While it's common for Australians in their 60s to either be retired or approaching retirement, there still may be value in investing in a life insurance policy. Some typical costs you may wish to cover at this age include:
Outstanding debt including mortgage and smaller personal loans
Estate planning
Medical expenses in the event you suffer serious illness or injury
Funeral costs
Get an affordable life insurance quote for over 60s
Make sure you check the maximum entry age before applying. This is the age limit to apply for a policy. Be sure to inform your provider if you have any pre-existing medical conditions.
Getting a quote with an adviser may take longer. As you get older you'll likely need to take a medical examination or test in order to get a quote.
An adviser can help you find cover from trusted life insurance brands.
Why should I consider life insurance after my 60th birthday?
Life insurance, at this point, can benefit not only you, but your family most especially. Just think what great a burden can be taken from their shoulders when you have taken care of all the payment for the final expenses. In doing so, you will be able to help them adjust smoothly.
Moreover, when you have life insurance at 60, you can also use this to leave something behind not only for your kids, but for your grandchildren as well.
Life insurance may seem like excessive security. If you've paid off your mortgage and are freed of your children, now able to live independently, the key financial burdens of life may finally feel like they have been lifted. However, there are a several reasons why life insurance still makes financial sense:
Provide for your loved ones. Having cover after 60 allows you to provide financial support for your loved ones if illness or injury strike, or if you pass away unexpectedly. This means you can help cover medical and rehabilitation costs, help your spouse maintain their current standard of living, or even have something to leave behind for your kids and grandkids.
Cover immediate expenses. Your death could place a significant financial burden on your family, so taking out life insurance cover can help them cope with the cost of your funeral and other immediate expenses.
You’re still young. According to the World Bank, the average life expectancy in Australia is 82.1 years. Life insurance offers you the cover to live securely for every joyous year left.
Peace of mind. With lump sum payments of up to $1.5 million available, life insurance gives you the security and peace of mind of knowing that you and your spouse will be protected should the worst happen.
Before you start shopping for cover, however, make sure you’re aware that life insurance does have its drawbacks. For example, all pre-existing conditions may be excluded from cover, and policy expiry ages may mean that some types of cover are not available to you.
However, the most significant drawback of life insurance is the cost once you reach 60. The simple fact is that the older you are, the more life insurance costs, and taking out cover as a pensioner is never going to be cheap.
However, the benefits of life insurance mean that it is still well worth considering, so speak to a trusted insurance adviser who can help you find the best value for money.
Is it worth it if I'm no longer working?
The end of work doesn't mean the end of life, and life insurance is about more than just income protection. It's about providing some level of comfort to those who've made up your world after you leave it. Seniors may no longer face the same financial obligations of yesteryears, but you probably still wish to secure yourself as you transition to your golden years
Features to look for at this age
How can you choose a good life insurance policy that provides the protection you need at a reasonable price? There are a few key features you should look out for:
Benefit indexation. Most insurers will increase your level of cover each year so that your sum insured rises in line with the cost of living. Your premiums will increase at each policy anniversary to reflect this.
Premium freeze. If you don’t want your premiums to increase each year due to indexation, check to see whether the insurer allows you to freeze your premiums. This allows you to keep the same premium amount but means that your cover will decrease each year.
Funeral advance benefit. If you purchase life cover, will the insurer offer an advance benefit payment of a portion of your sum insured to help your loved ones pay for your funeral?
Financial planning benefit. It can be daunting to work out how best to manage the proceeds from a life insurance payout, so look for a policy that provides cover for the cost of expert advice from a financial planner.
Guaranteed renewability. Look for a policy that is guaranteed renewable – this means that if your circumstances change and you need to increase your level of cover, you will be able to do so without undergoing further medical underwriting.
Simple claims process. Making a life insurance claim can be daunting and confusing, especially when you’re going through a period of emotional upheaval. Finding an insurer with a fast and hassle-free claims process can make a big difference.
What types of cover is available?
Life cover. Life cover pays a lump sum benefit when you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness. This benefit can be used to help your loved ones pay off debts, manage ongoing expenses, pay for your funeral and maintain their standard of living. Many policies also allow you to add optional cover for accidental death.
Trauma cover. Trauma insurance offers a lump sum benefit if you suffer a serious medical condition, such as cancer, heart attack or stroke. Sometimes referred to as critical illness insurance, this type of cover can be especially useful as you get older and are more likely to suffer a serious medical event. Trauma cover can be taken out on its own or bundled together with life cover.
Total and permanent disability (TPD) cover. TPD insurance pays a lump sum if you become totally and permanently disabled. This benefit can be used to cover medical and rehabilitation expenses, pay for home modifications, and generally help with your everyday living expenses. It can be purchased as standalone cover or bundled with life cover.
Funeral insurance. Funeral insurance provides a lump sum benefit to help your loved ones cope with their immediate expenses following your death. This can help reduce the financial burden of your death and provide important support at a very difficult time.
Age eligibility requirements for different types of cover
One of the common reasons people over 60 avoid taking out life insurance is because they think they’re too old to be covered. However, you might be surprised to learn that you may be eligible for life insurance cover well into your senior years.
Although maximum entry and expiry ages vary between insurers, the following age limits generally apply to life insurance:
Life cover. Maximum entry age of 75 years and an expiry age of 100.
Trauma cover. Maximum entry age of 65 years and an expiry age of 70.
TPD cover. Maximum entry age of 75 years and an expiry age of 100.
Factors that affect how much life insurance will cost for people over 60
There are many different aspects to life policies that can make them seemingly expensive if you don’t shop around and compare the best rates. To understand why this might be the case, there are a number of things related to the status of your life and health largely determine the premiums that you need to know, such as:
Your age
Gender
Current health status
Pre-existing medical conditions
Smoking status
Premium style policies, which are differentiated into stepped and level policies
How much does life insurance for over 60's cost?
