There is uncertainty at every step of the way in our lives. Now more than ever, Life insurance is a need. We have been able to cope and manage the stressors of life in various ways, and one of them is having a back up plan. You need a back up plan for your life as well, to ensure that the people you leave behind are cared for and safe. Life insurance policies provide full proof insurance of financial support in case of sudden demise of family members. Life insurance proves to be a safety net  to save you from the hit your family and loved ones might take in case of death or disability of a family member. Life insurance not only covers the above stated, but also unforeseen circumstances like critical illness or permanent disability. When you’re insured you are assured that there will always be a shoulder to support your family, and that will be your insurer!   There are few things life insurance helps us achieve, that is, protection of the family, investment for your future financial goals and most of all savings for your retirement plans and more.   What is life insurance? It is a legally binding contract that promises benefit to the policy owner in case the insured person dies. The beneficiaries of the life insurance policy  get the benefit, the insured sum,  subsequent to the death of the person insured.   It is structurally pretty easy to get a hold of. There is an assured amount that you pay to your insurer , a minimum basic amount you pay to get your life insurance policy started off. Now on that you pay the premium monthly or quarterly or annually depending on the type of insurance you have opted for. However there are some contingencies to keep in mind so that you know what you’re getting into. Firstly, life insurance depends on a few factors like age, gender, smoking habits, and the policy term. All of these factors your insurance premium amount varies according to the plausibility and probability of any unfortunate event happening.   At the very basics, life insurance can be specified into two main classifications- term life insurance and whole life insurance. Apart from those two categories there are also- endowment plans, unit linked insurance plans, child plans, pension plans.   Term insurance It is an insurance policy designed to last a certain number of years and then come to term and end. Usually the common terms are 10 years or 20 or 30 years. Term life insurance is a great tool to improve your financial stability as it gives a return at the end of the tenure. There are different types of term insurance as well. Increasing term life insurance helps your insurance as well as premium amount grow and is a great tool for investment purposes. Level term stays constant throughout the term, including your premium as well as assured amount Decreasing terms makes assured amounts of money decrease over time however the premium you pay remains constant.   Whole life insurance This is probably the best policy to go for if you’re looking for the actual purpose of life insurance, meaning safety and coverage of your loved ones financial stability after you. You are required to pay the premium throughout your life starting at the time you started the policy. There are a few types of whole insurance as well ULIPs  : These are different from the traditional whole life insurance but useful nonetheless,  the premium amount you pay throughout your life is used for two things within this policy, mainly: firstly your savings and secondly investment in the market for the amount to grow. The traditional plan: when your policy reaches the end,  you get its promised benefits These plans can be further divided into non-participating and participating categories. In the former case, the insured does not get any bonuses or dividends from the corporation. Benefits can be taken in one lump sum or as recurring payments.   Endowment policy Within this plan if the insured person lives through the maturity period they get an added bonus or benefit. Just like the whole life insurance policies they can also be participating and non participating but here in you can get the benefits of investment in the market like ULIPs   Money back policy This is probably on the more expensive side, however still absolutely worth is as the beneficiaries get the exact amount that you have invested in the policy   Child care policies You can think of this policy like a safety net for your child. It helps you save for the future and provides the usual coverage, however they can be like endowment plans or UILPs the added advantage is that there is no bar on the age limit   RETIREMENT PLANS This plan is , as the name suggests, a retirement plan. In such an economy and with the financial uncertainty we live with, it is only a valid concern that our old age shall be comfortable years to live through. These plans somewhat work like a pension, the policies you have invested in, their benefits you reap as monthly payouts to you after your retirement. These benefits can also be transferred to the nominee of your policy.