An insurance policy provides protection for financial losses suffered as a result of a particular event. Such events include death and total and permanent disability (TPD). To put it simply, a life insurance policy is designed such that if you die or are unable to work due to a disability, the benefit payout should be enough for you and your dependents to live on.

Before you buy any life insurance, you need to first understand the differences and uses of term life and whole life insurance.

How Are They Similar?

1. Provide for your loved ones when you are no longer around

Whole life insurance provides you with lifelong coverage and also offer extra support during retirement. Term life insurance, on the other hand, covers you for a shorter period, but it is less costly and simpler to understand. 

Protection against death (and terminal illness) is the most basic form of coverage offered by both term life and whole life insurance. A death benefit payout can provide for your loved ones should you pass away. Your family can use the proceeds of the policy to cover funeral expenses, mortgage payments, cost of tertiary education and other day-to-day expenses.

2. Customizable to suit your needs

Both term life insurance and whole life insurance can be customized to suit your needs and budget. You can adjust the insurance premiums as well as the coverage amount. Most plans also provide the option to add riders if you wish to receive more comprehensive protection. For example, there are riders to cover you for total and permanent disability (TPD), critical illnesses (CI), and early critical illness (ECI).

If you become totally and permanently disabled, the TPD benefit will pay a lump sum. This payout can be used in any way and is meant to offer financial support to replace the loss of your income. 

If you are diagnosed with a CI, the lump sum payout will serve as an income replacement as you will need to take time off from work to recuperate.

3. Fixed Premiums

Both term life and whole life insurance typically have a premium term during which you will make fixed payments. Some whole life insurance charges just one single premium at the beginning, which is suitable for those who do not wish to commit to a longer premium term. Paying premiums over a fixed term requires a certain level of commitment. Hence, you should choose an affordable premium amount and a payment structure that you are comfortable with. However, do note that CI premiums are not guaranteed. This means that the insurer can choose to increase premiums, usually as a result of claims experience. 

While the death benefits of whole and term life can be similar, there are key differences between these two popular types of life insurance.

Where Are They Different?

The three main differences between them are:

• How long the policy will cover you 
• How long do you pay premiums for
• How much money you get back if nothing happens to
  you

What is Term Life insurance?

It is life insurance that provides insurance coverage only for a fixed period. For example, you want to be covered until your youngest child completes university or is financially self-reliant. Another instance where a term life plan is suitable is when you have a mortgage commitment. 

You choose the term (i.e. duration of coverage) when you purchase the plan and you pay premiums throughout the policy term. Common terms are 10, 20, and 30 years. Or you can choose the cover term to end at a specific age, for example, age 60, 70, or 80.   

Term Life Insurance is also known as “no-frills” or “pure” life insurance because the premiums buy only protection and nothing else i.e. does not have a cash value. Therefore, it has a high coverage to premium ratio as compared to a whole life plan. In other words, it is a cost-effective tool that can be used to boost your coverage during your productive working years.

Term life insurance is easier to understand and costs much less than whole life insurance.

Features of a Term Life Insurance Plan:

• Choose your own time frame – 15, 25, 30 years, or even up to age 65, 100, etc.
• Pay premiums till the chosen expiry age
• Coverage stops after expiry age 
• No cash value i.e. no surrender value – it has no ‘savings’ component. Hence, premiums are often the lowest relative to coverage. If nothing happens to you and you don’t make a claim, you get nothing (apart from a letter thanking you for giving them money for the last 30 years).
• Can enhance coverage with riders – Total and Permanent Disability, Major Illness, Early Critical Illness, Personal Accident
• Some plans provide the option to convert to a whole life plan before a certain age
• Some plans give the option to increase coverage without health underwriting at a key life stage event like marriage, the arrival of a baby, buying a new home. 
• Flexibility to stop, change insurer as a term plan does not accumulate any cash value.