Life Insurance · Disability · Mortgage Protection

Life insurance sized to the people who depend on you.

Term and permanent life insurance, disability income and accident coverage, compared across multiple insurance companies. For families, homeowners with a mortgage, and business owners.

By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed November 2026 · How this page is researched

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How I approach it

Start with what the money needs to do

The right policy starts with a job: replace an income, pay off a mortgage, fund a buy-sell agreement, or leave something behind. The amount and the type of policy follow from that.

Because I also insure homes, rentals and businesses, I can look at the whole household picture instead of selling a number in isolation.

Term lifeCoverage for a set period, often 10 to 30 years, usually chosen to match a mortgage or the years children are at home.
Permanent lifeWhole and universal life policies built to last a lifetime, sometimes with cash value.
Disability incomeReplaces part of your income if illness or injury keeps you from working.
Accidental deathPays a benefit if death or certain injuries result from an accident.

Common reasons people call

Coverage for real situations

Buying a home

Term coverage matched to the mortgage balance and length, so the house isn’t at risk if something happens to you.

A growing family

Income replacement for the years children depend on you, sized from what the household actually spends.

Business owners

Coverage to fund a buy-sell agreement or protect the business if a key person dies. Contractor insurance

Coverage through work isn’t enough

Employer group life is often a small multiple of salary and usually ends when the job does.

Self-employed income

Disability income coverage for people without an employer plan to fall back on.

Reviewing an old policy

Life changes: a new home, a new child, a paid-off loan. Older coverage may no longer fit.

Before you call

What underwriters will ask

Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.

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Purpose: income replacement, mortgage protection, business needs, or leaving an inheritance.
Amount: the coverage amount you’re considering, even if it’s a rough guess.
Length: how many years you need coverage, or whether you want it permanently.
Existing coverage: policies you already have, including life insurance through work.
Budget: a monthly amount you’re comfortable with.
Health details: not on the website form. I’ll go over what the insurance company asks when we talk.

When a policy might exist but no one can find it

Families often reach me after a death with a hunch: there was a policy, but no paperwork. Before paying anyone to search, use the free tools regulators run, in this order.

Search the records first. The California Department of Insurance suggests going through the person's papers and any safe deposit box, bank statements and canceled checks for payments to a life insurer, and income tax records. Ask a former employer about group life coverage, and ask the person's auto or home insurance agent whether they sold life coverage too.
Submit a request to the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator. It is free and looks for life insurance policies and annuity contracts bought anywhere in the United States; the Department asks you to do the records search above first. You enter details from the death certificate, including the Social Security number or ITIN, legal first and last name, date of birth, date of death and veteran status, plus your own name, mailing address, email and relationship to the person. Participating insurers can see the request through a secure portal.
Check unclaimed property. Life insurers must report and deliver unclaimed property to the California State Controller every year, once a policy has been dormant, which the Department describes as generally three years or more with no activity or contact with the owner. Search the Controller's Life Insurance Settlement Property Search. Outside California, check that state's unclaimed property program; the rules vary by state.

Two limits to know. The locator only works for people who have died, and an insurer contacts you only if it finds a policy and you are the beneficiary or the authorized legal representative. Hearing nothing does not prove no policy exists. If you find a policy but can't trace the company, the Department's consumer hotline and online company profile lookup can help. I walk through the full California process in how to find a lost life insurance policy.

The first two years: contestability and the suicide clause

A new policy is most exposed right after it is issued. The California Department of Insurance explains that during the contestable period the insurer is contractually entitled to cancel the policy or refuse to pay a claim based on omissions or mistaken or untrue statements in the application, and that a new policy may need one or two years to pass through that period. The NAIC buyer's guide says the same thing in plainer terms: false statements found after the policy is issued could reduce or cancel your coverage.

A policy may also carry a suicide clause. The Department defines it as a provision that reduces or eliminates the amount paid if the insured dies by suicide within the first two policy years. The exact wording is in the policy itself, so read that page before you sign.

Answer every application question completely, including medications, diagnoses and past treatment. Review the finished application before you sign; the insurer will check your answers.
Think twice before replacing an older policy. The policy you already own may be past its contestable period, while a replacement has to start over. The Department also cautions that replacing a policy can affect your overall financial plan and carry tax consequences.
Use the review window. In California, every individual life policy must give the owner a free look period of not less than 10 nor more than 30 days (Insurance Code 10127.9), seniors get at least 30 days on individual life and annuity contracts (10127.10), and a policy that replaces another carries a right to an unconditional refund of all premiums paid within 30 days of delivery (10509.6). Details are in California's free look and lapse notice rules.

Missed a premium in California? The 60-day rule

California is more protective than the general rule. The Department's own glossary describes a grace period as usually 31 days, but Insurance Code section 10113.71 requires life policies here to carry a grace period of at least 60 days from the premium due date, and the policy stays in force during it. Those 60 days do not run at the same time as the period you already paid for.

