There's no one-size-fits-all best age to get life insurance. However, I believe the best age to get life insurance is around age 30. And the best life insurance term to get at around age 30 is a 30-year term life insurance policy.
If you get life insurance at 30, you will likely get the best rates starting at the most important time of your life. It's like locking in a 30-year fix rate mortgage at the lowest rate. You can always pay off your mortgage early or cancel your life insurance policy if you don’t need it any longer.
The best place to shop around for life insurance is at Policygenius. You can get true, customized quotes from various insurance carries all in one place. Both my wife and I got matching 20-year term life insurance policies through Policygenius to cover our two young kids.
My Life Insurance Mistake
One of my financial mistakes was not getting a $1+ million, 30-year term life insurance policy before I had children. Now that I have two children, a similar 30-year policy costs 7-10X more due to age and health reasons.
I don't want you to make my same mistake because I was unable to properly forecast my future. The longer I live, the more apparent it is that most of us go through a similar life arc. Most of us are also governed by the same rules.
Life is already complicated enough. We often forget what we should do until after the fact. If you are around age 30, you should put getting life insurance on your to-do list.
Why The Best Age To Get Life Insurance Is Around 30
The one constant in life is uncertainty. Every decision we make is a gamble. We try to make the most optimal decisions possible to live the best lives possible.
Unfortunately, even if we are right 80% of the time, we still get things wrong 20% of the time. When suboptimal things happen, we just need to accept the outcome and figure out ways to make better decisions in the future.
80 percent of the time, I think the best age to get life insurance is by 30 or around 30. Here are the reasons why.
1) The Average Age To Have Kids Is Between 26 – 31
The average age of first-time mothers in America is now about 26. While the average age for first-time fathers in America is now 31.
Ideally, your goal is to get life insurance a year before having kids. Thankfully, most can because it takes nine months from conception to birth.
In more expensive areas of the country, the average age to have kids is much higher. Without the help from The Bank Of Mom And Dad, it's very common for first-time parents to be in their 30s.
Getting life insurance around age 30 fits a +/- 5-year window when the vast majority of people have kids. Therefore, you might as well put life insurance by 30 on your checklist. Life gets more complicated once you have kids. The more things you can cross off, the better.
2) Cheaper Rates When You're Younger
Life insurance is cheaper for younger people because younger people are generally healthier and have longer left to live. Therefore, life insurance companies can charge less because they have a lower chance of paying out a life insurance claim.
Below is the average life insurance cost for men from Policygenius, a leading life insurance marketplace. Policygenius is my favorite way to get low-cost quotes from multiple carriers all in one place.
As you can see from the chart, the average monthly life insurance premium goes up for every coverage amount by age. The average 45-year-old man pays about double in life insurance premiums as the average 20-year-old man.
Notice how the average life insurance premium at age 30 costs pretty much the same as for a man at age 20. If you don't have any kids in your 20s, you can rest easy knowing you won't pay a much higher premium once you hit 30.
But notice how once you pass 35, the increased cost of life insurance starts getting noticeable. Therefore, around age 30 is the ideal time to lock in the best rate when life insurance becomes more important. 30 is the best age to get life insurance. You can think about your 20s as a “free ride” where you saved on life insurance premiums.
In your 20s, perhaps your employer-sponsored life insurance policy based on a multiple of your salary could be good enough. For example, my employer provided a free, automatic life insurance benefit equal to 3X our annual salary. By 28, I decided I wanted a little more, so I paid around $10 a month for life insurance coverage equal to 5X my annual salary.
3) The Median First-Time Homebuyer Is In Their Early 30s
After having kids, the second most important reason to get life insurance is when you buy a home with a mortgage. Being able to have a financial buffer to pay off the mortgage or cover the payments until your survivors decide what to do is beneficial.
According to the National Association Of Realtors, the median age for a first-time homebuyer is around 33. Ideally, you want to get life insurance right before taking on a mortgage. Therefore, getting life insurance around age 30 makes sense. If you pass away, you don't want to put your debt burden on your loved ones, especially if you are a primary income source.
If you have no kids and no mortgage, then you probably don't need life insurance, no matter your age. But if you're already thinking about buying a home and starting a family, you might as well lock in an affordable life insurance policy beforehand.
