We’ve talked a lot – a hell of a lot, in fact – about how term life insurance is almost always better than whole life insurance. From the cost to the principle that you shouldn’t mix insurance and investments, there are compelling reasons why term is generally a better choice.

It’s been a hard road to get here, however. You see, insurance companies make more money on whole life insurance products than they do term life insurance products.

Let me be more specific. It’s actually insurance agents who make a bigger commission on whole life products than they do term life insurance. The companies have found plenty of ways to make money with term, but agents know where the big money is.

Term life insurance is designed, plain and simple, to provide peace of mind. Even the State Farm website says that term life insurance developed on order to “provide temporary life insurance protection on a limited budget.” Term life insurance is all about taking care of your family if something bad happens to you.

So, what’s the problem? Well, when you try to buy term life insurance, you’re going to be bombarded with crap about whole life. Here’s how you can defend yourself against an aggressive insurance agent who won’t accept the fact you only want term coverage:

1. Be upfront. Let the agent know from the start that you’re not buying whole life. That way, neither one of you are wasting your time arguing about whether or not you’re buying it. Do it nicely and professionally, but be clear about it too.
2. Don’t engage the agent in a debate about whether you need whole life. The agent is trained to match any argument you can give with a reasonable-sounding counter.
3. Let the agent know you will happily replace her. If the agent can’t take a hint, spell it out. You don’t want to hear a whole life insurance pitch. You just want to buy some term life insurance. Then, be willing to shop somewhere else if they can’t respect your request.

Photo via sporkist