# Life Insurance **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730 "2011-06-24T17:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/1 "2011-06-24T17:01:32Z")
As you know I am about to be married. I am in need of low-cost life insurance. (Whole Life? or the other one?) I am afraid I let my VGLI lapse, as I did not need insurance all these many years. The trick of course is to buy from a company that is safe, but that does not use salesmen. No need to pay a commission after all. So which little internet company ought I to look at? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/2 "2011-06-24T17:05:06Z")
The one that you’re sure is going to be around longer than you are. You can guess better about that by referencing their rating with A.M. Best, Moody’s, Standard and Poors, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/3 "2011-06-24T17:16:17Z")
You don’t want whole life. Buy term life insurance. It’s cheaper, and if you invest the difference in the premium between term and whole, you will be ahead later in life than if you just did whole life. Do you have any professional groups that you belong to that may offer a group term life policy, that may be cheaper than just buying as a member of the general population? ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/4 "2011-06-24T20:54:26Z")
Do you really need life insurance? The purpose of life insurance is to replace the wages of the main bread-winner. If both you and your spouse-to-be are working and making a livable wage each, there’s really no need for life insurance until or unless there are kids involved. Also, you only need to insure the main bread-winner in a couple. There’s really no need to insure a non-working (or only lightly earning) spouse. As above, this changes if there are children involved. J. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/5 "2011-06-24T21:44:12Z")
Stay far away from whole life, universal life, etc. Buy term insurance. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/6 "2011-06-24T23:01:25Z")
USAA sells a whole variety of life ins. I’m betting you qualify for them. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance/586730/7 "2011-06-25T01:25:19Z")
Oh! I forgot USAA! Let me look!