Who would have thought?  Giving a life insurance policy is one way to maximize your contribution to the legacy you are en route to building. It enables you to make a significant, lasting gift with minimal outlay of current savings or income. Donors often struggle between their desires to achieve philanthropic goals and their need to preserve their estates for their families. Well what do you know a gift of life insurance can eliminate this conflict.

Life insurance offers a way to replace the loss of income that occurs when someone dies (usually the person who produces the majority of income in a family situation). It is a contract between you as the insured person and the company or "carrier" that is providing the insurance. If you die while the contract is in force, the insurance company pays a specified sum of money free of income tax "cash benefits" to the person or persons you name as beneficiaries.

A good life insurance program does more than just replace the loss of income that occurs if you die. It should also provide money to cover the new costs that arise after your death like funeral expenses, taxes, probate costs, the need for housekeepers and child care, and so on. And these cash benefits should provide for your family's future needs as well, including college education for your children and part or all of your spouse's retirement needs. In almost all cases, your beneficiary can use the cash benefits in the way he or she sees fit, without restriction.

Some types of life insurance "permanent life insurance policies" have a cash value that you can obtain by cashing out the policy or by borrowing against it. Though it can seem attractive, most financial experts agree that this feature should be seen as a secondary purpose of life insurance. Another type of insurance is term life insurance policies are available as well.