Deciding what company to choose when buying life insurance can potentially be quite perplexing for some individuals. Given that you have a plethora of options to choose from with varying price points and a diverse portfolio of services offered, zeroing in on your ideal pick can be a bit tricky. To make your life a little bit easier, we’ve compiled this guide that contains a few critical factors for your consideration when choosing the ideal life insurance service provider.
With an overwhelming number of companies to choose from, it can be difficult to understand the exact value proposition each one offers relative to your specific case. Furthermore, not everyone’s life insurance needs are the same. Even though you might compare yourself to a colleague or a friend as your situation looks very similar to theirs, your insurance needs might be drastically different from theirs. This is because insurance policies are built around your lifestyle choices which are different in each individual case.
An insurance company might provide a very affordable quote initially, for you to eventually find the final quote to be much higher based on your personal information & health assessments. This means that initial price quotes are essentially irrelevant when deciding on which company to go for, as each one will give you a different-looking final quote. This, in most cases, will be a lot higher than what you initially thought you’d be paying.
Looking at the financial strength of a company can give you a fair idea of its longevity. This is very important as your insurance claim will likely be decades away from when you actually buy the policy. Companies that are currently doing well and are in a strong financial position will be more likely to weather any potential ups and downs in the economy. Even though a company’s past performance isn’t a guarantee of its future success, it is still indicative of the high probability that it will perform better than others.
To gauge a company’s financial position, you can go ahead and look at, their website for financial strength ratings given by professional financial rating agencies. Ideally, you want to be looking for a rating in the ‘A’ range for the safest insurance policy. You can alternatively ask your insurance agent for the company’s financial rating and make your decision.
Different insurance providers can have varying rates for you depending on your current health conditions. If you live in Canada, for instance, the options will differ. When researching different Canadian life insurance companies, you can expect to pay much higher rates for having a particular health condition such as Hypertension to one company compared to another. It will be a research-intensive process to determine which company can provide you with the most competitive rates for the conditions you may be suffering from. An experienced life insurance agent can potentially help you with this research and provide information on which companies are likely to offer you favorable rates compared to others.
Many life insurance providers across the globe have made significant changes to how they offer their services in the wake of the global pandemic. Many companies are now offering insurance plans without the buyer having to take a life insurance medical exam, as this poses many logistical challenges in the current environment. It’s almost impossible to get paramedical examiners out there to each potential insurance buyer’s house for an exam.
Several life insurance companies have made additional changes to their policies regarding the age bracket for which they offer their services. Some companies may not entertain individuals over the age of 70 as their age makes them highly vulnerable in the current scenario involving Covid-19. Your age bracket will thus impact your decision regarding which companies you are ultimately able to choose from.
Trying to find the best possible value when it comes to selecting the ideal life insurance plan for yourself can be a complicated process. The factors mentioned above will help you narrow down your search and make an informed decision. It is, however, still recommended that you take assistance from an experienced life insurance agent that can help list all available options for you. Ultimately, the core components you need to look out for in a life insurance company are affordability, the strength of their financial position, their services portfolio, prior customer feedback and ratings by financial agencies.