Affordable Term Life Insurance

What determines the rates we pay for life cover, and how to maximise your return.

It’s hard to get affordable term life insurance if you’re a smoker- but then you’re used to paying £5 a pack for ciggies. After that, age and sex are the biggest determinants of life rates- and those rates are at their lowest in real terms for many years.

If you’re the sort of person who regularly mourns inflation and the ever-dwindling value of the coppers in your jar, you’ll be pleased to know that affordable term life insurance isn’t an oxymoron. Term life cover is about as cheap as its going to get at the moment; although certain factors dictate cost more than others.

If you’re a smoker, you can expect to pay around 50% more than a non-smoker. And not surprisingly, age plays a great part: in your twenties and thirties, depending on the length of the term, you can expect to pay as little as a quarter of the amount you’ll pay in your fifties. Quite simply, what matters is the date of the end of the term (so the key date for a twenty year-old on a twenty year term is 40). The insurers have simple tables on which they judge from past experience the chances of your survival to the end of the term- and not surprisingly a vastly smaller number of people pass away before 40 than 60. Over 60’s can sometimes expect a pretty raw deal.

But given that affordable term life insurance is fairly easy to find, above all don’t fall into the trap of under-insuring yourself. If you need £150,000 of cover, be sure to get it. The entire process will be a pointless waste of money if your dependants simply end up with too little to cover their needs. Finally, be aware that there are forms of joint policy which can significantly reduce the cost of cover whilst in real terms not inconveniencing your dependants; and if you’re married you might want to consider such a policy.