If you cringe at the idea of term life insurance due to the fact that you feel as if you're wasting your money because you don't think you'll die, it'll be easy to understand the appeal of a "return-of-premium" or ROP term life insurance.

A return-of-premium term life insurance policy provides the peace of mind that comes with a traditional term life insurance policy, but you'll pay a bit more (about 30-45%) and 20 or 30 years later, if you outlive your policy, you'll get all of your money back, tax-free!

For someone needing life insurance, this can be a good deal. But there are some cautions. The first is to think about whether you can realistically afford the higher premiums. I believe that the first priority for life insurance is to have sufficient coverage. If you can't realistically afford return-of-premium coverage for the amount you need, I would recommend that you choose a cheap life insurance policy for that coverage amount.

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Finding and choosing the right term life insurance coverage can be a time consuming and complex process, especially if the individual looking to secure coverage has outstanding health issues and/or a lifestyle that includes activities deemed to be "high-risk." Clearly, this is not a "one-size-fits-all" proposition. Depending on the specific medical condition or high-risk activity, it is not uncommon for one insurance company to charge significantly more than another. Why? Because each life insurance company has a different set of underwriting guidelines.

Some of these company-specific underwriting rules are well known, but most are not, and don't even show up in the carrier's rate books or product brochures. The only way to know about them is to deal with a broker who does a lot of business with several carriers - and is in a position to know what each will or won't do. This experience is critical because industry-wide, only about 30% of individuals qualify for the "preferred plus" rate class.

Tips for finding affordable life insurance:

· Ask the right questions - Talk with an expert that is familiar with multiple carriers' underwriting rules. Such experts will know which carriers will bend their rules, and when.

· Deal with a broker - Brokerage firms, such as AccuQuote, know the ins and outs of several carriers - and are in a position to know what each will or won't do. Some of these carrier-specific underwriting rules are well known, but most are not, and don't even show up in the carrier's rate books or product brochures.

· Make sure you fess up - if you do anything extreme, such as sky dive on a regular basis, and don't tell your life insurance company at the time of applying, they can refuse to pay the death claim should you die.

· Think about pursuing a policy that excludes your risky endeavor - Some insurers will allow you to purchase a policy, which states that if you perish while engaged in the excluded activity, your beneficiaries would not receive the death benefit. The advantage to this is that you would not pay extras above the cost of your policy.

· Educate yourself - Go to school, get a license, do all the safety things that you're supposed to be doing and present yourself as an expert in skydiving.

· Notify your agent if you stop this activity - If you no longer are skydiving, contact your agent as you can save money immediately.

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I write about key man insurance at least once a year. Why? Because it can make a break a business.

If you're a business owner, you should ask yourself: what happens to my company if something happens to a key employee or me?

The answer can decide whether the company survives the loss -- and whether a business owner puts his family at financial risk.

There are ways to provide protection, including key-man term life insurance. Such coverage takes over should income be interrupted. And it's not just business owners that need life insurance protection. The company's top salesperson should also be covered. In fact, companies should look at insuring anyone who is integral to its financial success.

If you lose a key employee, key man life insurance will pay you for your lost profits, thereby buying you some time to replace the individual and get the business up and running again.

The key man term life insurance policy can also serve as an incentive to retain key employees and use it as part of your benefits package. How? You can split the benefits from the life insurance policy any way you want. You can offer part of the proceeds to the employee's family.

How much key man life insurance coverage is needed? Typical benefits run between $250,000 and $1 million. There are two ways to determine the right amount of key person life insurance. You can buy 8 to 10 times the employee's salary or look at the economic value of the employee to your business and ask yourself, "How much money would I lose if something happened to this person?" The answer to that question will tell you how much life insurance to buy.

How much does it cost? That depends on several factors, including the age and health of the people. However, today life insurance rates are 60% less than what they were 10 years ago. In 1994 it cost $995 to insure a 40-year-old man with an average 20-year term life insurance policy. Today, that same policy would cost you less than $400 per year.

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If this is true, Cox maintains, then Blue Cross violated Michigan law, specifically Public Act 350. Says Cox: "Michigan law prohibits Blue Cross from purchasing a for-profit workers' compensation company other than the Accident Fund. And if Blue Cross does transfer subscriber money to the Accident Fund, it must be in the form of a loan, not a gift that is never repaid."

Andrew Hetzel is Blue Cross' vice president of corporate communications. He says that Blue Cross not only intends to fight the case but to win as well: "We have the facts on our side."

This has the potential to get a lot of people in trouble. For example, Ken Ross. Ken Ross is Michigan's State Insurance Commissioner and he issued a statement that approved the transfer of Blue Cross funds to the Accident Fund for the purpose of purchasing CompWest.

It's a noble thing that Cox is doing. He says: "Subscriber funds were used so Blue Cross could purchase a for-profit company. And consumers, the sick and the elderly have paid higher premiums because funds that could have been used to lower their costs were diverted for this purchase.

"Michigan consumers are being squeezed by high gas prices, mortgage foreclosures and high unemployment rates. They shouldn't also have to pay higher health care premiums so Blue Cross can go on a spending spree and grab up for-profit insurance companies."