4) Penalty-Free 401k And IRA Withdrawals Start At Age 59.5
For many Americans, surviving until their tax advantageous retirement accounts are accessible without penalty is an important goal. Therefore, getting life insurance coverage until that goal can be reached is a logical move. If you are in good health, getting a 30-year term life insurance policy is relatively affordable at age 30.
By age 60, everyone under the age of 35 who follows my 401k guide will likely end up a 401k or rollover IRA millionaire. With the combination of having over $1 million in your 401k or rollover IRA plus a sizable taxable investment portfolio, real estate portfolio, and more, life insurance should no longer be necessary.
5) Social Security Kicks In At 62+
For now, the earliest we can currently start collecting Social Security is at age 62. If the earliest age to start collecting Social Security increases, one may delay locking in a 30-year term policy or try and get an even longer policy, e.g. whole life insurance.
By our early 60s, we should have all our debts paid off. Most of our children should all be independent adults as well. Therefore, having life insurance should no longer be necessary once we are eligible for Social Security and penalty-free 401k or IRA withdrawals.
Better To Have A Little Too Much Coverage
It's better to have a little too much life insurance coverage than a little too little. You can always reduce the amount of your coverage in time or cancel. However, you can’t always increase your coverage without a new underwriting process.
It is often when you need or want life insurance the most that it tends to cost the most. Your goal is to get life insurance before you truly want or need it. You'll tend to pay much less.
Further, know that you are not locked into the entire term of your life insurance policy. In other words, if you decide to get a 30-year term policy, you can cancel at any time before the 30 years is up.
If you get richer than you had expected, you can cancel your 30-year term policy. Or, if you have a lot more health and financial issues than expected, you can keep your 30-year term policy and sleep easier.
Getting a 30-year term life insurance policy around age 30 is smart because you get to lock in the lowest rate for the most important period of time. Therefore, you get greater optionality value.
If I Could Get Life Insurance Again
In retrospect, at 28, I got life insurance at an appropriate age. I had just bought an expensive home with a big mortgage. After I hit 30, I started to think about marriage and kids. Before then, I wanted to focus most of my energy on my career.
However, my mistake was only getting a 10-year term policy at 28. Then at 35, I only renewed my policy for only another 10 years. I should have locked in a 30-year term policy at age 28 or renewed to a 20+-year term policy at age 35. This way, my two children would have been covered until they were technically adults.
When my my life insurance renewal decision started to approach at age 41, my existing life insurance company (USAA) quoted me a rate of $450/month! That was about 10X higher than what I was paying for my expiring policy. Then in December 2022, at the age of 45, USAA quoted me a $750/month renewal rate. No way!
At least I saved on premiums until that point. The best age to get life insurance is hard to know when you are living your life with growing responsibilities.
Thankfully, due to Policygenius, I was able to get a new affordable 20-year term life insurance policy with no medical exam during the pandemic.
Beware Of Going To The Doctor
Part of the reason for the big jump was due to my older age. But the major reason was that I decided to go to a sleep clinic when I was 36. I was paying unsubsidized health care insurance premiums of about $1,500/month for my wife and I at the time. Thus, I thought it would be nice to get some benefits and check if anything could be done about my snoring since I hadn't gone to a doctor in years.
When I arrived, the overzealous clinic wanted to run a bunch of tests. I agreed since my health insurance company would pay for it. However, the more you test, the more issues doctors will find to try and treat in order to make more money. That sleep clinic shut down two years later due to multiple complaints of overcharging.
Once something is in your medical records, it's practically impossible to get it removed. Therefore, always lock in a life insurance policy before you see a doctor for anything out of the ordinary. I had no idea that exams for my snoring could blow up my life insurance premium costs.
My Quest To Find Cheaper Life Insurance
After the birth of our second child in 2019, I was re-motivated to try and find more life insurance that wasn't 10X higher like what USAA quoted me. Further, in 2020, I took on more debt by buying a forever home.
After checking with Policygenius, I was able to get roughly 40% cheaper life insurance quotes. It just goes to show that you should never fall in love with your existing insurance carrier.
For over 20 years, I've used USAA for all my insurance needs. I like their service and believed they would always give veterans and children of veterans the most competitive rates. However, that's clearly not the case after shopping around. My wife paid about 50% more for her USAA life insurance quote for eight years before she shopped around as well.
