Age

• When you're young, your change of dying is low. As you grow older, however, your chance of death increases. This age-related mortality affects premium rates. Your premium rates always rise as you get older.
  
  

Sex

• Men and women have actuarially different lifespans. Women tend to live longer than men, if all other risk factors are equal. This means that women enjoy lower premiums, overall, than men.
  
  

Health

• If you are in poor health, have a chronic disease like diabetes, or have high cholesterol or blood pressure, your premiums could be negatively affected. Life insurance companies generally measure overall health. If you take any medications, however, it does not necessarily mean that your premiums will be unaffordable. Some medications, like blood pressure medication, are becoming extremely common. While this affects premiums, it does not generally make them unaffordable for most individuals.
  
  

Lifestyle & Hobbies

• If you smoke, have DWIs, or engage in hazardous hobbies, then your premium rates will be higher than they would be if you didn't live a risky lifestyle. Life insurance companies are assessing moral hazard when they look at your lifestyle. People with risky lifestyles have a high chance of death, from an actuarial standpoint.
  
  

Considerations

• When applying for life insurance, you should consider all of the factors that can affect your premiums. If you are young, and anticipate needing life insurance in the future, you should consider improving your health and minimizing risky or dangerous hobbies if you want low life insurance premiums. Additionally, the younger you are when buying life insurance, the better.