Term Insurance Policy A term insurance policy is a pure risk cover policy that protects the person insured for a specific period of time. In such type of a life insurance policy, a fixed sum of money called the sum assured is paid to the beneficiaries (family) if the policyholder expires within the policy term. For instance, if a person buys a Rs 2 lakh policy for 15 years, his family is entitled to the sum of Rs 2 lakh if he dies within that 15-year period. If the policy holder survives the 15-year period, the premiums paid are not returned back. The advantage, apart from the financial security for an individual’s family is that the premiums paid are exempt from tax. These insurance policies are designed to provide 100 per cent risk cover and hence they do not have any additional charges other than the basic ones. This makes premiums paid under such life insurance policies the lowest in the life insurance category.