Can you have more than one life insurance policy?
You can have more than one life insurance policies, but do you want to? Here are the pros and cons.
You only live once, but what if you want to insure that one life multiple times? You can do it, but there are limits.
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of having multiple life insurance policies:
In this article:
Consider your total coverage amount
The purpose of life insurance is to replace lost income after a death, not to generate new income, so companies try to ensure you’re not overinsured and that the value of your policy relates to your income.
If you have life insurance and are thinking of taking on a new policy, an insurer will consider the value of all your existing policies. For example, if a person would qualify for $500,000 of coverage and already has $100,000 of coverage with Company A, Company B will probably approve them for a maximum of $400,000 of coverage. The other reason for this (in addition to avoiding overinsurance) is that life insurance companies want to make sure their customers can pay the premium. If a person has substantial life insurance coverage with little relation to their salary, there’s a danger their premium could be higher than they can afford.
And note: If you are approved for additional coverage with Haven Life, you can carry up to $3 million total (including your previous policy) in coverage.
What to know about replacement policies
If you want to replace one policy with another, as opposed to purchasing additional coverage, things get a little more complicated. The bottom line is that replacement is a somewhat bureaucratic process, and at the moment Haven Term life insurance policies issued by MassMutual or its subsidiary C.M. Life cannot be used to replace policies from other insurance companies (though they can be purchased as additional coverage).
In general, it’s simplest to make sure you get the amount that’s right for you from your life insurance company. Luckily that can be easy to do if you use the Haven Life Insurance Calculator to help you figure out your insurance benefits and needs.
Understand how group life insurance works
One common scenario in which people have multiple life insurance policies is when they have coverage from their job, as part of their benefits package, as well as a policy of their own. Coverage from work, known as group life insurance, is often cheap and worth getting, but it’s important to note that it may be insufficient on its own.
For example, if you’re offered life insurance equivalent to one year’s salary from your job for a small annual payment, by all means take it, but consider these two points:
The amount of coverage from group life insurance may not be enough to meet your family’s needs if you die. (Reminder: A classic life insurance “rule of thumb” is to have 5 to 10 times your income in insurance coverage.)
You may not be able to take that group life policy with you if you leave your job, or it could be prohibitively expensive to do so.
If that’s the case, you should consider getting a life insurance policy of your own in addition to employer-provided group life insurance.
You can have multiple life insurance policies, but why?
So you can have multiple life insurance policies: The question is, do you want them? It really depends on a number of factors. If, for example, your financial situation has changed — you got a new (or better-paying) job, your family has expanded (congrats!), you’re concerned about long-term care, you bought a new house, and so on — it might be worth making sure you still have an adequate amount of term life insurance coverage. Another reason you might want multiple insurance policies is if you’re thinking of laddering insurance policies, a somewhat complicated approach that might be best considered through your financial adviser.
Fortunately, applying for coverage through Haven Life remains simple and easy, whether it’s your first term life insurance policy or a subsequent policy. (And even if you don’t think you need additional financial protection, it’s still a good idea to check your term life insurance policy at least once a year.)
If, however, you’re considering life insurance for the first time, it’s best to try and choose the right amount of coverage at the start, especially since this allows you to lock in a rate while you’re young, healthy and relatively cheap to insure. If, on the other hand, you already have coverage but need more, now is the time to buy it: Haven Life now offers newer, lower rates for many qualified applicants, and rates will likely increase as you age.
Our editorial policy
Haven Life is a customer-centric life insurance agency that’s backed and wholly owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). We believe navigating decisions about life insurance, your personal finances and overall wellness can be refreshingly simple.
Our editorial policy
Haven Life is a customer centric life insurance agency that’s backed and wholly owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). We believe navigating decisions about life insurance, your personal finances and overall wellness can be refreshingly simple.
Our content is created for educational purposes only. Haven Life does not endorse the companies, products, services or strategies discussed here, but we hope they can make your life a little less hard if they are a fit for your situation.
Haven Life is not authorized to give tax, legal or investment advice. This material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal, or investment advice. Individuals are encouraged to seed advice from their own tax or legal counsel.
Read more
Our disclosures
Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (DTC and ICC17DTC in certain states, including NC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111-0001 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. In NY, Haven Term is DTC-NY 1017. In CA, Haven Term is DTC-CA 042017. Haven Term Simplified is a Simplified Issue Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC19PCM-SI 0819 in certain states, including NC) issued by the C.M. Life Insurance Company, Enfield, CT 06082. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and may not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is OK71922 and in Arkansas 100139527.
MassMutual is rated by A.M. Best Company as A++ (Superior; Top category of 15). The rating is as of Aril 1, 2020 and is subject to change. MassMutual has received different ratings from other rating agencies.
Haven Life Plus (Plus) is the marketing name for the Plus rider, which is included as part of the Haven Term policy and offers access to additional services and benefits at no cost or at a discount. The rider is not available in every state and is subject to change at any time. Neither Haven Life nor MassMutual are responsible for the provision of the benefits and services made accessible under the Plus Rider, which are provided by third party vendors (partners). For more information about Haven Life Plus, please visit: https://havenlife.com/plus.html
Read our disclosures
You might also like
Get our most-read stories, twice a month
Very happy with the whole process from start to finish on my application. Only area that could be improved is that my wife also applied and was rejected and we did not get a reason. She is a 30 year old female without any existing conditions so I was surprised.
The whole process was seamless and easy. My application for term life insurance was all done online. The rates are fair, and the people at Haven Life seem to genuinely care about their customers.
Best life insurance company.
The process of getting life insurance with you is a very smooth process. I really liked the way you communicated through the process and were on top of the things. I really appreciate it. Thank You for my peace of mind and my family’s peace of mind.
Super easy! I was putting off purchasing life insurance as all I wanted was a term policy and was dreading the thought of having to meet or speak to a broker and deal with the dreaded upsell tactics. While researching options, I stumbled across Haven Life and began looking into it. Thrilled that I did. I could not have imagined an easier, more streamlined process from beginning to end. Very easy process and excellent, easy-to-understand documentation on the site.
