A life insurance policy works similarly to any other type of insurance policy. You determine how much coverage you need, how long you need it and then you make your payments (called premiums). You typically can choose to pay monthly, annually or quarterly for 10, 20, 30 years or over your lifetime to maintain the coverage. When you die, if your policy is still active, the people you’ve listed on your policy (called your beneficiaries) get paid the death benefit. In most cases, this payment is paid in one lump sum.