Guide
Term vs. permanent life insurance
What each kind is for, what it costs, and why most families start with term.
Term policies lock in a death benefit and price for 10–30 years, then stop or go way up. Least expensive way to buy the protection your household leans on most.
Permanent policies (whole life, universal, variants) run lifetime and pile up cash. Costs dwarf term for equal death benefit; cash grows like a tortoise early on. Pick this if you owe forever: a relative needing lifelong care, a big estate, or business continuity.
How to choose
Needs first, products second. Obligation sunsets? Term fits. Need never ends? Permanent or convertible term. Carriers often let you flip term to permanent mid-contract without redoing exams; quotes show the window.
What people in Santa Monica often do
Most pick a 20- or 30-term matched to actual liabilities, then revisit if life changes. Keeps premiums sane. Susman can walk through permanent if you foresee forever-need.