The simplest way to answer that question would be that you as a policyholder make payments to an insurance provider. In exchange for these payments, the insurance company would pay benefits to your surviving family members or any other beneficiaries at the time of your death. That brief explanation pretty much is the gist of any life insurance policy but there are many different types of policies available, all with different coverage options.

Although there are lots of different types of life insurance the two main categories would be term life insurance and whole life insurance. Someone looking for an affordable life insurance plan may be more interested in a term life policy because they are considerably cheaper than a whole life policy but whole life insurance does have its benefits.

Whole life insurance, like the name implies, will remain in effect for the rest of your life as long as you make your premium payments. A whole life policy offers permanent coverage, level premiums, a guaranteed death benefit and it is also what is known as cash value life insurance because it builds cash value over time. A portion of your premium payments will be invested in stocks, bonds, and other investments. Whole life insurance policies also have some tax advantages and because of this a whole life policy is popular for people to use in their estate planning.

A lot of experts would argue that a term life insurance policy is better than a whole life policy but it's irresponsible to recommend a one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone is unique and every family has different financial needs and goals so it's important to investigate the difference options available and then make a decision that best suits the needs of your unique situation.

Whole life insurance may be more expensive than a term life insurance policy but it does have its benefits so if you're considering going with a whole life policy it would be a good idea to do some comparison shopping to try to get the best possible price for the coverage you need. Getting whole life insurance quotes from a number of different insurance providers will allow you to quickly and easily compare coverage options and prices. The Internet is a great tool for doing this research and makes the process of comparing companies with fast and efficient.