In this article, we will discuss the difference between general insurance and life insurance. We will discuss on the types of general insurance and the types of life insurance. In addition, we will also discuss on who needs general insurance/life insurance and who does not need them. Insurance is essential for you to be able to focus on the important things in life since it provides financial protection for you and your family in the event of an unforeseen situation.

Find out which do you need? General insurance or life insurance?

What is General Insurance?

Since it is almost impossible to live a risk-free life, insurance is there to protect you from these risks. Insurance can be divided into two categories: General and Life. General insurance protects your belongings from accident. It is also known as non-life insurance, because this insurance covers all the insurances that are not Life related.

In simple words, general insurance covers almost everything other than your life. Example of general insurances are:

  • Motor insurance

  • Fire insurance

  • Home insurance

  • Health insurance

  • Travel insurance

  • Accident insurance

You can choose the type of risks from which you would like to protect yourselves from by simply selecting the right policy with the features you need. General insurance policies usually provide coverage for about one year and premiums are paid on a one-time basis.

How does general insurance protect me?

General insurance can give you protection in a variety of areas such as accident, fire, health, travel and others. If you have started working, you will be attracted to buy valuable items such as a car, house and vacations. If you do not earn much or do not have much savings, you cannot afford to lose the valuable items you have bought. This is when having general insurance will protect you. In other words, general insurance can protect you from risks that you cannot bear on your own.

Here are some examples of how general insurance can protect you and who should buy them:

MOTOR INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for damages and theft to your car.

  • It pays for car damages to other parties if you have caused the accident.

Who Should Buy?

  • Car Owner

FIRE INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for damages to your home due to fire, lightning, thunder and smoke.

Who Should Buy?

  • Home Owner
  • Apartment Owner

HOME INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for damages to your home due to natural disasters, man-made disasters, fire, burglary and threat.

Who Should Buy?

  • Home Owner
  • Apartment Owner

HEALTH INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for your expenses related to medical, surgical, prescription drug, and dental.

Who Should Buy?

  • Everyone

TRAVEL INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for expenses related to your travel in medical emergencies, trip cancellation, trip interruption, delays, medical evacuation, and lost, damaged, or stolen luggage.

Who Should Buy?

  • Travelers

ACCIDENT INSURANCE

What Does It Protect?

  • It pays for expenses related to an accident that causes
      • your death,

      • permanent or partial disability

  • Sometimes it also has elements of health insurance

Who Should Buy?

  • Anyone with low income

What is life insurance?

Life is uncertain and any unpredictable event may occur at any moment. That is why life insurance is there to protect you and your family financially when bad events happen. Life insurance gives financial stability, aids in the repayment of debts, aids in covering living expenses, and aids in the payment of any medical or final expenditures. When you buy life insurance, you will set a fixed amount, for example RM100,000, that will be paid out to you or your family for the worst event. This is similar to car insurance were the sum insured is the value of your car. The sum insured is paid in full when your car is stolen. In life insurance, a stolen car is equal to death, where the sum insured is paid full to your family.

You normally will pay a regular monhtly amount for an agreed sum insured for your life insurance.

There are 7 types of life insurance. The table below shows the types of life insurance and their brief descriptions.

Endowment

A combination of protection and savings whereby the money will be paid at the end of a specific period upon your demise or if you suffer total and permanent disability.

Best for: Savings, wealth transfer, preservation and tax-deferred wealth accumulation.

Investment-linked insurance

It combines investment and protection, where your premiums will be divided for life insurance cover and investment in specific funds of your choice. You can choose the premium allocation ratio.

Best for: Savings, wealth transfer, preservation and tax-deferred wealth accumulation.

Life annuity

The insurance company will pay you over a set of period of time until you pass away. Types of annuity include immediate annuity or deferred annuity.

Best for: Retirement savings and tax-deferred wealth accumulation

Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA)

It covers the repayment of an outstanding property loan to the financial institution in the event of untimely death, disability or critical illness of the borrower.

Best for: Estate planning and asset transfer

Supplementary rider

A rider is supplement attached to the basic insurance plan such as endowment or whole life. The common riders are medical, personal accident and critical illness.

Best for: Medical, personal accident and critical illnesses coverage 

Term insurance

For a limited period only, e.g. 10 years. It’s usually cheaper than other forms of life policy.

Best for: Income replacement in working years, should you suffer total and permanent disability. 

Whole life insurance

It is designed to provide lifetime coverage, hence it usually has higher premium payments than term life. Premium amount is typically fixed, it has a cash value, which functions as a savings component and may accumulate tax-deferred over time.

Best for: Wealth transfer, preservation and tax-deferred wealth accumulation. 

Although life insurance is a significant protection policy, not many people are aware of its importance. Individuals and families with no life insurance have no choice but to bare the high costs in case of an unfortunate event like accident, disabilities or death. According to OECD in 2019, 12 out of 100 people have life insurance in the US compared to only 5 out of 100 people having life insurance in Malaysia.

How does life insurance protect me?

The main idea of life insurance is to provide financial assistance to you and your family in the event of an accident, disability or death. Life insurance will cover the high cost in the event of an unfortunate event that happens. If you are married and you support your family, we recommend for you to get life insurance. This is because, in the case that something unfortunate like an accident, disability or death happens to you, you and your family will receive financial aid.

Here is how life insurance can protect you and your family:

Accident:
If you have life insurance and get into an accident which causes severe injuries, the insurance company will pay you and your family the sum insured for your life insurance.

This financial aid can be used to spend on your medical treatment and buying the necessary medical equipment. In addition, it can also be used to cover for your family’s expenses (food, rent) while you are in the hospital.

Disability:
If you have life insurance and get into any disabilities due to an injury or accident, the insurance company will pay you and your family the sum insured for your life insurance.

This financial aid can be used to spend on your medical treatment, installing modifications to your home or car to accommodate your disability or hiring a full time house helper. In addition, it can also be used to cover for your family’s expenses (food, rent) while you are in the hospital.

Death:
If you have life insurance and have passed away, the insurance company will pay your family the sum insured for your life insurance.

This financial aid can be used to cover your family’s expenses when you are not around and help them get back on their feet financially.

Conclusion: Which Do I Need?

General Insurance

Who needs?

  • You own valuable items that you want to protect:

    • Car

    • House

    • Vacations

  • You are working but do not earn much to afford losing your valuable items.

Who does not need?

  • Your family relies on you to provide them financial support:

    • Parents

    • Spouse

    • Children

  • You need financial aid in the event of an accident or disability in paying for:

    • medical treatment

    • hiring a house helper

    • covering your family’s expenses

Life Insurance

Who needs general?

  • You are a student who does not have much valuable items to protect.

  • You are being financially supported by your parents.

Who does not need?

  • You are not married and nobody relies on you to financially support them.

  • You are being financially supported by your parents.