When investigating life insurance you will surely come across the terms ?whole life? and ?term life?. Knowing what these life insurance products are and what they can do for you and your family is very important when deciding upon the type of policy to buy. Whole life Life insurance of this type is used as a vehicle for investment as well as life insurance. A whole life policy builds cash value. Depending upon the policy it is possible to cash it out or, in some cases, to borrow against it. Is whole life advisable? Purchasing a whole life policy does cost more. Not only are you paying for life insurance you are also paying for an investment tool; this may burden the policy with additional fees and expenses associated with making the investments. Further, the return on whole life investments may not be as great as the return on standard investments. Often calculating the amount of the premium which goes toward the investment may be difficult along with the return on investment. Term life A term life policy is much more simple and is definitely the most common form of life insurance. It is bought in terms of one to thirty years. A premium is paid and an established amount is paid to the beneficiary upon the death of the insured. Is term life advisable? For a young or even middle aged person who foresees specific financial needs to be covered in the event of his/her death term life insurance may be the right choice. The defined benefit makes estate planning easier. Up until the age of fifty and sometimes even beyond a person in good health can purchase substantial amounts of term life insurance for a reasonable price. There is no one size fits all answer to choosing life insurance. Term life may be the best solution for most families but there are situations in which whole life may be the better choice. The best advice is to get as many quotes as possible and compare rates and services.