How does Life Insurance Work

How Does Life Insurance Work

Updated May 2, 2017 . AmFam Team

Here’s a high-level explanation of how life insurance works, and how it can protect those you love.

Life insurance is all about caring for those who depend on you, and having peace of mind knowing that your loved ones will have some financial protection if you were to pass away.

If you’re wondering how life insurance actually works, you’re not alone. Here’s an overview of what you need to know.

Life Insurance Basics

For starters, life insurance protects the special people in your life by providing them a financial safety net in the event that you pass away. It can help replace your lost income and other ways you financially provide for their needs — everything from day-to-day necessities like groceries and electric bills, to bigger ongoing expenses like mortgages or tuition payments. Read more to learn how to calculate your life insurance needs.

Life insurance pricing is determined based on the amount, type and length of coverage you select, as well as things like your age, sex, health, medical history and other factors.

Once you’ve purchased a policy, you pay premiums on a regular basis. And if you pass away while the policy is in effect, the insurance company will pay your beneficiaries the amount of money you specified in your policy. Learn more about choosing a beneficiary.

Types of Life Insurance Coverage

When you’re shopping for life insurance, you’ll want to explore the two main types: temporary and permanent. Temporary life insurance provides coverage at a lower initial cost. This includes term life insurance, like American Family Life Insurance Company's DreamSecure Simplified Term Life Insurance and DreamSecure Term Life Insurance, which remains in effect for a specific term or length of time at a set premium. Term life is popular among those who want temporary coverage at a lower cost for larger amounts to help pay off mortgages, loans or other debts, replace income, pay for education costs, and more.

Permanent life insurance provides protection for the length of your entire life, not just part of it. This includes DreamSecure Whole Life Insurance, with coverage for your whole life and premium payments that remain the same regardless of changes in your health or age. Similarly, universal life insurance offers long-term protection, but has flexible premiums that you can adjust as your circumstances change, such as our DreamSecure Flexible Life Insurance.

Both Whole life and universal life policies can build cash value that you can access during your lifetime. These policies are popular among those who want longer-term protection, and the ability to build the cash value of the policy over time. (Note: loans or cash value withdrawals may affect the policy’s death benefit and could require the need for additional premium payments to keep the policy in force.)

Life Insurance for Final Expenses

Life insurance can help your loved ones cover the costs for expenses they’ll face after your death. It can help relieve the financial burden for final expenses, such as funeral home costs, service and burial — among other things. Learn more about life insurance and final expenses.

Is the Death Benefit from Life Insurance Taxable?

The short answer is no, most of the time. The beneficiaries will usually receive the death benefit tax-free.

How Is a Death Benefit Paid Out?

Your life insurance benefit will be paid when you — or whomever the insured is — pass away and the beneficiary files a death claim. The beneficiary will need to submit proof of death, usually a death certificate, and the insurance company will review the claim.

Beneficiaries are usually paid with a lump sum, meaning they’ll receive the entire death benefit in one payment, or they have the option to be paid in installments that can be set up a variety of ways.

Getting life insurance is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. It’s a smart way to help make sure those you love have the financial protection they need. Your American Family Life Insurance agent (Opens in a new tab) can help answer any questions you have regarding your life insurance coverage — connect with them to ensure you’re protecting what matters most.

Policy Forms: ICC18-33 (10), ICC18-33 (15), ICC18-34 (20), ICC18-35 (30), L-33 (10)(ND), L-33 (15)(ND), L-34 (20)(ND), L-35 (30)(ND), L-33 (10)(SD), L-33 (15)(SD), L-34 (20)(SD), L-35 (30)(SD), ICC18-36 (10), ICC18-36 (15), ICC18-36 (20), ICC18-36 (30), L-36 (10)(ND), L-36 (15)(ND), L-36 (20)(ND), L-36 (30)(ND), L-36 (10)(SD), L-36 (15)(SD), L-36 (20)(SD), L-36 (30)(SD), ICC21 L141 MS 01 22, L141 ND 02 22, L141 SD 02 22, ICC17-225 WL, L-225 (ND) WL, L-225 WL, ICC17-225 WL, L-225 (ND) WL, L-225 WL, ICC17-227 WL, L-227 (ND) WL, L-227 WL

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    Life Insurance for Children

    You understand the importance of providing a secure financial future for your loved ones, and purchasing a life insurance policy on a child (with the ability to transfer ownership of the policy in the future when the child becomes an adult) can help you do just that. Let’s take a look at how a life insurance policy can help you proactively protect your loved one’s financial future.

    Why Is Children’s Life Insurance a Good Purchase?

    A life insurance policy is a purchase that can last a lifetime. Whether you purchase it on your child or grandchild, there are a number of benefits.

    Low premiums

    Since the cost of life insurance depends largely on things like age and health, purchasing a life policy when they’re young can lock in a low premium for the entire policy payment term.

    Protect their ability to secure life insurance in the future

    One of the biggest benefits of buying life insurance on a child is protecting their ability to secure life insurance in the future. When purchasing a permanent life policy on a child, your policy might include (if not, you might have the option to add) a Guaranteed Purchase Option (GPO) benefit to ensure the opportunity to purchase additional life insurance on them at certain ages and life events down the road without a medical examination or proof of health.

