Term life insurance is defined as insurance coverage that covers in increments of time, known as terms, such as one year, five years or ten years. The policy holder pays premiums during this time, but they are likely to increase as the term continues. At the end of each term, the policy is available to be renewed, but as the policy holder has aged, the rate is likely to be higher. While this is true, term life insurance is still considered one of the life insurance options.

What are the other life insurance options? There are four main categories of life insurance: term life, whole life, universal life and variable life. Whole life insurance covers your whole life span, as opposed to just a term. The premiums remain the same constant rate. Universal life and variable life provide methods of investment, such as stocks, bonds and mortgages.