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Legally you can have as many life insurance policies as you like but instead of buying more policies, it might be better for you to change an existing one if you can.
There’s no legal limit to the number of life insurance policies one person can take out; some people have one provided by their employer, and then a personal one as well. How many you have, and what kinds they are, will depend on what you and your family need.
Most people will usually only have one or two life insurance policies but each policy will exist in its own right and, if you wanted to, you could have more than this.
Unlike with motor or home insurance, you could buy multiple life insurance products to cover different aspects of your life.
For example, you may want a decreasing term life insurance policy to cover your mortgage costs and a fixed-term insurance policy to provide financial assistance for other costs such as household bills or education fees in the event of your death.
If you have more than one life insurance policy, when you die your dependents should be able to make a claim on each policy and receive a payout for each one.
This will depend on factors such as how you died and how the policies are set up but in theory each policy will provide a financial payout.
While this may sound appealing, it’s also worth remembering that you’ll need to pay the premiums on each policy while you’re alive.
The payout amount of the different policies may also vary. This is because when you take out a policy the insurer will look at what cover is already in place to ensure the policy you’re buying will provide the right amount of cover for you. If you have one policy to cover your mortgage costs, for example, and one for your children’s everyday finances the payout will reflect this.
When you buy a new life insurance policy, you’ll need to tell the insurer what cover you already have in place.
If you do die when the policy is in place, your dependents should be able to claim on the policy, although this will depend on the circumstances of the death and the policy or policies you have.
There are lots of different types of life insurance and the following are the most common you could buy.
If you own your own business, you may want to take out life insurance to ensure that if a business partner were to die, the business could still carry on operating. In this instance it may be possible to take a joint life insurance policy out between different partners in the business.
Another option is called “key person insurance” which is designed to protect the business if a key person dies or is diagnosed with a critical illness.
Before you buy any policies, it’s important to take the time to weigh up how useful it will be.
If you’re looking to extend cover, and it’s possible to change your existing policy, rather than buying a brand new one, this might be a better option for you. Similarly, having just one policy could be easier, and cheaper, than having lots of different policies.
If you’re unsure, it might be worth seeking advice from a specialist, although remember you may have to pay for this.
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