What Is the Purpose of Life Insurance?

A life insurance policy is a policy people take out with a life insurance company to provide a sum of money when they die. Life insurance policies are designed to achieve several aims. These include providing for one's final expenses such as funeral costs and serving as a financial cushion for one's family members in order to avoid financial hardship. Other purposes include serving as potential investment vehicles and helping with one's estate tax planning.

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Final Expenses

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Dying can lead to unexpected expenses. These can include the costs of a casket, the purchase of a funeral plot and cost of a rental hall to hold a wake. A life insurance policy can help cover most and possibly all of these costs.

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Social Security and Pension Benefits Replacement

When you die you surviving relatives may cease being eligible for retirement benefits such as social security checks or pension benefits. A life insurance policy can pay enough money to your survivors to compensate for this loss of income.

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Salary Replacement

The death of a young primary earner can create financial insecurity for a survivor especially if she has young children and would find it difficult to enter the workforce. Life insurance can provide a surviving parent with the ability to delay or avoid entrance into the workforce.

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Investment Vehicles

Certain forms of life insurance may offer policy holders financial benefits even if they are still living. A policy holder purchase a whole life insurance policy and use the equity gained to borrow against in times of financial hardship.

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Tax Benefits

Life insurance policies are generally considered non-taxable income. This means that any money paid out will not trigger state, local or federal taxes. Purchasing a life insurance policy can be part of one's essential estate planning.

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