A term life insurance policy is the simplest, purest form of life insurance You pay a premium for a period of time – typically between 10 and 30 years – and if you die during that time a cash benefit is paid to your family (or anyone else you name as your beneficiary) tax free.

Term life is typically less expensive than a permanent whole life policy – but unlike permanent life insurance, term policies have no cash value, no payout after the term expires, and no value other than a death benefit. To keep things simple, most term policies are “level premium” – your monthly premium stays the same for the entire term of the policy.