Anyone who has ever thought of taking out million-dollar life insurance must have asked how much is a million-dollar life insurance worth.
This question comes from a genuine place and is a noble attempt to try to take care of yours while you’re gone.
However, if you have a large family and break down the numbers, you’d see that it may not be as big as it seems, and it’s totally doable.
Life insurance is not like any other insurance, I usually see it as a gamble against one’s life. But it’s also a way for people to look after their families when they are no longer here.
This is why people go for sophisticated life insurance policies, and also why we’d be discussing how much a million-dollar life insurance policy is.
We would also be discussing when a million dollars of coverage make sense, how it will cost you to have it and so much more.
The table of content below will highlight the questions this article will address.
How Much Does a $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy Cost?
According to Forbes.com term, life insurance quotes were analyzed for $1 million policies to determine the average cost. The analysis deposits that the cost for a 10-year term $1 million policy is around $300, and around $450 for a 20-year term if you buy coverage in your 30s and are in good health and don’t smoke.
Remember, these are averages, and your cost will depend on your own age and health, plus other risk factors. However, our analysis of average rates will give you a general idea of what you can expect to pay.
The tables below will break it all down;
$1 Million Average Term Life Insurance Rates by Age and Gender
Annual costs for a 10-year, $1 million term life insurance policy
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | $312 | $264 |
| 35 | $312 | $276 |
| 40 | $420 | $336 |
| 45 | $636 | $516 |
| 50 | $972 | $756 |
| 55 | $1,632 | $1,224 |
| 60 | $2,676 | $1,800 |
Annual costs for a 15-year, $1 million term life insurance policy
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | $348 | $324 |
| 35 | $384 | $360 |
| 40 | $552 | $456 |
| 45 | $876 | $672 |
| 50 | $1,320 | $972 |
| 55 | $2,316 | $1,563 |
| 60 | $3,708 | $2,448 |
Annual costs for a 20-year, $1 million term life insurance policy
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | $480 | $348 |
| 35 | $516 | $408 |
| 40 | $720 | $576 |
| 45 | $1,152 | $852 |
| 50 | $1,740 | $1,260 |
| 55 | $2,940 | $2,100 |
| 60 | $5,064 | $3,528 |
Annual costs for a 30-year, $1 million term life insurance policy
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | $780 | $588 |
| 35 | $888 | $684 |
| 40 | $1,284 | $984 |
| 45 | $2,004 | $1,464 |
| 50 | $3,216 | $2,280 |
| 55 | $6,288 | $4,188 |
| 60 | N/A | N/A |
Policies for a 30-year term are hard, if not impossible, to find for those aged 60 or over.
Why Do People Buy Life Insurance?
People purchase life insurance for a variety of reasons, the majority of which are related to their individual financial or personal circumstances. However, the main focus is typically on providing for those who may be financially impacted by their passing. Here are five of the most popular justifications for purchasing a $1,000,000 life insurance policy.
1. Replace Lost Income
When someone passes away, their career-related income is lost. In many situations, families depend on the income of both partners to cover their monthly needs. The proceeds from life insurance aid in making up for lost income from the deceased.
2. Pay Off Debt
Paying up the debt that has an impact on the family’s finances can make sense in order to reduce the financial strain caused by someone dying away. A few examples of these debts are a mortgage on a home, college loans, credit card debt, and loans for a business. Stress and recurring payments are removed when those debts are paid off by life insurance.
3. Paying for College
Many parents plan to contribute to the expense of tuition in order to help their kids attend college. When a death occurs, for some families, such plans are derailed. Your children’s futures will be brighter and the ambition of attending college will be preserved thanks to life insurance.
4. Buying Out a Business Partner
It’s a good idea to have a “buy-sell agreement” when starting a business with a partner. These insurance contracts pay for the surviving beneficiaries to acquire the deceased’s portion of the company. As a result, the surviving partners are spared from having to cope with a new partner who has different ideas about how to run the company or family disputes.
5. Giving to Charity
A cost-effective way to have a significant charitable influence is to get a life insurance policy. Many investors desire to leave a long-lasting legacy supporting issues they are passionate about. Some investors use a donor-advised fund to leave money to a charity. This gives their recipients the power to decide how the funds are dispersed over time.
Why You Should Buy It, Young
The main determining factor for life insurance rates is age, and as you get older, your annual life insurance premiums will go up. Simply put, the insurance company is more at risk when your life expectancy decreases. In order to lock in lower rates, you should purchase coverage when you are younger.
If you purchase insurance in your 30s, our data show significant savings. You will spend much more for a 20-year term policy if you wait until your 50s or 60s to purchase coverage:
- If you wait from age 30 to 40 to obtain a 20-year term $1 million life insurance policy, the rates jump up 50% for males and 65% for females.
- If you wait until 50, the rates increase 260% for both males and females compared to the cost for a 30-year-old.
