Life Insurance Terms

The following life insurance terms are common among most life insurance policies and will assist you in understanding your life insurance coverage.

Beneficiary - The person or persons named in the life insurance policy to receive the death benefit upon the death of the named insured.

Cancellation - Policy termination by insured or insurer under terms agreed upon in the insurance policy.

Claim - Request of insured for indemnification by insurer for loss resulting from an insured peril.

Convertible Term Insurance - Term life insurance policy that can be converted at the request of the insured to a permanent life policy without evidence of insurability.

Deductible - The amount of the claim that must be paid by the insured before benefits are paid by the insurance company.

Face Amount - The amount stated on the face of the life insurance policy (death benefit) that is paid to the beneficiary upon the death of the named insured.

Insurability - Acceptability of an applicant for insurance provided by the insurance company.

Insured - The person who is named as insured or whose life is insured on a life insurance policy.

Lapse - Policy coverage termination due to non-payment of premium within a specified period of time. This is one of the more important life insurance terms to understand in your policy.

Level Premium - Life Insurance that has a constant premium, it remains the same each year of the policy.

Life Insurance - A contract providing protection against the death of an individual in the form of payment to a beneficiary in exchange for premiums paid.

Policy Owner - The owner of the life insurance policy. The owner is usually the insured person, but it may be another party such as a compay, partner, spouse or relative of the insured.

Policy Period - Interval of time during which the insurance policy is in force.

Premium - Payment made to the insurance company to maintain the coverage in force.

Renewable Term Insurance - Term life insurance that can be renewed at the end of the policy term by the insured without providing proof of insurability. This type of policy may be renewed for a specified and limited number of successive terms. Policy premium rates increase with age as each term renews.

Term Insurance - A form of life insurance that has no cash value build up within the policy.