10 high-risk jobs that will make life insurance more expensive

If you work in a high-risk occupation, you know that your quotes for life insurance can be exorbitant.

But there are ways to lower your costs for life insurance…

Read more: The top life insurers of 2016

10 most dangerous jobs

Here’s a tally of the most dangerous jobs in America with data about the number of fatalities on the job, according to Insure.com:

Logger

Dangers: Falling trees, gusting winds, buzzing chainsaws
91.3 deaths per 100,000 workers (the national average fatality rate for all U.S. workers is 3.2 deaths per 100K workers)

Commercial fisher

Dangers: Harsh weather, sleep deprivation
75 deaths per 100K workers

Aircraft pilot/flight engineer

Dangers: High stress, long hours
50.6 deaths per 100K workers

Roofer

Dangers: High elevations, falls
38.7 deaths per 100K workers

Refuse and recyclable collector

Dangers: Heavy equipment, chemical exposure
33 deaths per 100K workers

Miner

Dangers: Mining disasters
26.9 deaths per 100K workers

Farmer

Dangers: Overturned tractors
21.8 deaths per 100K workers

Truck driver

Dangers: Heavy equipment, chemical exposure, traffic accidents
22 deaths per 100K workers

Electric power line installer/repairer

Dangers: High voltage, high elevations, harsh weather
21.5 deaths per 100K workers

Construction worker

Dangers: Collapsing scaffolds, falls and electrical shocks
17.7 deaths per 100K workers

What you can do if you work in a high-risk profession

Insurance industry research group LIMRA reports that a third of American households have no life insurance to provide for kids in the event of an income earner’s death. That’s a real stunner. Overall, ownership of life insurance policies is at a 50-year low. Of course, not everybody needs it…

Does somebody depend on you? Do you have young kids or a spouse or significant other that depends on you financially? Then you need life insurance!

And don’t forget about stay-at-home spouses. Should a stay-at-home spouse pass away, the remaining parent would have to suddenly pay for childcare and everything else a stay-at-home parent does on a day-to-day basis. That’s why it’s essential the parent at home have a policy too.

The key to getting the best term life insurance quote is shopping around. Keep these tips in mind when you’re shopping…

Buy level term insurance only

With level term insurance, you pay one flat rate year after year for the length of the policy. This policy will replace your income should you die unexpectedlty. A $250,000 policy for a 35-year-old man can price out for as little as around $3 a week. But note this well: Level term insurance only provides a death benefit. It does not have a savings or investing component. It’s like car insurance for your life, but instead of buying it annually or in six month increments, you buy it for 20 or 30 years and the premium stays the same during the life of the policy.

Use the internet to shop for level term coverage

You can comparison shop at HavenLife.com, Quotacy.com, PolicyGenius.com, 1stOptionInsurance.com,  Insure.com, AccuQuote.com or QualityTermLife.com. By shopping online, you avoid an insurance salesperson trying to up-sell you from level term coverage to whole life.

Buy only from companies that are rated A++

The authoritative ratings body for insurance is AMBest.com. Most comparison shopping sites will show you the A.M. Best rating next to the quote.

Know how much coverage to buy

When it comes to the question of how much you should buy, people can get crazy with all kinds of complicated formulas. The simplest rule of thumb says that you should buy six to ten times your annual income.

Only buy through work if you have health problems

It’s better to qualify and go through medical underwriting so you can buy a policy on your own. That’s because most of us don’t stay at the same place forever and you may not have a right to take that insurance with you.

Read more: 8 things to do before buying disability insurance