term life insurance for seniors

Term coverage offers temporary financial protection to your loved ones during your working years, when insurance costs are typically lower. The death benefit of the policy pays money directly to beneficiaries to pay funeral costs, ongoing financial obligations such as future mortgage payments, education and daily living expenses.

Cost of life insurance depends on your age, your health, and the details of your policy. A healthy 35-year old could pay between $25-30 per month for a $500,000 term policy with a 20-year term. You will pay five to fifteen times more if you purchase cash value life insurance like universal or whole life insurance.

Depending on your age and health, you may have fewer options for life insurance as a senior. If you're below 70 and in good health, there aren't any significant restrictions. You may have to broaden your search to a broader set of companies, as some insurers will restrict the age group that can purchase a particular product.

More than 50% of Americans overestimate the cost of insurance and put off buying a life insurance policy as a result. In a study by LIMRA, research, consulting, and professional development organization for financial services, and Life Happens, a nonprofit focused on providing unbiased education around insurance options, 44% of millennials estimated that a 20-year term policy would cost $1,000 or more per year. By contrast, the actual cost of the policy was approximately $165/year.