Permanent life insurance policies can sometimes help you cover expenses, access cash, and more

Permanent life insurance offers access to a cash value account, which is like a savings account

It's a huge perk of purchasing permanent life insurance. Policyholders often use these accounts as another investment tool. In this podcast episode, NerdWallet experts break down how you can use your cash value account to invest, plus the pros and cons of this tactic.

Life insurance can can cover funeral expenses, loss of income, and more

Life insurance can act as a financial safety net if your main financial provider dies. Among other things, it can cover any debts that were left behind. In this video, a Yahoo Finance contributor dives into why life insurance could be the key financial protection your family needs.

The two main types of life insurance are term and permanent

The biggest difference between the two is how long they cover the life of the insured person and how much they cost. This guide can help you learn more about term and permanent life insurance, plus their different variations, to choose the right policy for you.

Whole and universal life insurance are two types of permanent life insurance

While they both stick with you for your whole life, they vary when it comes to added benefits, overall cost, and changes you can make to an active policy. The biggest difference between the two is that universal insurance lets you make changes to an active policy, whereas whole insurance is fixed.

Life insurance policies are often recommended for people with financial dependents

If you’re a parent, spouse, business owner, homeowner, or if you hold a lot of debt, you might want to consider life insurance. It can replace a loss of income or pay off debt.

If you decide to buy term life insurance, coverage will eventually expire

If you decide to buy term life insurance, you’ll no longer have coverage once the agreed-upon timeframe is over. You can always plan ahead to pay off major expenses before your coverage ends, but if this doesn’t happen, you may need to renew or replace your policy.

People can customize their life insurance policies by adding on extra benefits

While most life insurance policies have similar coverage, adding on these extra benefits (called riders) can help make these policies more bespoke. Some common added benefits include coverage for your children, a high-risk lifestyle, or a critical or terminal illness.

Final life insurance is most common for people over the age of 50

Final expense life insurance is a type of life insurance where, instead of paying a sum of money to your beneficiaries after death, the insurance covers the expenses for your funeral, burial, and any end-of-life care.

Life insurance offers peace of mind, ensuring that loved ones are financially supported after one's passing

People typically apply for life insurance policies through specific companies or online marketplaces. This video offers more information that's important to know when considering buying life insurance.

Life insurance policies and annuities are both contracts between individuals and insurance companies

But while life insurance policies are paid out only after an individual dies, annuities are intended to provide a steady income while the investor is still alive. Also, life insurance protects an investor's family in the event of their death, but an annuity helps protect an investor from outliving their retirement savings.

Life insurance premiums can cost anywhere between $80 and $1K a month, depending on the policy

A life insurance premium is essentially the monthly cost or fee someone pays to an insurance company in exchange for a specified sum of money after their death to their beneficiaries. Factors like term length, health and lifestyle, and any added benefits can impact your premium.

Most life insurance policies cover death by natural causes or accidents

However, some other causes aren’t always covered. Suicide in the first two years of coverage, high-risk activities or jobs, and war or terrorism aren’t typically covered by life insurance, for instance. However, some added benefits (or “riders”) can account for some of these situations.

A 'death benefit' can replace lost income, pay for a funeral, or leave a legacy

Those beneficiaries are usually family members. In exchange, the policyholder pays a monthly fee for coverage. It’s normally used to cover the life of a financial provider.

The concept of life insurance likely originated in ancient Rome around the year 100 BCE

However, life insurance policies didn’t reach the Americas until 1759, when life insurance started being used to protect the families of Protestant ministers when said ministers died. This timeline of life insurance’s early history—and how it has evolved since then—provides more details.

Cash balance pension plans provide the option of a lifetime annuity

Specifically, these defined-benefit plans are retirement plans that differ from traditional pensions in that they can come in one lump sum rather than in monthly payments. These plans are most popular among small business owners and their employees. Learn more about them in this article.

There are two main types of 529 plans

One type of 529 plan, prepaid tuition plans, can only be used to pay for tuition. The other type, college savings plans, can also be used to pay for related education expenses, including room and board. One key advantage of a prepaid tuition plan is that it locks in tuition prices. Both types have limited options for non-educational uses.

In real estate, a larger down payment can reduce your loan amount

However, the trade-off is liquidity: Tying up too much cash in a home can reduce emergency savings and delay your purchase.

Insurance 'float' is money collected based on insurance’s pay now, collect later model

The insurance “float” has treated Warren Buffett well. The “float” has earned him, and Berkshire Hathaway, billions of dollars. This article includes a letter from Buffett to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in 2009, discussing the impact of the “float” on his long-term success.

Certain trusts can bypass estate taxes—but the terms can't be changed

Putting money and other financial assets in an irrevocable trust is one way to avoid estate taxes. There are some cons to this trust, like the fact that you can't change the terms of the trust or assets in the trust after they're set. But a big pro is that any financial assets in an irrevocable trust aren't considered part of your estate, meaning they aren't subject to death taxes.

What are college endowments? An expert explains

College endowments are meant to last forever. That's why some of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the US have lasted so long. A higher education finance expert weighs in on how these funds work and offers fascinating tidbits on how they impact university finances.

Health savings accounts are designed to alleviate upfront costs for high-deductible health plans

High-deductible insurance plans often have low monthly premiums, but require policyholders to meet a set spending threshold on medical expenses each year before the insurance kicks in. Health savings accounts give high-deductible plan holders a tax-free savings account to balance the high upfront costs that come with an HDHP.

A living will is a legal document spelling out your medical wishes for emergency care

This legal document makes it explicit if you want medical interventions in the event of an emergency, including CPR, feeding tubes, ventilator assistance to push air into your lungs to help you breathe, and more. Talking with your doctor about this is covered by Medicare.

Direct lending typically involves 'senior loans'

Direct lending, the most common subtype of private credit, typically involves senior loans which are secured by a company's assets. "Junior capital," on the other hand, is a type of private credit that is not secured by a company's assets, making it generally riskier than direct lending.

Payday lenders spent more than $5M on lobbying efforts in 2025

Payday lenders largely oppose rate cap policies, increased borrower risk-assessment requirements, and other regulations that would effectively shutter their industry. In 2025, the payday lending industry lobbied against interest rate limits on payday loan apps.

Everything you need to know about emergency funds

The general rule of thumb for emergency funds is that you should have three to six months of living expenses saved—but what does that mean exactly? This article answers all your specific emergency fund questions, such as where you should put those emergency reserves, whether you should save three to six months of your full salary or just enough to cover three to six months of bills, and more. Read it here.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

Venture capital is a form of funding provided to early-stage companies with high growth potential, typically in exchange for an equity (or ownership) stake

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Urushiol, the oily toxin in poison ivy, can remain allergenic on clothing for years.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.