Riders tailor a policy to several risks. Keep the ones that cover a risk you genuinely carry and can't self-insure; decline the oversold ones.
What a rider is
A rider is an optional add-on that modifies a base policy. Some are cheap and near-essential; others are profitable add-ons a salesperson may push. The rule: add the ones that cover a risk you genuinely carry and cannot self-insure; decline the ones whose benefit you would rarely use and could cover with cash value instead.
Waiver of Premium
LowPays your premium if you become disabled, keeping the policy in force when you can least afford it. One of the most valuable riders for working-age buyers.
Accelerated Death Benefit
Often freeLets you access part of the death benefit while alive if terminally ill or needing long-term care. Many carriers include a version at no extra cost.
Guaranteed Insurability
LowBuy more coverage later without a medical exam — insurance against becoming uninsurable. Valuable for young buyers.
Child Term Rider
LowCovers all current and future children for one flat premium, convertible to permanent later. Efficient family coverage.
Return of Premium
HighRefunds premiums if you outlive the term. The surcharge often outearns the refund if invested elsewhere.
Accidental Death
Low–MedExtra payout only for accidental death — a rare cause of death. Not a substitute for life insurance.
The two most oversold
Return-of-premium and accidental-death riders address risks that are either rare (accidental death) or economically minor (getting premiums back decades later). The premium you'd spend on them is often better directed into the base policy or into cash value. Always ask: “What does this rider cost over the life of the policy, and what else could that money do?”