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I believe it is safe to say that “Insurance” is an unfamiliar territory for most Singaporeans. For young adults who recently joined the workforce, it is a necessity that comes with the new responsibilities of adulthood. Weighing your insurance options is just the start!
You may have encountered policy terms such as premiums and deductibles. However, do you know what each term means? I shall focus on the former.
DEFINING INSURANCE PREMIUM
In its simplest form, an insurance premium is the amount that an individual or an institution must for upon signing on a policy. It represents a bind that the insurer must provide coverage for the claims made against the policy. More so, it is the income earned by the insurance company.
HOW INSURANCE PREMIUM IS CALCULATED
There are many interacting factors that affect the prices of the insurance premium. For starters, the price heavily depends on the type of insurance (e.g., Critical Illness policy or Car Insurance policy). Other factors include the area where the policyholder lives, the likelihood of claims being made, the behavior of the policyholder, and the amount of premium offered by the competition.
Let us take the Life Insurance policy as an example. Various factors affecting your specific premium include the:
a. policyholder’s age at present time,
b. scope of coverage that the policyholder buys,
c. length of the policy,
d. and the policyholder’s life and health expectancy.
WAYS TO ACCOMPLISH PAYMENT
Singaporeans were blessed with a number of options when it comes to paying for the insurance premiums. Some insurers require the policyholder to pay for the total amount before the coverage starts. While, others offer installments (e.g, semi-annual payments).
It is vital to highlight that you may encounter situations that entail the increase of insurance premium. Firstly, it may increase after the policy period ends. Secondly, it may increase if you made claims during the previous period. Lastly, it may increase if the risk associated to the type of insurance gets more pervasive.
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THE BOTTOM-LINE
In summary, the insurance premium is the amount of money charged by the insurer for an active coverage. The total amount depends on multiple factors including age and address. Individuals may pay premiums annually or in smaller amounts over a year. Also, this amount changes over time. The policy is usually voided when the insurance premiums are not paid.