You really can get more life insurance for less money if you take the time to shop around. Plus, if you want to save even more money, you should shop your auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and life insurance policies every 2-5 years. You will probably be surprised at how much you can save. We certainly were.
My Life Insurance Coverage Going Forward
Between health, school, child behavior, work, and finances, parents already feel a tremendous amount of pressure. Getting life insurance is partially about anxiety management and relieving some of that what-if pressure. Personally, I'm all about using money to help alleviate stress nowadays.
Four Options To Choose From
Since paying a renewal rate of $450/month (10X) is out of the question, I came up with four alternatives:
- Convert my term life insurance policy to a whole life policy to keep my best health status rate and build cash value
- Renew my term life insurance policy for at least 10 more years at a higher rate
- Grow liquid net worth by at least $1 million to cancel out the expiring life insurance policy
- Or go without life insurance after 2023 since we are technically financially independent
The ideal scenario of the four is if I can accumulate $1 million before my $1 million, 10-year term policy runs out and not renew. However, I'd probably have to accumulate closer to $1.5 million due to taxes as life insurance payouts are usually tax-free.
And let's be frank, if I'm going to re-retire soon, the chances of growing liquid net worth by another $1.5 million in this short of a time isn't great.
What I Ended Up Doing For Life Insurance
After a long time deliberating what I would do, I was able to successfully get new and affordable life insurance with no medical exam!
Long story short, I decided to take another sleep study through my ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) at the end of 2021. I've been sleeping better for years and didn't see any downside in getting checked out again. It was a pain to pick up and drop off the sleep study equipment, but the hassle was totally worth it in the end.
The results showed my sleep apnea had improved and is now only mild, not severe. I explained my life insurance dilemma my doctor. And he made sure to notate on my medical records that my condition had improved and is only mild.
A couple weeks later, I reapplied for life insurance through Policygenius and the rates were also much improved. I ended up signing a 20-year $750,000 policy through December 10, 2041, with SBLI for $110.24/month. Although I would have saved the most money if I had gotten a longer term policy way back in 2012, I'm happy that I was able to sign with SBLI to continue having coverage for my family.
I feel so relieved because the next 20 years are going to be the most important in our lives. By 2041, our daughter should be finishing college and we will have no more debt. Thanks Policygenius!
The Best Age To Get Life Insurance
In conclusion, if I had to choose one age, the best age to get life insurance is 30. If you get a 30-year term life insurance policy at age 30, you won't have to go through my dilemma.
Locking in a low rate for a long time period will give you the valuable option to keep or drop your policy as your life changes.
The second best age to get life insurance is the year before you have kids. Once you become a parent, you will gain an enormous amount of motivation to protect your family.
A Life Insurance Analogy
If you are a real estate investor, like I am, you will appreciate this analogy.
Locking in a 30-year term life insurance policy when you are 30 is like locking in a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage when rates are near an all-time lows in 2020. Over time, you will marvel at how cheap your fixed-rate mortgage or life insurance premium is thanks to inflation and your growing wealth.
What’s more, unlike with getting a mortgage, there is no life insurance origination fee. You can shopping around as much as you want for free.
If you're looking to save money on life insurance, check online today with Policygenius. Shopping around for free to see what competitive quotes you can get is a no-brainer. You can always cancel your term life insurance policy in the future at no cost as your needs change.
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Can you look into the hybrid life insurance/long term care policies ?
Who’s offering them, level of coverages, claims process, elimination period, costs, how to compare, etc
Just loving your site- so much great information and easy to read and understand.
Greg and I are in our 40’s with 3 boys and learning investment stuff everyday. So true how you don’t think about these things when you are 20-30years old yet that is the GOLDEN opportunity time. We are working on teaching our boys these tools early.
Keep up on the good info, I log in all the time to see what new articles you have posted!
I help do marketing for my husbands small business- life insurance, and quoted you in a recent article I wrote. Hope you like it.
Jessica
That’s some good food for thought, and I appreciated the statistics.
