1. Your Age. This is an incredibly important factor. All other things being equal, the younger you are the lower your rate will be. This is simply because you are less likely to pass away when you are younger. This is why insurance experts recommend buying a policy young.

2. Your Health History. Your medical records will be an important deciding factor in your rate. If you have a history of any kind of chronic disease or other potential health problems it makes you a higher risk for the insurance company, resulting in higher rates.

3. Your Current Health. You will generally have to go through a medical exam to look for things like high blood pressure or other health concerns that might be a sign of future problems. People who are currently in good health will see lower rates.

4. Your Weight. If you are overweight or obese based on a height to weight ratio scale, you may pay more for health insurance. Being overweight is known to come with potential health problems that could result in earlier death. That means a higher risk for the insurance company.

5. Your Occupation. If you happen to be a race car driver, insurance companies have good reason to see your job as a bit risky. Certain dangerous occupations may result in an increase in rates or even denial of coverage because they carry such a heavy risk of accidental death.

6. Smoking. Smokers pay more for life insurance simply because of the many risks to health and life inherent in the habit of smoking. If you quit smoking, you can qualify for lower rates within a year – just one of the good reasons to quit.

7. Drinking. Heavy alcohol consumption can also take a major toll on your health. That is why insurance companies ask about your drinking habits as well as smoking habits. Those who drink more are likely to pay more for their insurance rates.

8. Your Family History. Those with a major family history of serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, which can be hereditary, may find themselves paying more for life insurance. Genetically speaking, they are more likely to be diagnosed with the same terminal illness and to die from it.

9. Your Gender. Gender equality is a good thing, but your gender does say something about your life expectancy. Women live longer than men as a general rule, which means they will pay generally lower rates for life insurance.

10. The Policy Itself. The longer the term of the policy and the larger the amount of the death benefit the more you will pay for it. Simply put, this is because the risk that you will die during the policy term is much higher when they are covering you for a longer time period. And the more they will have to pay out on your death, the more they will charge you for that coverage. Short term policies are more expensive than long terms, and whole, or permanent life insurance is generally more expensive that any length of term.