During this time, where good investments are hard to come by, some life insurance agents are touting permanent life insurance policies as an attractive alternative. However, as with any "investment", it's important to know the pros and cons of permanent life insurance policies before deciding whether or not to buy one.

The basic difference between term life insurance and permanent (whole or universal) is this: On the death of the insured, both term life insurance and permanent policies pay a death benefit to the named beneficiary. However, permanent life insurance plans include "living values" in the form of cash values. These values can be accessed in the form of policy loans, withdrawals, and also by surrendering the policy.

A permanent life insurance policy is a type of 'forced savings' plan. However keep in mind, assuming the same death benefit; they premiums on these types of plans are generally 5-12 times as much as a level term life insurance policy. A permanent policy will typically not work out well for you unless you're prepared to stick with it for a long time. Unfortunately, most people aren't able to afford the face amount of insurance they need to protect their family in a permanent insurance chassis. Even if they stretch their budget to buy permanent coverage, they often lose the faith and bail out too early. When this happens, they find out that they'd have been better off never having started the plan. They have no life insurance protection, and the surrender values add up to abysmal results on the 'investment' side of the transaction.

I prefer term life insurance for most people because it is affordable, making you less likely to lapse your policy. The main purpose of having a life insurance policy should be to protect your family. Term life insurance accomplishes this need for a lot less. If you are determined to consider permanent coverage, you might consider the old adage, 'buy term life insurance and invest the difference'. Simply take the cost difference between a permanent policy and term life insurance policy and invest that money.

At today's rates (which are the lowest in the history of life insurance), the annual premium for a 40-year-old male (non-smoker) in good health for a $500,000, 20-year term level term life insurance policy is only about $350!

To get a real sense of the value of term life insurance, let's compare term life insurance quotes and universal life quotes. A healthy 40-year-old nonsmoking male would have to pay about $3,000 per year to acquire a $500,000 universal policy. For the first few years, most of these policies have zero surrender value. But say he had instead invested $2,650 (the difference between $3,000, the cost of the universal policy, and $350, the cost of a term life insurance policy) in a mutual fund that averaged a total return of 10% annually. At the end of the first year, he'd have $2,841, accounting for taxes on the earnings at a 28% rate. At the end of 10 years, he would have accumulated more than $46,000 in after-tax savings in the mutual fund. Over the same period, the cash value of the policy would likely only have climbed only to about $21,558.

Here are some tips when shopping for a term life insurance policy:

· Comparison shop but don't get lured by a "come on" life insurance rate

· Buy a term life insurance policy worth at least seven to ten times the breadwinner's annual salary

· Buy from a reputable term life insurance company that is financially stable

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In a rare show of unanimity, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed a measure on the subject of autism insurance. The Senate then approved the bill as well and next, it's up to Governor Ed Rendell to sign it and make it official.

Senator Jane Orie, R-PA, said in a speech on the Senate floor that the coverage of autism-related treatments was "a national model, a gold standard."

Unfortunately, autism is a tricky issue for kids and parents. It's not often diagnosed until the child is around the age of 3 and by then the child's inability to communicate or interact or express their needs and desires has become an overwhelming and frustrating problem for the whole family. The depth to which autism affects the child varies from individual to individual, but no matter how slight, it's an often devastating diagnosis for parents.

With this new bill, insurers will be required to provide as much as $36,000 in coverage for autism therapy for those under the age of 21, and Pennsylvania's Medicaid program will cover costs over that amount. Additionally, business owners who employ more than 51 people are required to offer autism insurance coverage as of the first of July next year.

Whether you smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, or have an occasional cigar or pipe, the life insurance quotes you'll most likely see are going to be smoker rates which are typically double, often, as much as triple, the price of` non-tobacco users.

For example, a 40-year-old male who is a smoker qualifying for preferred term life insurance rates on a policy with a face value of $500,000 would be quoted $2,480 for a 30-year level term life insurance policy. If that same person qualified for non-smoker rates he would only pay $620 for the same policy. That's a savings of $1,860 per year and $55,800 over the length of the policy!

If you've been putting off shopping for life insurance because you're a smoker, or think you are paying exorbitant premiums because of your habit, it's time to start shopping around. Many people are overpaying for their life insurance because they don't realize that there are deals to be had out there.

We suggest the following tips for finding a life insurance company that will offer tobacco users more favorable rates - sometimes, even non-smoker rates:

• Shop around - Some companies require a negative test for nicotine in order to qualify for non-smoker term life insurance rates. While at others, testing positive for nicotine is acceptable. As a result, an occasional cigar smoker or tobacco chewer could end up paying a lot more than they have to.

• Deal with a broker - Only a brokerage firm that has a broad pulse on the insurance market will know which company might offer the most favorable rates to a given person, based on their individual profile.

• Do NOT lie on your application - Because premiums offered to those who admit to tobacco use are often triple those of people who don't smoke, some people are tempted to lie to get a better rate, but the effort often backfires.

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Barb is a long-time AccuQuote employee. She has been with the company for 11 years and has always been one of our top life insurance agents. I asked her if she could share her experience with us so we could blog about it and she was more than happy to do so. So, without further ado, here's Barb's story in her own words....