I’m still in my early 20s, but I plan to start having kids in the next couple of years. Right now I only have life insurance through my employer (the annual premiums are exceptionally cheap). It covers the cost of any debt I have (e.g. mortgage) plus a couple extra $100k. I was worried about needing to go ahead and hop on a term life insurance policy while I’m still very young, but it’s good to know the difference in premiums will be negligible – I’ll just pick it up when I have kids.
This is such a timely article as I’m in my early 30s and have been thinking about life insurance. I currently purchase life insurance through my employer. Would you recommend buying additional life insurance in case I retire early and am on my own to buy the insurance?
Hi Nat,
You have the flexibility to buy life insurance whenever you want. There is no premium or discounts to depending on whether you are employed, unlike with getting a mortgage or borrowing other forms of money.
I just think walking in a 30 year term at 30 years old is the smartest and best combination. You can always cancel your life insurance policy if you don’t end up buying a house or having children.
Best,
Sam
I had my first kid at 31 and bought two 20-year term life of 500K each for my spouse and me. We did notice the premium would be significantly higher had we been over 35. Whole life insurance was already too expensive at early 30s. I had my second child 2 years later. So they would both be 18+ when these insurance contracts expire. Living in Canada where college expenses are much cheaper than US, I feel 500K coverage for each parent is enough. We bought a house and took 230K mortgage a year after we bought the term insurance. So no need to buy a mortgage life insurance.
Now that my kids are 4 and 6, our family income has increased. I am considering purchasing Universal Life or Participating Life insurance for the kids. The premiums for kids are significantly lower than for adults. If I buy it now, the kids won’t need to buy term insurance when they become parents one day. They can also get a head start in investment and defer the capital gain tax on cash value. The downside is a UL or par life yields lower return than mutual funds.
Thanks for bringing up Universal Life insurance for the kids. I hadn’t thought about that and will look into it for them.
Well done insuring your family until your kids turn 18!
This was very informative and extremely helpful. I always find it amazing when what you read comes to you at the right time. I sit here around thirty and to-be-married shortly, with buying a home and starting a family in the coming years up ahead. I am going to take a serious look at getting life insurance. Thank you!
You say you can cancel your policy down the road and this is true, but you can also just dial back the amount of coverage too. It’s not a binary option – keep $1 million of coverage or go to zero. The one thing you can’t do is get MORE coverage without going through additional underwriting and as you mention, health issues may preclude this option as we get older. So, your comment about getting a little too much coverage is not a bad thing at all.
Great point about always being able to reduce coverage, but not being able to increase coverage without another thorough review.
I saw so many personal finance blogs talking about how great life insurance is and I thought it was insurance you needed to have starting age 18 or something.
Around age 30 does sound right.
“By age 60, everyone under the age of 35 who follows my 401k guide will likely end up a 401k or rollover IRA millionaire. With the combination of having over $1 million in your 401k or rollover IRA plus a sizable taxable investment portfolio, real estate portfolio, and more, life insurance should no longer be necessary.”
Yep, but you weren’t around when I was 35. Oh well, made it anyway and I fully concur. Already in the process of dropping that life insurance I’ve had for the past 30 years, as a matter of fact. The price just keeps creeping up and 100k, which once seemed awesomely large, is pretty much negligible when compared with a lifetime of retirement savings, and it’s cost has gone from something like 12 bucks per period to 144, even as I’ve come into my prime, oddly enough.
Probably should have foot-stomped the importance of term life versus whole life. I still recall talking to my insurance class professor in college when another student came up and asked him if whole life insurance was a good idea. He made eye contact with both of us (meaning he wanted to be sure we would pay attention and remember), and then, in his heavy Germanic accent, said, “If you are going to invest money, invest money. If you are going to buy life insurance, buy life insurance. Do not mix the two!”
There may be some arguments for people with estates large enough to worry about inheritance taxes (and meeting certain other criteria, or having certain needs) to actually consider whole life. But, otherwise, I would expect most of us should cross the street to avoid it.
Yeah, I’m not a footstomper against whole life insurance bc one of my options is to convert to keep my rating. But last I checked, the monthly cost to fund the cash value and premium was like $1,600 for a million and half for $500K.
If you are fully maxing out all your tax advantageous accounts, have a disability that may need permanent care, and/or your estate is going to grow above the estate tax threshold, there’s a place for whole life.
