Whole life insurance, sometimes called “straight life” or “ordinary life,” is a type of permanent life insurance and is the most well-known form of life insurance. Whole life insurance policies last the whole life of the policyholder and are paid out to the policyholder’s beneficiary or beneficiaries upon death provided that premiums are paid. It’s important to note that because whole life insurance lasts throughout the policyholder’s life, premiums are typically higher and cost more than term life insurance. Along with death benefits, whole life insurance also comes with a type of savings called “cash value” and may grow tax-deferred interest.

Life insurance is like pizza — it comes in many styles and the customization options are practically endless. But unlike pizza, it’s cost-prohibitive to sample life insurance policies to pick the one you like. And that means you’ll have to know your options and clarify your financial goals to land on the type of life insurance that’ll work for you.

Most people don’t think about how life insurance payouts work unless they’re filing a life insurance claim. If you’re in that situation right now, we feel for you. To make this difficult time a little easier, we’ve put together the information below to help you understand how the process works and what your options are if you find yourself the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or need to help someone else make a claim. Here are the steps you will go through in the payout process.

Term life insurance, also known as pure life insurance, provides coverage during a specified length of time and guarantees the payment of a death benefit during that period. The shortest term policy available is for one year, and you can typically buy policies with terms that last up to 30 years, or until you reach a specified age.

Accelerated death benefits are life insurance policy riders or provisions that can be added to your insurance and allows you to access death benefits while you’re still alive. The accelerated death benefit is common and can often be included in your policy at no additional cost.

Universal life policies are a great coverage option that also allows you to plan for retirement if utilized properly. Although the various forms can be confusing, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about this type of policy in our comprehensive guide.

A modified endowment contract (MEC) is an overfunded cash value life insurance policy that has more restrictive tax rules than standard life insurance. The MEC came into being in the late 1980s, when the IRS moved to close a tax loophole involving permanent life policies.