Can a person in their middle years or senior years still buy life insurance? If you are over 50, or if you are caring for an older person, you can find a wide choice of products. Since statistics show that Americans are living longer and healthier lives, insurers are willing to extend affordable coverage to older people. Most middle aged and older people can still find life insurance policies.
Why would people over 50 even want to buy a policy? When we were younger, we probably purchased term because it was cheaper. We were told that at the end of 20 or 30 years we would not need coverage any more because our savings would cover us. We thought our kids would be on their own, and our mortgage would be paid off. At 30, those 2 or 3 decades of term coverage seem life forever.
How did that idea work out for you? In many cases, it did not work all that well. Our kids took longer to get off on their own than we planned. Maybe they haven came back home, and maybe they have their own kids now. Those mortgages we planned to pay off are still there because we moved or took out another loan to cover some expenses. And job losses or other problems meant that our savings just never really grew like we thought they would.
So, why don’t we have life insurance? Well, that term policy only lasted for 20 or 30 years. Thankfully, we outlived it. Or we had group coverage at work, but we are not at that job any more. We are older now, but we do not have any coverage.
Who buys life insuramce after 50? People have different reasons for wanting a policy. You must understand your options, what different insurance can do for you, and then you will be able to buy the right coverage for you.
If a person is sure they just want coverage, they may consider another term policy. It will probably be much cheaper than whole life. A middle aged person, or even a younger senior, may still find affordable term life. These lower premiums are important to consider.
Some term policies can be converted to permanent policies later. This allows you to get the cheaper one now, and then decide if you need lifetime coverage later. Since you are not sure what you will need in ten or twenty years, this may be a good option. These policies should not require you to prove you are healthy either.
But some people would want to consider whole life now. The premiums at 50 will be cheaper than they will be at 65, and the price will stay level. You get lifetime coverage, and even the chance to build the cash value of your policy. Being able to borrow against that value, cash it in, or use it for senior life settlements, may make this attractive.
How much will this cost you. Premiums will vary by many factors. These include the size of the death benefit, the type of insurance, your age, and your general health. An experienced insurance agent should be able to help you explore your options. Just be careful if they seem too concentrated on one type of policy.
You may want to compare SPLI (Single Premium Life) vs Annuities for retirment planning.
Tags: baby boomers, elder care, estate planning, Finance, financial planning, Insurance, Life Insurance, over 50, seniors, Term Life Insurance, whole life insurance
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