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Three people discussing life insurance options.
Three people discussing life insurance options.

Understanding the basics of life insurance

Life insurance is unknown territory for a lot of clients, so starting with the basics is key to your goals-based approach. Use this information to drive clarity and more deeply serve clients.
Life insurance 101
Looking for an easy introduction?  This client-friendly video covers all the essentials of life insurance in a few short minutes.
Video about the basics of life insurance

Common uses for life insurance

Life insurance can provide financial support for your clients' loved ones in so many ways. Consider these valuable applications:
Income replacement
  • Continue to pay the mortgage
  • Settle outstanding debts
  • Maintain your family's current lifestyle
Children’s future needs
  • Maintain payments for day care, private school or college tuition
  • Cover future wedding expenses
  • Carry on child support obligations
Business preservation
  • Keep a business in the family
  • Replace income for family members who depend on the business
  • Enable a partner to buyout the business

Choosing between term or permanent coverage

Life insurance not only caters to different goals, but also different coverage lengths. Here’s a quick comparison between term and permanent solutions to match up with your clients’ timing needs:
A family enjoying peace of mind from term life insurance.
Term life insurance
  • Coverage for a select period of time
  • Offers a death benefit with no cash value
  • Often one of the most affordable types of life insurance
  • Appeals to families whose debt and future income needs are larger than their savings
Two people discussing permanent life insurance options.
Permanent life insurance
  • Coverage for a lifetime
  • Offers death benefit protection plus additional features like cash value accumulation potential
  • Provides flexibility through features like policy loans or withdrawals* and return or premium options

Be on the lookout for these life insurance triggers

If a client mentions any of these life events, it could be a clue that they need new or updated life insurance coverage.
New job
They may not be able to take their previous employer-sponsored life insurance with them.
Home purchase
Taking on a mortgage means they need to evaluate whether they have enough coverage to offset this new debt.
Marriage or divorce
From reviewing coverage amounts to changing beneficiaries, marriage or divorce is a critical time to reevaluate life insurance needs.
Baby
More kids likely means more coverage. They'll want to plan for the child's future financial needs. 
Starting a business
There are a lot of expenses and succession needs that come with taking on a small business. Life insurance can help ensure things keep running smoothly.
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Retirement
In their golden years, life insurance becomes less about insuring their income and more about protecting assets and legacy planning.

No matter their protection needs, we have you covered.

Explore our product categories to learn more about different types of life insurance and find a solution that best matches your clients’ unique goals.
Illustration of a man looking at a calendar
Term life
Simple, affordable protection for a specific period of time
Learn more
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Universal life
Flexible, customizable protection for a lifetime
Learn more
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Variable universal life
Lifetime protection plus customizable market-linked cash value growth potential
Learn more

Other related topics

Couple laughing with their kids while knowing their family is protected by life insurance.
Why life insurance is important to clients and you
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A financial professional conducting a life insurance needs check up with a client
Life Check Up to assess clients' protection and changing needs
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A bank employee having a pleasant conversation with clients.
Resources to support your client conversations
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We’re here for you

We’re ready to help you deliver the protection and security your clients deserve. Reach out to us anytime for questions and support, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as possible.
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Welcome to Protective

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*Withdrawals and unpaid loans will reduce the cash value and death benefit of the policy.


Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the applicable variable universal life insurance policy and its underlying investment options before investing. This and other information is contained in the prospectuses for the applicable variable universal life insurance policy and its underlying investment options. Investors should read the prospectuses carefully before investing. Prospectuses may be obtained by contacting Protective at 800-265-1545.


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