Life insurance
Life insurance is about the people who depend on you. Before we talk about any policy, let's look at what you want to protect, what you already have, and what questions you still have.
Reviewed by Veronica Mosley, Licensed Life & Health Insurance Agent — Whitehead Benefits & Consulting Services, LLC · Updated October 2026
Life insurance pays a death benefit to the people you name if you pass away while the policy is in force. People use it for different reasons:
Helping your loved ones keep their footing financially.
Replacing some of the income your household would lose.
Helping your family stay in the home.
Covering funeral and end-of-life costs so they don't fall on family.
Term life insurance provides coverage for a set period, such as 10, 20, or 30 years. If you pass away during the term, your beneficiaries receive the death benefit. It's often less expensive than permanent coverage for the same amount, which is why many families use it during their working and child-raising years. Some term policies can be converted to permanent coverage — not all can, so check the policy.
Whole life insurance is permanent coverage designed to last your lifetime as long as premiums are paid. Premiums are typically level, and the policy builds cash value over time. It usually costs more than term, so it's worth weighing what you need it to do.
Indexed universal life insurance, often called IUL, is a type of permanent life insurance that provides a death benefit and can accumulate cash value. Interest crediting may be linked to the performance of a market index and is subject to policy-specific caps, floors, participation rates, charges, and other contract terms.
IUL is not an investment and is not a guaranteed retirement plan. It requires long-term management, and illustrations should be reviewed carefully with the policy's charges and assumptions in mind.
Some life insurance policies include riders that may let you access part of the death benefit early if you're diagnosed with a qualifying chronic, critical, or terminal illness. What's included, and how it pays, depends on the specific policy and rider.
Who you name as beneficiary matters as much as the coverage itself. Life changes — marriage, divorce, a new child, a new home — are good times to review both your beneficiaries and whether your coverage still fits. If you already have a policy, I'm happy to help you understand what it does.
Next step
Bring what you have and what you're trying to protect. We'll look at it together and figure out the next step — no pressure.