Your health is one of the most important parts of determining your life insurance premiums. Healthier people are less likely to die soon, which means companies can charge them less for life insurance. Younger people are also less likely to die soon, so life insurance is cheaper (on average) for younger buyers.

Women live longer, nonsmokers live longer, people without complex medical problems live longer, and on and on goes the list. People in these groups will normally get preferential pricing for life insurance.

Many applications require a life insurance medical exam. The insurer will check your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and other factors to try to determine your overall health.

Some providers will issue life insurance without a medical exam, but you’ll typically pay more for coverage. You may also be limited to less coverage than you’re hoping for, with some larger insurers maxing out no-exam policies at $50,000.

If you need a small amount of coverage, you might be better off checking to see if your employer offers life insurance as a perk. Employee life insurance can often cover basic end-of-life expenses and may cover some or all of your annual salary. Basic coverage usually doesn’t require an exam and may even be free.

How much life insurance do you need?

The amount of life insurance you need depends on what you’re trying to do. If you’re just covering end-of-life expenses, you won’t need as much as if you’re trying to replace lost income. The calculator below can help you estimate how much life insurance you need.

If you’re interested in a permanent policy, connect with a fee-only financial advisor. The advisor can help you understand how a life insurance policy fits into your financial plan.

Who needs life insurance?

Like all insurance, life insurance was designed to solve a financial problem. Life insurance is important because when you die, your income disappears. If you have a spouse, kids or anyone dependent on you financially, they’re going to be left without support.

Even if no one depends on your income, there will still be costs associated with your death. That can mean your spouse, child or relatives will have to pay for burial and other end-of-life expenses. As you think about the amount of life insurance coverage you need, consider your beneficiaries and what they’ll need.

If no one depends on your income and your funeral expenses won’t damage anyone’s finances, life insurance may be a thing you can skip. But if your death will be a financial burden on your loved ones immediately or in the long term, you may need a life insurance policy.

Common life insurance terminology

• Premiums are the payments you make to the insurance company. For term life policies, these cover the cost of your insurance and administrative costs. With a permanent policy, you’ll also be able to pay money into a cash-value account.

• Beneficiaries are the people who receive money when the covered person dies. Choosing life insurance beneficiaries is an important step in planning the impact of your life insurance. Beneficiaries are often spouses, children or parents, but you can choose anyone.

• Death benefit refers to the total amount of money the beneficiaries will be paid when the covered person dies. You choose this value when you buy a policy, and the amount is sometimes — but not always — a fixed value. Permanent life insurance can also pay additional money if the cash account has grown and if you select certain options for your policy.
• Riders are options you can add to a life insurance policy. You might want your premiums covered if you’re no longer able to work, or maybe you’d like to add a child to your policy. By paying for a life insurance rider, you can add those and other features to your policy.