Life Insurance

At North Jersey Insurance Group, we offer both whole and universal life insurance to ensure your loved ones are taken care of in the event of your passing. Life insurance policies are tailored for your lifestyle and needs and our agents take great care to ensure you receive proper coverage.

Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance or 'term assurance' provides for life insurance coverage for a specified term of years for a specified premium. The policy does not accumulate cash value. Term is generally considered 'pure' insurance, where the premium buys protection in the event of death and nothing else.

Whole Life Insurance
Whole life insurance provides for a level premium, and a cash value table included in the policy guaranteed by the company. The primary advantages of whole life are guaranteed death benefits, guaranteed cash values, fixed and known annual premiums, and mortality and expense charges will not reduce the cash value shown in the policy. The primary disadvantages of whole life are premium inflexibility, and the internal rate of return in the policy may not be competitive with other savings alternatives. Riders are available that can allow one to increase the death benefit by paying additional premium. The death benefit can also be increased through the use of policy dividends. Dividends cannot be guaranteed and may be higher or lower than historical rates over time. Premiums are much higher than term insurance in the short-term, but cumulative premiums are roughly equal if policies are kept in force until average life expectancy.

Cash value can be accessed at any time through policy 'loans'. Since these loans decrease the death benefit if not paid back, payback is optional. Cash values are not paid to the beneficiary upon the death of the insured; the beneficiary receives the death benefit only. If the dividend option: Paid up additions is elected, dividend cash values will purchase additional death benefit which will increase the death benefit of the policy to the named beneficiary.

Universal Life Insurance
Universal life insurance is a relatively new insurance product intended to provide permanent insurance coverage with greater flexibility in premium payment and the potential for a higher internal rate of return. There are several types of universal life insurance policies which include 'interest sensitive' (also known as 'traditional fixed universal life insurance'), variable universal life insurance, and equity indexed universal life insurance.

A universal life insurance policy includes a cash account. Premiums increase the cash account. Interest is paid within the policy (credited) on the account at a rate specified by the company. This rate may have a guaranteed minimum (for fixed ULs) or no minimum (for variable ULs). Mortality charges and administrative costs are then charged against (reduce) the cash account. The surrender value of the policy is the amount remaining in the cash account less applicable surrender charges, if any.