There are four primary types of life insurance, and each has a place in any sound financial plan. The four variations of life insurance are:
Term Life Insurance – fixed premiums for a fixed period of time, like 10 or 20 years
Whole Life Insurance – permanent insurance, as long as premiums are paid, with fixed premiums and cash value benefits
Universal Life Insurance – permanent insurance with options to change premiums and death benefits
Variable Life Insurance – similar to Universal Life but with the flexibility to choose investment risks to maximize cash value benefit