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Create a source of savings Some types of life insurance create a cash value that, if not paid out as a death benefit, can be borrowed or withdrawn on the owners request.
Life Insurance Life Insurance Written In Trust Saves Millions
By Catherine Harvey
 Taking out a life insurance policy shows consideration and love to your nearest and dearest. It means you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that, as much as possible, life for them will go on without added financial burden.
However, many people are making the mistake of not writing these life insurance policies in trust. This means that any life insurance payouts will be added to the inheritance of your family and could take them above the nil rate band for inheritance tax.
If a life insurance policy is written in trust this will enable the sum to be excluded from the overall estate of the policy holder, freeing it from inheritance tax liability. It also has the ability to speed up payouts, whether or not it would be liable for the extortionate tax.
Recent changes in the law mean that assets worth 300,000 pounds for individuals and 600,000 pounds for couples are the limit before any tax liabilities. Any assets over that amount would be subject to inheritance tax at a rate of 40%.
The latest figures to be released show that over the course of one year, 11,000 insurance policies worth a total of 597 pounds million were subject to inheritance tax. Had all these policies been written in trust, you can be quite sure that inheritance tax would not have been applicable on any of them.
Will reading and distribution of assets can be a notoriously lengthy procedure. This can be put a huge financial strain on the family. With life insurance policies that are written in trust would be paid out immediately, making things a whole lot easier.
Not putting life insurance policies in trust is costing customers millions of pounds every year in unnecessary inheritance tax. Apparently, only 10% of people write their life insurance in trust. Even if you already have a life insurance policy in place, it is possible to easily put it in trust.
Whether you purchase your life insurance over the net, over the phone or through a shop, they should all come with the chance of writing in trust. It seems odd that so few people take up this opportunity. Maybe it is a case of not getting the right advice?
Life insurance comparison websites abound but there is concern that they are not serving the customer well. It has been found that many people will take out the cheapest life insurance but this doesn't necessarily mean that is the one that is most suitable to their circumstances.
The British Insurance Brokers Association have called for the Financial Services Authority to overhaul regulations regarding these insurance comparison sites. They believe that when people check out these sites, they barely take notice of the policy details, just the price. They even take this price comparison as 'advice'. This is a good case of cheapest not always meaning best.
Whatever happened to people taking responsibility for themselves? Surely, if they take out a policy without concerning themselves with the details, they are throwing their money away. Many people take out a life insurance policy with their mortgage as is necessary but instead of shopping around will go with the mortgage providers own insurance simply because it is easier.
Take control, by all means shop around to get the best life insurance deal, but don't take one purely on the cost of the policy because it may not help very much right at the time when it is most needed.
Legal expert Catherine Harvey looks at how we can benefit from life insurance policies written in trust. To find out more please visit http://www.theidol.com/ The Connection Between Columbus, Henry VIII, Hitler and Toulouse-Lautrec
By Catherine Harvey
 When life insurance companies are assessing a customer for risk in order to work out their premiums, they would do well to carefully consider the person's sexual history. Many young people go through a period of lax sexual behaviour but this can have a detrimental effect on their future health.
Sexually transmitted diseases are mostly curable these days. However, they still carry a stigma which prevents a lot of sufferers seeking help, thus further spreading the diseases. With syphilis alone, thousands of deaths are occurring every year across the globe.
It is believed that Christopher Columbus is responsible for bringing syphilis to Europe on his arrival home from his American discoveries back in 1493. Scientists have traced the evolution of syphilis back to that time in South America. Throughout the years, there have been many alleged famous sufferers of this disfiguring illness including Henry VIII, Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Not so long ago, it is reported that Prince Albert Victor was suffering from syphilis due to his familiarity with prostitutes. It is also believed that this is what affected his brain and sent him mad, although there is no documented evidence to prove this.
In the US alone, 3,400 new cases of congenital syphilis are discovered every year. Up to 40% of pregnant women with untreated syphilis will lose their babies. An unnecessary statistic given that this disease is relatively easy to treat these days. But that hasn't always been the case.
Mercury was once the given treatment for cases of syphilis. This lead to the saying 'A night in Venus leads to a lifetime in Mercury'. A patient was encased in a box with just his head sticking out, Mercury was added to the box and a fire lit beneath. The mercury vaporized, supposedly curing the disease but was just one of an assortment of failing treatments.
