Premiums and Coverage Compared

Life insurance pricing looks mysterious until you see the handful of inputs that drive it: your age, health, tobacco use, the amount of coverage, the length of the term and the type of policy. This section walks through those inputs one at a time so you can read a quote the way an underwriter does.

Start with the guide on average costs by age and profile if you want a ballpark, then read about the factors that change a premium and the comparison of term, whole and universal life. If you are deciding how much coverage to buy, the coverage-amount guide shows several standard methods with the arithmetic written out. The final guides cover practical ways to lower a premium without gutting the coverage and how to compare quotes fairly.

All dollar figures in these guides are illustrative examples, not current rates. Actual quotes vary by insurer, state and your individual underwriting. Use the quote comparison tool and the premium range estimator to work with your own numbers, and always confirm details with a licensed agent or your state department of insurance.