This is the best financial blog on the web, and that’s high praise considering there are a number of great ones. Does anyone know if Sam has ever done a post on uncorrelated assets?
Thanks, i have some posts on alternative investments:
https://www.financialsamurai.com/alternative-investments/
https://www.financialsamurai.com/a-look-inside-investment-asset-allocation-of-massive-university-endowments/
Curious on your thoughts about Financed Premium Life Insurance that is supposed to accelerate cash value and allow for tax free withdraws against the balance about 15 years from now while in retirement. Does it make sense for folks in high tax brackets, HCOL areas? If not, thoughts on better tax advantaged investments beyond 401k, IRA.
I don’t know what Financed Premium Life Insurance is, but I’ll ask for more pros and cons once I speak to another agent when I renew. Guess it depends on your anticipated retirement cash flow and current age.
Besides doing a back door Roth IRA, I love the idea of starting a business and opening up a Solo 401K. You can conceivable contribute more than $100,000 tax-free a year if you have enough business.
See post: https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-save-more-than-100000-a-year-pre-tax-open-a-sep-ira-or-solo-401k/
I did the ladder thing when I was 30 as well, and I am now 45. I have $2.5 million in term until I turn 50 and our three kids are through college, and then I carry $1.5 million in term until I turn 60. After that point, we’ll be self-insured through pension, retirement accounts, real estate, and taxable accounts. Guys in their late 20s can feel invincible. Glad I had mentors that set me straight on the importance of locking-in term life insurance while we are young, just as you are doing for others through this post. Thank you.
Nice job locking in your life insurance at an opportune time.
Life insurance really is about stress and anxiety management. I feel like I have a ticking clock, which is not very relaxing. But is has motivated me to build more wealth and not gain too much weight! Always a bright side I guess.
Nice article. I didn’t realize you can cancel a term life policy at any time.
We looked into getting a term life policy when our first kid was born. We now have 2, 6yrs old and 10yrs old. I think life insurance makes sense only when you have dependents.
Ultimately, we decided not to get additional coverage. I get the 1x pay at work. Considering our home is paid off, we have a good amount saved for college and retirement which will be transferred to my kids, my wife and I thought it was plenty enough.
Social security has a life insurance component as well. It’s worth looking into that as it may not be insignificant to some.
Yes, it is not a problem to cancel a term policy at any time. Usually have a one month lag after you stop paying.
I’m glad you guys are comfortable going without life insurance.
After discussing your article and reading the comments, we reconsidered and came to a different decision. We’re in the process of getting life insurance. Going to stagger two policies for me and get one for my wife. Luckily we are in our mid to late 30’s and in really good health. So the quotes I’m getting look very reasonable.
Thanks for the article. There were some good responses that helped us figure out how we want to do this.
Sounds logical. In 10-20 years, you won’t regret it. The fixed cost gets smaller and smaller in real dollars and your appreciation of the remaining years of your life continue to grow.
I don’t have a wife or kids so I don’t see why I would need life insurance. Even if I did, I plan to be unreasonably rich by the time I die, so they could just inherit my millions and be good.
But right now, I just make $40,000 a year.
The timing of this post could not be more perfect. I am 30 years old and going through the process of deciding on the correct policy. I am beginning to start a family within the year and just bought a house last year. I have read many of your other life insurance posts and seem to have come to the following conclusion:
Whole life policy would be nice but I cannot afford the premiums without sacrificing other retirement savings. Therefore, looking into a 30 year term life policy for ~$1M that would be convertible to whole life policy in the future.
Does this sound like I made the right takeaways from your recent posts on the subject?
I’m glad the timing works well. You are definitely the perfect candidate for getting a 30 year term policy at your age. Lock that low rate in with your best health rating and have the optionality to convert if you will.
Chances are high that you will get much wealthier over the next 30 years. So there might be a point where you may want to convert to whole life.
But I will tell you that even though I can afford whole life insurance, it’s not easy for me to pay this much much higher premium, even if there is a cash value and even if I do contribute all I can to a SEP IRA and/or SOLO 401K.
If you get a 30 year term, that’s most likely good enough and all the life insurance you’ll need.
