The main differences between whole-of-life assurance and term life assurance are:

  • Coverage duration:
    • Whole-of-life assurance: Provides coverage for your entire lifetime.
    • Term life assurance: Offers coverage for a specified term, such as 10, 20, or 30 years.
  • Premiums:
    • Whole-of-life assurance: Typically has higher premiums due to the guaranteed payout.
    • Term life assurance: Usually has lower premiums since it only covers a set period.
  • Payout:
    • Whole-of-life assurance: Guarantees a payout upon death, regardless of when it occurs as long as premiums have been maintained.
    • Term life assurance: Only pays out if death occurs within the specified term.
  • Investment component:
    • Whole-of-life assurance: Can include a savings or investment component, allowing the policy to build a cash value over time.
    • Term life assurance: Purely insurance, with no savings or investment component.