Term Insurance in 2026: Choosing the Right Cover for Your Family
Term insurance is protection, not an investment - the family is covered if something happens, which is the entire point. Cheapest is not best; claim behavior matters more. Delaying purchase makes premiums costlier and underwriting stricter.
Riders worth adding
Critical illness riders pay a lump sum on diagnosis, accidental death benefits add coverage, and premium waiver protects the policy if you are disabled. Riders are cheap layers of real protection.
Claim settlement ratio
Check the insurer's claim settlement ratio - the share of death claims actually paid, published annually by IRDAI. A 99% ratio means nearly every valid claim is paid; that matters more than brand recall.
A proper needs analysis - not a sales pitch - should drive your cover amount; a free policy audit settles it. See the IRDAI-certified term insurance advisor for free guidance.