- Waiting until age 60 has a cost increase of over 950% for males and over 600% for females, again compared to if you bought the plan back when you were 30. For males, at 60 the annual premium is over $5,000. If the policy was purchased at age 30, the rates would’ve been locked in at only $480 a year.
Does Gender Affects The Cost of $1 million Term Life Insurance
Gender is an important consideration for determining life insurance prices, as the predicted rate quotes demonstrate. Females receive a small price reduction because they often outlive males.
No matter their age, our analysis demonstrates that men consistently pay higher rates. The disparity between the rates, however, changes with age.
For example, looking at a 20-year-term policy, here is how gender affects rates:
- At age 30, males pay 38% more than females, which comes to around $130 more annually.
- At age 40, males pay 25% more, which comes to $144 more annually than females.
- At age 50, males pay 38% more than females and about $480 annually.
- At age 60, males pay 44% more than females, which comes to $1,536 annually.
$1 Million Term Life Insurance Rates by Term Length
You will need to spend extra if you want life insurance coverage that lasts longer. Depending on the concern you want to address with life insurance, you can determine the ideal length for you. You don’t want your coverage to expire before your family’s financial needs are covered.
If you get the policy later in life, when some of your obligations have been paid off or significantly reduced, you might not require a lengthier term.
Determine which term length is ideal for your specific situation for a $1 million insurance. Prior to pricing out a long-term, don’t assume it won’t meet your budget.
Check out the analysis below from Forbes.
- Upgrading from a 10-year term to a 15-year policy raises rates by 12% for males and 23% for females.
- Moving from a 10-year to a 20-year policy costs males 50% more but only costs females about 30% more.
- For either gender, it’s a decent deal to double the time of your term life insurance policy and not even come close to doubling your premium.
- To triple the time of the policy to 30 years from 10, it raises rates by 150% for males and 123% for females.
$1 Million Term Life Insurance Rates by Policy Amount
Our analysis looked at rates for $1 million policies compared to $500,000 to $2 million policies.
Is a $1 million term life policy right for you? You need to settle on what you want life insurance to cover (and for how long), but pricing out policies in different payout amounts will also help you determine which best fits your budget.
Here is a look at a 20-year term policy for a 30-year old male and female for varying payout amounts.
| Policy amount | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $300 | $252 |
| $750,000 | $396 | $288 |
| $1 Million | $480 | $348 |
| $2 Million | $876 | $624 |
We found that:
- A $750,000 policy costs 32% more for males and 14% more for females than a $500,000 policy.
- Increasing a policy from $500,000 to $1 million costs 60% more for males and 38% more for females. That doubles your policy amount but doesn’t double your premium with either gender.
If you’re thinking of going even higher:
- A $2 million policy compared to a $500,000 one costs 192% more for males and 148% more for females.
- A $2 million policy compared to the cost of a $1 million policy is 83% more for males and 79% more for females.
Tips on How to Shop for $1 Million Term Life Insurance
The first step in shopping for any term life insurance policy is calculating how much coverage you need.
You want your life insurance payout amount to take into account your obligations, such as a mortgage, car loan, credit card balances, and any other debt you have accumulated.
Also, consider additional money you want to leave to cover other financial matters, such as income replacement or paying for college.
Next, determine the term of the policy you need. How long do your family and loved ones need the money from the life insurance policy? For example, if you want to get your kids through college in 12 years, you’d want at least a 15-year policy.
Zero in on a term length but also look at longer policy terms for price comparison. It won’t hurt to expand your length if it fits your financial means so that if debts increase or aren’t paid off as fast as you anticipate, the life policy is there for a few more years.
For instance, if you don’t own a house now but plan to buy one with a 30-year mortgage in the upcoming years, it would make sense to expand your search from 15- to 30-year term lengths.
Once you have the policy amount and length of the policy determined, you’re ready to comparison shop for life insurance quotes.
When shopping for quotes for a $1 million term life policy, check if a medical exam is needed. Typically, life insurance companies want you to take a medical exam to understand your health and determine potential life expectancy.
However, recently no-exam life insurance has become more widely available. Note, however, that if you aren’t in very good or excellent health, you may not qualify for these instant policies. Also, not all no-exam companies offer $1 million policies.
It’s helpful to have on hand the following information as you shop for life insurance rate quotes:
- Height and weight
- Family medical history for immediate family, meaning parents and siblings
- Personal medical information, knowledge of past and current health
- Medications, both current and previous
- Lifestyle information, such as smoking and drinking
- Dangerous hobbies, such as piloting plans, and scuba diving
- Future plans to travel outside the United States
Be sure to be truthful. Misrepresentations during the application process and void the policy in the future.
During the shopping process, check reviews of life insurance companies to make sure the ones you’re considering have a good reputation and the financial strength to pay out if a claim is made.
Conclusion
Getting life insurance coverage is serious stuff and should be treated as such. You need to look at all the options you have and make sure you fully understand the coverage you and the financial commitment that comes with it.
If you’re able to sort this out, there will be little or no room for back when u get the coverage.