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Whether you consider yourself a true adrenaline junkie or not, if you participate in an activity that insurance companies consider dangerous, you might have a tough time finding affordable term life insurance coverage. Some companies may exclude you all together if they see you as too much of a risk. Think of it like this: insurance companies are looking for safe bets, and people who take risks that they don't have to are potentially more expensive.

What Hobbies Are Considered Dangerous? It's a given that base jumping and hang gliding can be pretty dangerous, but activities that some see as fairly benign, such as skiing, could be seen as a liability to insurance companies. Some of the dangerous activities which could affect your term life insurance include:

• Aviation
• Base jumping
• Bungee jumping
• Car/bike/powerboat racing
• Hang gliding
• Hot air ballooning
• Parachuting
• Rock climbing/mountaineering
• Scuba diving
• Skiing
• Skydiving
• Surfing
• White water rafting

Activities you may not consider dangerous can also have an affect on your insurability for term life coverage. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), more people get hurt each year playing pool than mountain climbing. Even more surprising, in 2006 more people were hurt fishing than playing tennis, ice hockey, racquet ball, mountain biking, and water skiing combined!

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Can What They Don't Know Hurt Me? It can be tempting to bend the truth during the term life application process, especially if you think it would be difficult for an insurance company to really know the type of activities you enjoy. But if you fail to mention something in the application that is relevant to the policy and how it was approved and issued, it can be used to contest payment of the policy if you die during what is called the “incontestability period”—generally two years for most companies. After this period expires, and lacking evidence of fraud, the insurance company usually cannot contest a claim by a policy holder's beneficiaries. So if you decide to leave out the fact that you're an avid spelunker (cave climbing—for you non-spelunkers) you could be ultimately jeopardizing your family's claim to your life insurance proceeds should you die as a result of such conduct.

What Other Factors Can Affect My Term Life Rates? When you're considering applying for term life insurance, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the factors that insurance companies consider when determining rates. Controllable factors such as tobacco use, drug use, and excessive drinking can have a negative impact on your rates. Other factors that may or may not be under your control such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can also affect your rates.

Whether or not you engage in what insurance companies consider “dangerous” activities, life insurance is a critical factor in most individuals' financial portfolios. If you'd like to learn more about life insurance and even get a free, no-obligation quote today, visit InsWeb.com.

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