    Build cash value

    A permanent life insurance policy has the ability to accumulate cash value year after year. The earlier you start, the longer cash value can build, so when you purchase a life insurance policy for children when they’re young, the cash value has a lot of time to grow before they may need to use it. And, if ownership has been transferred to the adult child, they can even borrow against their cash value* if needed.

    Should I Purchase Permanent Children's Life Insurance?

    If you’re purchasing life insurance on a child, most people select permanent life insurance since it is built to last the child’s entire life. A permanent life insurance policy provides not only a death benefit, but, as mentioned before, the policy also has living benefits, like the ability to accumulate cash value.

    Purchasing life insurance can be a practical and simple way to help protect your loved ones’ dreams. Check out American Family Life Insurance Company’s DreamSecure Children’s Whole Life permanent life insurance policy to learn more. Or you can also check in with an agent — they’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about children’s life insurance options through American Family Life Insurance Company.

    This is a brief description of coverage and is subject to policy and/or rider terms and conditions which may vary by state. Fixed and guaranteed premiums are statements about the policy as determined at issue, and any changes made to a policy may affect the premium and are subject to our underwriting rules. The words lifetime, lifelong and permanent are subject to policy terms and conditions. DreamSecure Whole Life Insurance policies mature at age 121. Please check with an American Family agent for details on coverages and restrictions.

    *Any loans taken from your life insurance policy will accrue interest. An outstanding loan balance (loan plus interest) will be deducted from the death benefit at the time of claim or from the cash value if surrendered. If the loan balance grows too large for the cash value to support it, the policy could terminate.

    Policy Forms: ICC17-223 WL, Policy Form L-223 (ND) WL, Policy Form L-223 WL, Policy Form ICC17-224 WL, Policy Form L-224 (ND) WL, Policy Form L-224 WL

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    The Difference Between Annuities and Life Insurance

    What’s the difference between life insurance and annuities? It’s a common question. If you wonder what it takes to secure a financial future for yourself and those you love, it may be one you find yourself asking. And that’s a very good thing.

    The bottom line: life insurance can help provide your loved ones with the financial peace of mind they deserve if you were to pass away. Annuities provide a tax-deferred way to grow money and provide an income stream. Both should be considered as part of a long-term financial plan.

    Although both share some similarities, the overall purpose of each is very different. Let’s take a quick look.

    Life Insurance Helps Protect Their Financial Future

    When comparing life insurance and annuities, the biggest difference is that life insurance is designed to help protect against a financial loss for others after your death. Annuities on the other hand help protect you financially while you’re still alive.

    Life Insurance helps to financially secure your loved ones’ future, since the death benefit can help with things like replacing your income and meeting important financial needs such as:

    • Funeral costs
    • Daily living expenses
    • Mortgage payments
    • College funding

    When you purchase life insurance, you aren’t purchasing it for you — it’s really a purchase for the people you want to take care of.

    If you want to find the right life insurance for you and your loved ones, American Family Life Insurance Company has the customized options you're looking for. If you want to learn even more life insurance, read up on the specifics of how life insurance works.

    Annuities Help Prepare You for the Future

    Think of an annuity as a tool that could help meet your retirement needs. The primary purpose of annuities is to create income for you, and this can be done in a few different ways. You can set up payments that last for your entire life, a specific period of time or a combination of both.

    There are many potential benefits of annuities. Some include:

    • The ability to grow account value on a tax-deferred basis
    • The potential for a future income stream that can’t be outlived
    • The possibility of a lump sum benefit that can be paid to a surviving spouse

    How do annuities work?

    You can buy an annuity by giving your insurance company either a single lump sum or making payments over time. The insurance company then invests your money — referred to as a premium or purchase payment — in different ways depending on the type of annuity you select.

    You can buy an annuity that begins making payments back to you right away — this is called an immediate annuity — or if you prefer, annuities are available that delay making payments to you for an extended period, sometimes many years.

    Start Planning for the Future Today

    Life insurance and annuities work in tandem to protect a future for yourself and those you care for. Now that you have a high-level overview, discuss with your agent how these options fit your needs.


    Annuities are long-term insurance contracts intended for retirement planning. Annuities are issued by Protective Life Insurance Company located in Nashville, TN, with administrative offices at 2801 Highway 280 South, Birmingham, AL 35223, through a relationship with American Family Brokerage, Inc., 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI  53783.

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    When you think about why buying life insurance is important, you probably think of financially protecting your family and loved ones in your life when you pass away. With life insurance in place, you can help ensure financial support for those that matter most. But have you spent time reviewing your life policy and ensuring it still meets your needs since purchasing it?

    We recommend reviewing your life insurance every year. Having the right coverage in place means less for you — and those you care for — to worry about. Because so much can happen in 12 short months, it's important to make sure your policy is right for you and your family today.

    To get you started, we’ve put together a list of 9 key reasons why you should review your life insurance policies every year.

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    How Cash Value Life Insurance Works

    You most likely purchased life insurance for the financial protection it provides your loved ones in the event of your death — but there can be some additional benefits to life insurance. Some life insurance policies, such as DreamSecure Whole Life Insurance offers the opportunity to build “cash value,” otherwise known as a living benefit.

    That living benefit is the value in your policy that may be borrowed against or paid out if the policy is surrendered before death.* Let’s take a closer look at how cash value in life insurance works.