As we enter adulthood we often have a sense of invincibility. Because of this many young adults fail to consider purchasing a life insurance policy. No matter how young and healthy you may be it is important that you consider purchasing even a small term policy to cover any final expenses that may arise in your name in case of a sudden illness or accident. Small policies exist to make sure that your loss, while devastating to loved ones, does not become a financial burden for them as well.As with any insurance, it is very important to keep paperwork and/or company name available to your beneficiaries when the time arises. It is as simple as registering on a life insurance database to guarantee this information will never get lost and become a lost life policy.With any life insurance policy you may decide to name one beneficiary or several. If naming more than one recipient you need to designate how the benefits will be distributed. Most policies allow you to name secondary beneficiaries as well to protect the policy if the primary beneficiary has already died. A huge benefit of life insurance policies is that, in contrast to investments, they pose no risks. They are guaranteed to pay death benefits as long as your premiums have been met. This allows you to provide for those you leave behind without the worry that investments will lose value becoming incapable of providing the financial support your beneficiary needs.There are several types of life policies and some may accrue a cash value that you can borrow from or even use as income. When you purchase a policy while you are young and in good health it will allow you to receive the lowest premium rates for your insurance that may be available.When you apply for a life insurance policy the company will use a number of factors, through a procedure called underwriting, to determine if they should cover you and how much your premium should cost for the desired amount of coverage. Factors that can affect the cost of your coverage are your age, medical history, social history including alcohol consumption, drug use, or whether you are a smoker as well as your gender. As mentioned before the younger you are and healthier you are the lower your rates will be because you should live long enough to make more payments toward your policy. Those who smoke or present at-risk health issues such as advancing age, high blood pressure, depression and other health factors have a lower life-expectancy and will most likely pay higher premium rates. If your risks seem too outstanding an insurer could refuse to cover you. If you are denied coverage by one company keep looking because policies differ between companies.If you have no dependents you can look for a small policy to cover your final expenses. If you are married and hold job it is important that you consider what your spouse will need financially after you are gone. If you are a stay-at-home-parent remember that your spouse and children will need help with expenses like child-care if you are not there to provide it. The more children you have the more coverage you should carry. There are many ways to calculate the amount of insurance you need. You should research types of policies and discuss with your agent the need to affordably provide for your loved ones after your death.