Term life is a type of life insurance policy where premiums remain level for a specified period of time —generally for 10, 20 or 30 years. After the end of the level premium period, premiums will generally increase. Coverage continues as long as the premiums are paid. Perhaps this is an option you may want to consider when you’re on a more limited budget and will have significant expenses over a shorter period of time.

You can often pay a lower premium when you select a shorter term — say, 10 years instead of 20. But since premiums are based on risk of death, once you are outside of the level premium period, a term life policy generally gets more expensive as you grow older.