We analysed 10 life insurance policies to get a rough idea of how much it costs per month for a 60 year old and how it increased if you get it at the age of 70.
Quotes taken from finder's life insurance engine on November 2018. Prices only a rough guide and are subject to change.
How can I save on my cover costs?
Improve your health and lifestyle. Two factors that will affect your premiums, no matter how old you are, and they are your health and your lifestyle. If you are smoker and have some health condition, it could also incur higher charges. However, this should not stop you from getting life insurance. There are still a lot policies which have competitive life insurance premiums for those who smoke and have health conditions.
Take advantage of your gender. Gender also plays an important role in how much you will pay for cover. A 60-year old woman will pay one-third less in premiums than a 60-year old man. So if a 60-year old, healthy, non-smoking man and woman get a 10-year term life insurance policy worth $100,000, the man will have to pay $676 every year in premiums while the woman will only have to pay $449 every year (based on a rough calculation).
Comparing different options can save you thousands. Shopping for life insurance can be tedious, but you can do it online. Enter your personal information – and obtain an online quote in minutes. You can also gain comparisons from several different companies, and add and eliminate benefits and options you might not want, or need.
Find out what cover you need. If you don't have any life insurance in place, it can be difficult to know where to start, particularly with the many policies available on the Australian market. Before you start to compare policies you should understand the difference between direct and underwritten life insurance policies, as premiums can vary greatly.
How is life insurance paid for?
You’ll usually pay a ‘premium’ either fortnightly, monthly or annually to fund your cover. There are...
Premium payments are calculated on an average over the life of your policy, making the payments stable and relatively unaffected. Stepped premiums are typically higher at the beginning of a policy, but lower and even out over the long term, typically saving you money over the life of the policy. Level premiums are predictable and easy to budget for, giving you cover with no surprises.
Stepped premiums are payments that start out low, based on your age, and when re-evaluated annually increases the premium as you age. This is a good option for younger people because the payments remain low at the onset and increase as you age. The stepped premiums are better for a short-term life insurance policy because near the end of the policy the premiums can get quite expensive.
What's right for me?
Both level and stepped premiums are good options, but of course it depends on each individual situation. It is important to carefully assess your current financial situation and choose the most appropriate premium style that you afford, in the short or long run. Should you be wishing to have cover over the long term, level premiums are the more affordable option.
Some other important things to keep in mind when looking for high levels of life insurance include:
Life insurance and income protection insurance are two completely different types of insurance. Life insurance is meant to pay a lump sum to your beneficiaries should you die while the cover remains effective. Income protection insurance actually pays you while you are still alive but unable to attend work because of illness or injury.
The amount of premium you pay for either of these insurances will depend on your age and the amount of cover you require. It is often argued that the least amount of cover you need for adequate life insurance cover is five times your annual salary. For instance if you were earning a salary of $100,000 a year you will need to take a minimum $500,000 cover.
Is it possible to get life insurance for over 60 with no medical?
All life insurance companies require applicants to declare any pre-existing medical conditions prior to taking out cover. Failure to do so may lead to the policy being rejected at claim time.
With the likelihood of conditions increasing in later years, most insurers will require applicants over 60 to submit a medical exam regardless of whether or not they declare they have a pre-existing condition. This is to account for the additional risk that they present to the insurer. If the applicant has a pre-existing condition, the insurer will generally either:
Automatically cover the condition
Cover the condition but apply a premium loading
Adjust the policy so that any claim related to the condition is not covered
Choose not to cover the applicant
If you have struggled in the past to find life insurance due to a pre-existing condition, you may wish to consider cover options that require very little or no medical underwriting whatsoever. These include:
There are two options when choosing life insurance cover: purchase direct life insurance straight from an insurer, or choose tailored life insurance through an adviser.
Skipping an adviser can be quick but here's the catch
Direct life insurance is designed to make it quick and easy to take out cover, with fast application online or over the phone and minimal medical underwriting. However, as a result of this streamlined process, direct life insurance does have some shortcomings.
Direct life cover is sold on a “one size fits all” basis rather than tailored to suit the needs of each individual applicant. It also has much stricter limits on the cover entry age, so if you’re over 60, it may not be possible to find cover with some insurers.
Using an adviser
If you’re looking for a tailored package, your best bet is to speak to an adviser. An experienced adviser will take the time to assess your financial situation and personal circumstances to help you determine the type of cover you need and how much. They will then be able to help you sort through the myriad policy options available and choose one that matches your needs and budget.
Over 60? FAQs about life insurance
Income protection policies generally expire when you reach 65 years of age, so this type of cover is not really an option for seniors.
Although you may have a sufficient amount invested to fund your retirement, will you be able to access money quickly in an emergency? Life insurance offers peace of mind and a financial safety net, protecting you against the uncertainty of the future.
That depends on your personal circumstances, budget and cover needs. However, you can find out more about funeral insurance for pensioners in our handy guide.
Yes, you will generally be able to access worldwide cover.
Limits vary depending on the type of cover and the insurer you select, but many insurers offer up to $1.5 million life cover.
Richard Laycock is Finder’s insights editor after spending the last five years writing and editing articles about insurance. His musings can be found across the web including on MoneyMag, Yahoo Finance and Travel Weekly. When he’s not doing deep dives on data, he is testing the quality of cocktails in his newfound home of New York. Richard studied Media at Macquarie University and The Missouri School of Journalism and has a Tier 1 Certification in General Advice for Life Insurance.
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Why should I consider life insurance after my 60th birthday?
Features to look for at this age