Left untreated, syphilis can cause irreparable damage to the heart, aorta, brain, eyes and bones. It can also prove fatal. Does this mean that life insurance would not pay out, as sexual behaviour is a matter of choice? Does it matter that, while not construed as self inflicted, it could be looked at as our own fault?
Thankfully, life insurance will pay out in the event of a death from an STD. If not, then life insurance companies could argue that every accident or illness was because of our lifestyle choices and there would simply be no life insurance business in existence.
It is essential to get STD's treated as soon as possible as they can cause other problems, including cancer of the reproductive tract and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This will result in scaring which is responsible for approximately 9% of ectopic pregnancies. Another life threatening situation for expectant mothers.
As always, it pays to look after our own health to the best of our ability. In the event of any infections, however embarrassing they may be deemed, prompt intervention is essential. Not only will you prolong your own life with a better quality, you will avoid problems later on in life and reduce your life insurance premiums.
Insurance expert Catherine Harvey looks at the effects on life insurance of sexual health. To find out more please visit http://www.theidol.com/ A Crash Course On Life Insurance
By Jim Pretin
 Life insurance is a means for providing financial protection for your family in the event of your death. A life insurance contract is relatively straightforward; you agree to pay a premium at regular intervals, and the insurance company agrees to pay a certain sum of money to your beneficiary upon your death.
There are three parties to a life insurance contract. First, there is the insured. This is the person whose life is being insured under the policy. Next, there is the insurer. The insurer is the insurance company who underwrites the risk. And third, there is the owner. The owner and insured are not necessarily one and the same. Someone can buy a life insurance policy to insure the life of someone else, such as their spouse.
The person who buys the policy is the owner, and the person whose life the policy is based on is the insured. When the owner and the insured are different people, premium payments are the responsibility of the owner.
Every life insurance contract also has a beneficiary. This is the person who receives the proceeds from the policy in the event of the death of the insured, and is assigned by the owner. There are two types. An irrevocable beneficiary can not be changed unless the beneficiary gives his or her permission; if it is revocable, the owner can change it at any time.
The policy is subject to certain terms and conditions. There are usually certain exclusions that apply, depending on the person being insured. But with almost every policy, death as the result of suicide during the first two years of the policy term is excluded from coverage.
Also, during the first two years of the policy, often referred to as the contestable period, the insurance company retains the right to not immediately pay out, even if the death is caused by a condition that is covered in the policy. The company can order an investigation into the death of the insured, to make sure that the death was not deliberate or the result of homicide.
The amount paid to the beneficiary is called the face amount. The maturity date is reached upon either the date when the insured deceases or reaches a certain age. Life insurance is most often used to provide income protection to the spouse of the deceased.
Regardless of the reason for buying the insurance, the owner (if not the same person as the insured), must have an insurable interest. In other words, the owner of the contract must have a reason for wanting to insure the life of that person, otherwise the contract is void.
When the person covered by the policy dies, the insurance company requires proof of death before paying the claim. A notarized death certificate is the most commonly accepted form of proof. The benefit is paid out either as a lump sum or as an annuity that is paid out over time.
Any annuity can be a good way to receive the benefits. It is possible for the beneficiary to set up a lifetime annuity, which would guarantee that person a certain amount of monthly income for the rest of his or her life.
There are two basic types of life insurance, temporary and permanent. Temporary insurance is known as term life. An example of a term policy would be a 20-year term life, which means that the policy will pay a death benefit if the person dies within the next twenty years.
Permanent insurance includes whole life and universal life. Whole life provides for a payout no matter when the person dies, but premiums have to continue to be paid, usually right up until the insured reaches the age of 100. Universal policies are somewhat similar, but they allow for greater premium flexibility. Universal insurance is somewhat complicated; you should talk to an agent before buying it.
I hope this information has helped you become acquainted with life insurance. You should sit down with your spouse and talk about buying a policy. Then, call an agent who works for an insurance company with a strong financial rating and make an appointment to discuss your objectives. Use the information that was presented here to help you make intelligent choices so your family will be protected in the event that something happens to you.
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Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com, a service that helps programmers make an HTML form Share Your Opinion. (0 posts)
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