You may have heard from your family and friends that getting life insurance at a younger age is a benefit to you. But why? Because when you apply for term or permanent life insurance, the insurer assesses the degree of risk that you represent. They look at things like your age, gender, weight and medical history and then place you into risk categories which help determine your premiums and your coverage. Usually the younger and healthier you are, the lower the risk and the lower the premiums.