"After a 16 hour flight from Washington DC, my husband and I landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. We were taken by motor coach to the Westcliff Hotel where we were greeted with a lovely welcome dinner.

The next morning we were off to Botzwana via an 8 passenger bush plane. When we landed at the airstrip, the staff from our camp, Vumbura Plaines, greeted us. At this time, we jumped in a 6 passenger Land Rover and immediately drove through the bush in search of animals. Our first sighting was a heard of elephants crossing over the airstrip!! Can you imagine that? What a welcome!

Our guide was a very knowledgeable young man born right there in South Africa. His name was S.T. S.T. was able to name every tree, every animal, every bird and every wild flower in sight. He was amazing! And so our routine began.

Every morning S.T. would walk to our tent (a very fine tent I might add, bigger than a 1 bedroom condo, with a living room, bathroom 2 showers, one inside and one outside.) Our deck consisted of a wrap around the tent deck with our very own swimming pool, lounge chairs and another deck that we could have entertained 30 people with sofa's and tables! It was more than I could ever imagine right there in the bush!

After a quick continental breakfast we were off on our morning safari. After our morning safari we would return to the camp for brunch then have 2 hours to ourselves to shower and relax. You couldn't shower in the AM or PM because the temperature was about 45 degrees and of course the tents were not heated, heck they didn't even have windows, just screens and canvas! After our siesta, we had afternoon tea which of course consisted of an open bar with hot and cold appetizers. Then we were off for of PM safari ride. Our P.M safari ride ended at about 7:30 each night. At this time, we'd go back to the camp for dinner! They had a chef at the camp that was amazing. We sat at the campfire at night just exchanging experiences of the day with our 'new found friends'.

During our safari, we saw everything: lions, elephants, giraffes, baboons, impalas (deer), buffalo, wildebeests, and all kinds of birds. The most exciting sighting of course, was finding the lions. During one of our morning safaris S.T. tracked their foot prints in the sand until we found them. They had just finished a 'kill' and were lying in the bush with flies all over them. We took tons of pictures and they could care less. We also found what was left of their lunch, a few bloody bones in the bush, probably the leftover bones of a buffalo.

One night after 'sundowners' (which is more alcohol and appetizers at sundown) we were looking for the lions again and found them in the pitch dark. This time they were up and walking around. S.T shined a light beam on them for all of us to see. I was really scared at that point. I said, "S.T. do you think we are safe?" and he responded, "Oh yes, Miss Barbara, we are 100% safe, I THINK." Oh my-gosh the lions were about 10 feet from our vehicle! It was amazing!

After 4 incredible days in the bush we took that little airplane again off to Zambia and Victoria Falls.

Greeting us at our hotel, The Royal Livingstone Hotel, there was a heard of Zebra's right smack dab in front of our hotel room. We were walking distance to Victoria Falls , one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Here we went on a tour of the falls, saw rainbows in the sky, and got soaking wet from the spray of the falls. We also did a sunset cruise and a water safari where we saw the Hippos. The Hippos were scary because you couldn't see them under the water and you never knew where they'd come up.

In Zambia we were reunited with the rest of the 148 people in the Genworth group. We had an amazing farewell dinner in the bush which consisted of Antelope Stew, ostrich & Crocodile. I didn't care much for the Crocodile!

The staff entertained us by singing & dancing to African music. But imagine if you can, having a white linen table cloth dinner in the bush with animals all around. It's amazing that I felt totally safe under the beautiful African stars! One of the amazing things in Africa is the magnificent sunsets and the stars were like diamonds in the sky, you could almost reach up and touch them.

The experiences we shared, our new friends, the memories will last a lifetime. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience South Africa, the people and the animals!"

I thought Barb's adventure sounded fantastic. I hope you did too! Barb - thanks again for sharing your story with us!

View some of her photos

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I don't have any pets, but I often here people in the office talk about their animals getting sick. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), recently analyzed its medical claims received in 2007 to determine the top 10 most commonly claimed conditions for dogs and cats. They said that for both canines and felines, the top 10 conditions accounted for about 25 percent of all medical claims received last year.

Canine		Feline
1. Ear Infections		1. Urinary Tract Infections
2. Skin Allergies		2. Gastritis/Vomiting
3. Pyoderma/Hot Spots		3. Chronic Renal Failure
4. Gastritis/Vomiting		4. Enteritis/Diarrhea
5. Enteritis/Diarrhea		5. Diabetes Mellitus
6. Urinary Tract Infections		6. Skin Allergies
7. Benign Skin Tumors		7. Colitis/Constipation
8. Eye Inflammation		8. Ear Infections
9. Osteoarthritis		9. Respiratory Infections
10. Hypothyroidism		10. Hyperthyroidism

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Dave Ramsey does a really good job explaining the difference in price between term life insurance and permanent life insurance in this YouTube video.

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A lot of seniors have the idea that Medicare would cover their long term care expenses. That actually isn't the case. In fact, Medicare does not pay for long term care and people may want to consider private insurance.