Before a policy can lapse for nonpayment, the insurer must mail notice to the owner, any designee and any known assignee or other person with an interest in the policy at least 30 days before termination, and notice to the owner and designee goes by first-class mail within 30 days after a premium is due and unpaid. Section 10113.72 gives applicants and owners of individual policies the right to name at least one more person to receive lapse notices, and the insurer must remind the owner every year of the right to change that designation.

On August 30, 2021, the California Supreme Court held in McHugh v. Protective Life that both sections apply to all life policies in force when they took effect on January 1, 2013, regardless of when the policies were issued. The Department's Bulletin 2021-8 told insurers that every policy then in effect must comply. The current code text still carries the 60-day grace period, the 30-day notice and the annual designee notice.

Name a designee you trust, such as an adult child, a sibling or your accountant. The insurer's form asks for that person's name, address and phone number. The court pointed to elderly, hospitalized and incapacitated owners as particularly vulnerable to missing a payment.
Update the designee when the annual notice arrives if that person has moved.
If a policy lapsed, ask the insurer in writing for copies of every notice it mailed and the mailing dates.

Grace periods in other states are set by each state; see life insurance grace period laws by state.

Naming children and getting the claim paid

Parents often want to name their kids directly. The NAIC warns that insurance companies generally won't pay benefits to a minor and suggests an estate or a trust that can manage the money until the child is of age. Ask an estate planning attorney how to set that up before you fill in the beneficiary form, not after.

Have each beneficiary's Social Security or tax ID number ready; the NAIC buyer's guide says you'll need it for every beneficiary.
Review designations after a major life event such as a birth or marriage, and check them once a year. The NAIC recommends both. Changing a beneficiary costs the owner nothing, according to the NAIC buyer's guide.
Tell beneficiaries where the policy is. To claim, a beneficiary needs the insurer's name, the policy number and the benefit amount. The NAIC notes a beneficiary may be offered a single check or a retained asset account.
Know what's taxable. The IRS says proceeds paid because of the insured's death generally aren't included in gross income, but interest paid along with them is taxable and reported as interest received. If the policy was transferred to the beneficiary for cash or other valuable consideration, the exclusion is limited. On the owner's side, the Department notes a lapse or surrender can create a taxable event and generate a Form 1099.

Questions

Life insurance, answered

What are the types of life insurance?

The main types are term life, which covers a set period such as 10, 20 or 30 years, and permanent life, such as whole life and universal life, which can last your lifetime and build cash value. Decreasing term is a form of term life whose death benefit shrinks over the term, often to follow a mortgage balance, while level term keeps the same benefit throughout. I compare the options side by side.

How much life insurance do I need?

It depends on what the coverage needs to pay for: income for your family, a mortgage, debts, education or business obligations. I’ll work through the numbers with you rather than use a rule of thumb.

Term or permanent?

Term is designed for a specific period and typically costs less for the same amount of coverage. Permanent coverage lasts for life and can build cash value. Many people use term for most of their need; I’ll lay out both.

Do I need a medical exam?

Not always. Some policies use questions and records instead of an exam, depending on your age, the amount and the insurance company. I’ll tell you what to expect before you apply.

Is the death benefit taxable?

Life insurance death benefits are generally not subject to income tax for beneficiaries, though there are exceptions. Confirm your situation with a tax advisor.

Does the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator work for someone who is still alive?

No. The NAIC says the locator will not find benefits from life insurance policies or annuity contracts for people who are alive; it is built to find a deceased person's policies.

Is interest on a life insurance payout taxable?

Yes. The IRS says death proceeds are generally not included in a beneficiary's gross income, but any interest received with them is taxable and should be reported as interest received.

Can I name someone else to receive my life insurance lapse notices?

In California, yes. Insurance Code section 10113.72 requires insurers to give applicants a form to designate at least one other person to receive notice of lapse or termination for nonpayment, and to remind owners every year that they can change it. Rules in other states vary.

Do you offer life insurance outside California?

Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.

Official sources

Often placed alongside this

Coverage

Umbrella insurance

Liability limits above your home, auto and rental policies.

See coverage Coverage

High-value homes

Replacement-cost coverage for estates, placed in admitted and specialty markets.

See coverage Coverage

Landlord insurance

Rentals held personally, in a trust or through an LLC.

See coverage

Questions people ask: What is key person insurance?

Also covered with this: Annuities Indexed universal life (IUL) Long-term care insurance Term life insurance Universal life insurance Whole life insurance AD&D insurance Travel insurance Disability insurance

By state: Insurance requirements by state

Life insurance

Tell me what the coverage needs to do.

Purpose, a rough amount and how long you need it are enough to start.

Get a Quote Call (877) 711-4545

Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.

Did you know?

A short video from Sam

Video thumbnail: Life insurance from your job usually ends when you leave — **Did you know?** Life insurance from your job usually ends when you leave

Under a minute each. Videos use an AI-generated version of Sam’s likeness and voice. General information only; coverage depends on your policy.

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