Buy term and invest the difference

Buying term and investing the difference is a concept involving term life insurance and investment strategies that allow individuals to eventually "Self Insure" and provides an alternative to permanent life insurance. Generally speaking term insurance premiums are considerably less expensive in the short term than permanent life insurance for an individual for the same benefit amount. Permanent programs are more expensive because they force the policy owner to "Self Insure" by combining some form of cash accumulation with the insurance program as a single package. Consumers making use of the "buy term and invest the difference" concept separate their investments from their insurance by setting aside money every month equal to the premium that a permanent plan would require, then use a portion of this money for the term premium and place the rest in a tax-deferred investment vehicle.