The general economic recovery has not left the life insurance sector behind, but the upturn looks to be a gradual one, according to research from Standard and Poor’s.

The positive numbers are the first for U.S. life insurers since October 2008, S&P said, when the sudden economic downturn pushed wages and investments sharply lower among policyholders and potential buyers.

If you’ve ever wondered how you might one day afford home health care or a nursing home, recent word from the long-term care insurance front was hardly encouraging: MetLife, the nation’s largest life insurance company, is pulling out of the LTC game at year’s end. The company will continue to honor all existing contracts however.

“The estate tax is a cash cow for the life insurance industry – and the industry’s lobbyists guard it zealously,” write Tim Carney and Dick Patten in the American Family Business Foundation’s (AFBF) latest issue brief, Life Insurance Cash Cow: An Issue Brief on the Hidden Side of Estate Tax Lobbying (Study).

As Americans continue to age and live longer, there is a greater need for long-term care assistance. Some people, however, don’t plan ahead for the extra expenses that may arise during one’s later years.

Pan-American Life Insurance Group today announced the introduction of two new offerings to its expanding portfolio of ancillary products. A fully insured dental plan and a vision discount plan will now be offered as optional benefits on Pan-American Life’s signature Limited Benefit Medical product, PanaMed.

Few would dispute that sole breadwinners supporting young families need life insurance. If the worst happens and the head of the family dies unexpectedly, the death benefit will be needed to support the survivors to live on. Later in life, however, you may want to insure against different events.

New York’s top court ruled Wednesday that state law allows people to buy life insurance policies and immediately sell them to investors who make money when the insured person dies.

The Court of Appeals, in a 5-2 ruling, said the practice is legal in New York even where the policy was obtained solely for that purpose.

Military Benefit Association (MBA), a sponsor of insurance and other benefits to the military and federal civilian communities, is sponsoring life insurance coverage for cadets and midshipmen attending the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

I receive questions daily from consumers who are trying to understand their insurance policies. And for more than a decade of answering questions about auto, home, health and life insurance, the two top questions center on life insurance: How do I find the lost policy of a deceased relative, and how do I determine if someone has taken out a “secret” life insurance policy on me?

Life insurance can provide a number of benefits to policyholders and loved ones. However, the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company’s Worth Survey for Women shows that a large percentage of people may not be aware of all its offerings.