24$34.08$63.24
35Female$18.32$29.03$51.5
40Male$26.86$49.15$92.48
40Female$24.99$40.82$73.94
45Male$45.87$80.00$148.22
45Female$39.99$66.57$114.06
50Male$149.70$296.71$424.27
50Female$109.23$208.27$336.40
Estimate based on pricing for eligible Haven Term applicants in excellent health. Pricing differences will vary based on ages, health status, coverage amount and term length. These prices do not reflect the rates for applicants in CA, DE, FL, ND, NY and SD. Coverage is available up to $3 million.
Choosing the right term length for you
Term life insurance is a simple, affordable type of coverage that lasts for a specific period of time – 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. You pay for coverage during the years you need it most, until your kids are adults or your mortgage is paid off.
Picking the right term length is, again, all about balance.
A life insurance calculator will take into consideration your age, income, debts and family structure debts to provide a recommended term length as well as coverage amount that might be best for your situation.
A longer-term policy will cost more, but it also lets you use your current age to lock in a lower rate for a longer period of time. A shorter-term policy costs less per month for now, but when the term expires, you may still be in need of coverage. In that scenario, you’ll need to either buy a new policy or extend your coverage. Regardless, rates will be higher because you’ll be quite a bit older.
Buying a million dollar life insurance policy
You purchase a million dollar life insurance policy to help financially protect your family in the worst of times. Therefore, it’s important to choose a company that you’re confident will be around for the life of your policy. Life insurance ratings are important to consider when shopping for a policy.
Life insurance companies receive ratings from independent agencies based on their financial strength, as well as the rating agency’s assessment of the company’s claims-paying ability. To put it simply: It’s an indication of the insurer’s ability to pay out a claim if you were to die.
For example, at Haven Life, Haven Term policies are issued by MassMutual or its subsidiary, C.M. Life, which are rated A++ by A.M. Best. (That’s the highest rating available from A.M. Best, by the way.)
And thanks to modern technology, buying life insurance today is simpler than ever before. You can simply calculate your needs, get a quote, apply online and, if approved, start your coverage the same day.
The online application will ask about your income, your family structure, and your health. Answer each question openly and honestly for the most accurate pricing and results.
You don’t have to predict the future
One downside of getting life insurance is that it makes you contemplate your own mortality, but that comes with an upside. By considering what would happen to your loved ones if you died, you also have to consider what you’re worth, financially speaking, and the answer is often a lot more than you think.
The best way to figure out how much life insurance coverage you might need, and how much you’re eligible for, is to use an online life insurance calculator like the one at Haven Life. In a few minutes, it can help you determine you and your family’s needs, and give you a personalized quote for coverage. After considering how your family could afford these expenses without your income, you might find that $1 million in coverage is just right, or you could discover that you need a bit more or a bit less.
So who needs a $1,000,000 life insurance policy? The answer may well be “you.” To find out for sure, try Haven Life’s easy-to-use life insurance calculator.