Interesting thoughts. I got a half a million, 30 year policy at age 33. Then I took out a $1,000,000 10 year policy 6 months later. At age 38, I took out another half a million dollar 30 year policy for about 20% more. At 44, I took out another half a million dollar 30 year policy and this one costs 90% more than the policy I bought at 33. With the ending of my 10 year policy, I also bought another 10 year policy at the same time for $1,000,000. I’m 45 now, and my kids are 2, 3 and 9. This way I’m laddered over time. I will probably let the 10 year policy go in 4 years and buy a 20 year, $1,000,000 policy at that time, and it will be the last one I buy.
We got my wife a 30 year $500,000 when she was 29. We were going to get her another one, but that’s when she was seeing doctors for some mysterious medical problems, so they would not write a second policy. ….1.5 years later, we learned she had a genetic condition, but now 12 years later (+3 kids), she’s stable. We luckily were able to get her a pretty good long-term-care policy since the underwriting was only about old people diseases.
Sometimes I wish I had gotten a whole life insurance policy in my 20s but maybe not.
Smart to ladder it up! Shows that you were on the ball and planning ahead like a good parent.
The one thing I’m glad about during this pandemic was that my wife was about to double her coverage to my level and pay less.
It took a pandemic for us to realize not having similar levels of coverage wasn’t optimal since we both don’t have day jobs.
I kind of stumbled into a $1M 30-year term life insurance policy at age 38. We (spouse and I) were going overseas for an ex-pat assignment and decided we’d better get life insurance before hand. Then we had a kid two years later (while still overseas).
I’ve always thought, “Well that worked out well. Got the policy before 40 and it is locked until right around full retirement Social Security age.” You’re right about the kid timing though. If I would have had kids earlier then it would have made more sense earlier…otherwise, I REALLY like that it’s good until 68 rather than only to 60. That difference “feels” meaningful to me today, FWIW.
That worked out well indeed! I feel the same way about having our first right before I turned 40. Like sliding under big metal door on a space ship right before it closes.
The good thing is, you can always cancel your policy when you feel you no longer need it. That is something I couldn’t properly get in my head as a young man.
I wish I read this post when I was in my 20s. There was so much I didn’t understand about life insurance – including the fact that you can cancel term life insurance at any time. I used to think it was something I’d be stuck paying for the entire term duration if I signed.
I also wish I knew how the premiums really start to jump once you’re over 35. I would have gotten a bigger policy about five years sooner than I did to lock in a better rate. At the end of the day at least I feel that I have sufficient coverage now that will last long enough. But I plan to encourage my kids to get a 30 year term policy before they start a family once they are grown and out on their own.
Yes! Thinking that I was stuck paying the premiums for the entire duration is what I initially thought as well. And by the time I got around to it, life had already happened.
The funny thing about life insurance is that you appreciate it MORE the older you get. Getting a 30-year term policy by 30 is like locking in a 30-year fixed mortgage rate close to an all-time low. Years later, you marvel at how cheap the policy costs thanks to inflation and our own greater wealth.
I wish someone had explained these things to me in my 20s as well.
I got life insurance around the same age you did. Went for a shorter term but I’m well on the way to FIRE and won’t need the policy after our household income is no longer dependent on me working.
Do you have kids? Here’s the funny thing I discovered. No matter how wealthy you are or how much more wealth you’ve been able to create, once you have kids you tend to not feel like the wealth you have is enough. At least that’s my experience.
It’s like embedded in our DNA to ensure the survival of our species. To keep on protecting and building wealth.
This is interesting, and I kind of agree with the parent comment. I like the article, but I don’t think you covered who *shouldn’t* get life insurance. In my opinion, life insurance is to help your family survive if you unexpectedly pass away. If you have way more than enough wealth saved up already, then a life insurance policy feels like kind of a waste to me. It feels like life insurance is for single earner households that live paycheck to paycheck, not for people with a high net worth.
I completely agree about the parenting comment. The more kids you have,the more you want to grow your wealth to protect them and, seemingly, the more the choices you make are centered around them and their future.
I never thought I would consider a private elementary school foe my kids but here we are with my daughter about to start first grade at a Friends school. Might be a little crazy but you do what you can for the little ones!
Now I have a little more motivation to grow my passive income streams to cover this unplanned cost. Oh well… goals are good.