when shopping for insurance you might want to start with our list of the best life insurance companies some of which are listed below 
term vs permanent life insuranceterm life insurance differs from permanent life insurance in several ways but tends to best meet the needs of most people looking for affordable life insurance coverage term life insurance only lasts for a set period of time and pays a death benefit should the policyholder die before the term has expired that s in contrast to permanent life insurance which stays in effect as long as the policyholder pays the premium another critical difference involves premiums term life is generally much less expensive than permanent life because it does not accumulate cash value before you apply for life insurance you should analyze your financial situation and determine how much money would be required to maintain your beneficiaries standard of living or to meet other financial needs for which you re purchasing a policy also consider how long you ll need coverage to last for example if you are the primary caretaker and have children two and four years old you would want enough insurance to cover your custodial responsibilities until your children are grown and able to support themselves you might research the cost of hiring a nanny and a housekeeper or using commercial child care and cleaning services then perhaps add money for education include any outstanding mortgage and retirement needs for your spouse in your life insurance calculation especially if the spouse earns significantly less or is a stay at home parent total what these costs would be over the next 16 or so years add a little more for inflation and that s the death benefit you might want to buy if you can afford it burial or final expense insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that has a small death benefit despite the name beneficiaries can use the death benefit as they wish 