Term life insurance is the most simple and affordable life insurance option. It provides coverage for a set period of time or “term” (typically 10–30 years), and is designed to protect your dependents during that term. If you pass away during the term period, your beneficiaries receive a cash payment referred to as the “death benefit” to cover expenses or income loss related to your passing.
Term life insurance with Ethos might be right for you if:
The main differentiating factor of whole life insurance is that it lasts for your entire life and can be used as an investment vehicle—unlike term policies, which expire after your chosen length and have no investment component. Some insurers invest your whole life premium payments and the interest earned on those investments goes back into your policy as accrued cash value. For these reasons, whole life insurance policies typically cost 5-15x more than term policies for the same amount of coverage.
Whole life insurance is a good option for those with complex financial situations, or someone seeking the security of coverage for the remainder of their life. Term life is a good fit for those who want the most affordable coverage or who need to replace their income over a certain period, for example until their children are no longer dependent or the mortgage is paid off.
As a licensed producer and third-party administrator, Ethos works with some of the industry’s top life insurance carriers and reinsurers to sell simple, affordable policies, including Legal & General America, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., AAA Life, TruStage®, and Munich Re. Ethos has streamlined the application process with predictive modeling and proprietary technology to make it easier for customers, and we leave the actual insuring to the industry giants that have paid out billions of dollars in claims.
Simplified issue:
Our term policies with Ameritas and TruStage are simplified issue, which means the application process is simplified. The underwriting decision is instant, and based solely on third-party data pulls and the applicant’s responses to the questions within the application. No medical exams necessary.
This type of life insurance may be right for you, particularly if:
Fully underwritten:
Our term policies with Legal & General, America are fully underwritten. Traditionally, most fully underwritten policies require applicants to fill out a full application and take a medical exam. However, we don’t require a medical exam from most applicants.
This type of life insurance may be right for you, particularly if:
It’s ultimately up to your beneficiaries to decide how to use the payout. People often use it to help cover things like:
In general, it’s simple for your beneficiaries to file a claim and receive the payout. If you pass away while your coverage is in force, your beneficiary can file a claim with your insurance carrier, and the carrier will work with them to issue the death benefit payout. Your insurance carrier will be identified on your policy documents. Assuming there are no unusual complications, your beneficiary will receive an untaxed, lump-sum payment for the value of the policy (the death benefit). For example, if you purchase $1 million in coverage, your beneficiary will receive a tax-free $1 million lump-sum payout.
A claim may not be paid out if underwriting finds that parts of the application were answered untruthfully or if the claim is the result of death by suicide within the first two years of the policy being in force.
If you do not pass away during your term, you have a few options when your term ends:
Search for answers on our full FAQ page.