This depends on your personal circumstances.
First, recognize that in any life insurance purchasing decision, two questions must be answered:
- “How much life insurance should I buy?”
- “What type of life insurance policy should I buy?”
The first question should always be initially resolved. For example, the amount of life insurance that you need may be so large that you can only afford it through the purchase of term insurance, since term insurance has a lower premium.
If your ability to pay life insurance premiums is such that you can afford the desired amount of life insurance under either type of policy, then it is appropriate to consider the second question — what type of policy to buy. Important factors affecting this decision include your income tax bracket, whether the need for life insurance is short-term or long-term (e.g., 20 years or longer), and the rate of return on alternative investments possessing similar risk.
