Life Insurance: A Quick Overview

Father carrying son on his shoulders

Where would you like to start?

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How does a life insurance policy work?

In general, you pay your insurance company and in return, you get protection for the people you love if something happens to you. You can choose between term (good for a specific amount of time) or permanent life insurance (lifetime coverage).

Get the basics

How do I know if I need term or permanent life insurance?

It depends on your situation. An easy way to think about the difference is to compare them to the idea of renting or owning a home. Term life insurance would be "renting" and permanent life insurance would be "owning."

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Term Life

Term life insurance generally costs less per month and only covers you for a set time period.

Explore Term Life

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Permanent Life

Permanent life insurance provides lifetime coverage, with more available features, at a higher cost.

Explore Whole life or Indexed universal life

More than 50% of Americans believe life insurance costs 3x more than it actually does. 

Source: 2021 Insurance Barometer Study, Life Happens and LIMRA

Life Insurance Calculator

Estimate your coverage

How many school-aged kids do you have?

How much income would your family need replaced each year to maintain their quality of life? (Enter a dollar amount)

How many years would your family need this income?

0
0
20
Mortgage options

Do you have a mortgage?

How much do you owe on your mortgage?

Not including your mortgage, how much debt would your family need to pay off?

$5,000
$0
$500,000

What percentage of your children's education would you like to cover?

0%
0%
100%

Approximately, how much do you have in readily available assets?

$5,000
$0
$1,000,000

How much life insurance do you currently have?

$0
$0
$2,000,000

Your Result

You're in good shape!

Based on your answers, it sounds like you've already taken important steps to make sure you're covered.

As your life changes, your insurance needs might change, too. Schedule a complimentary review below to make sure you're properly protected.

This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a recommendation for any specific product or amount of coverage. It does not take into consideration all factors that may affect your specific need, including social security benefits and the time value of money.

Here's how much life insurance you may need:

Based on your answers, you're well on your way to making sure you're covered.

As your life changes, your insurance needs might change, too. Request a complimentary review below to make sure you're properly protected.

This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a recommendation for any specific product or amount of coverage. It does not take into consideration all factors that may affect your specific need, including social security benefits and the time value of money.

Here's how much life insurance you may need:

Based on your answers, it sounds like you may benefit from a complimentary review to make sure you're properly protected

Fill out the form below to request an appointment.

This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a recommendation for any specific product or amount of coverage. It does not take into consideration all factors that may affect your specific need, including social security benefits and the time value of money.

Request a review

How we incorporated education costs into our calculation: Calculations are based on national cost estimates for attending a 4-year public in-state university. As of 2019, LendEDU estimates a 4-year public in-state university costing roughly $100,000.

How we incorporated funeral costs into our calculation: Using national median funeral cost averages as a guide, we applied a $7,500 funeral cost to this calculation.

Thank you!

Your request has been submitted.

How much coverage do I need?

The amount of life insurance you need depends on several things, like the number of children you have, your mortgage, income and more. 

Frequently asked questions

These are the top three questions people ask us. To see the full list, visit our life insurance FAQs page. 

We offer three types of life insurance:

  • Term life
  • Whole life 
  • Indexed universal life 

Term life provides protection for a specified period of time (like 10, 20 or 30 years) and is typically very affordable when you’re younger. 

Whole life and indexed universal life policies provide permanent coverage. They typically have higher premiums than term life but also build cash value that can help with things like providing emergency funds or an estate for your family later in life.

Term life insurance is life insurance you buy for a specific amount of time, like 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. If something happens to you during that period, it can provide money for your family to use for things like covering final expenses, paying off the mortgage and other debts, and saving for education costs and retirement.

Group policies are a great benefit for employees but are typically only active while you’re employed with that company. So if you leave the company or retire, you may be without coverage. 

A personal life policy can provide coverage regardless of your employment status. If you wait until you retire to get coverage, premiums could be quite a bit higher as you get older.  

Ready to start?

Find a local rep or start online. We'll help you find life insurance that works for you.

COUNTRY Financial® is a family of affiliated companies (collectively, COUNTRY) located in Bloomington, IL. Learn more about who we are.

Life insurance policies issued by COUNTRY Life Insurance Company® and COUNTRY Investors Life Assurance Company®, Bloomington, IL. 

This website provides a brief and general description of term life, whole life and indexed universal life insurance policies available from COUNTRY Life Insurance Company® and / or  COUNTRY Investors Life Assurance Company®. Life insurance policies and/or riders and features have limitations and are not available in all states, policy terms and conditions may vary by state, and are subject to underwriting approval and product minimums. This is not a statement of coverage or offer of insurance. Policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions, and benefits, and terms for keeping them in force. For costs and complete details of the coverage, contact your representative.  

Policy form numbers

Term Life Insurance: ICC20(RCT), RCT(ND20), and RCT(FL20)

Whole Life Insurance: ICC18(WL), WL(ND18), WL(FL18)

Single Premium Whole Life Insurance: ICC18(WLSP), WLSP(ND18), WLSP(FL18)

Indexed Universal Life Insurance: ICC21(IUL), IUL(ND21)

LIFEWEBOVER (02/23)