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What is the difference between whole life insurance and term life insurance?

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1. Whole Life Insurance is also know as Ordinary, Standard or Permanent life insurance. Unlike term insurance, whole life insurance provides insurance coverage for the lifetime of the insured. Whole life insurance policies also provide tax-deferred buildup of cash value, payable upon surrender or payment default. term life insurance: Life insurance without cash surrender value or loan value which can be used as collateral for a loan. Term life insurance provides a pre-set amount of coverage if the policyholder dies during the period of time specified in the policy. Policyholders usually have the option to renew at the end of the term for the period of years specified in the policy. Unlike whole life insurance, premiums generally increase as the insured person gets older and the risk of death increases.
2. Here are some good webpages on life insurance. Term is usually better. People say you can borrow off your whole life insurance; it's usually better to invest the money you save on term insurance and you can "borrow" it off yourself if you need to.
3. Whole life is permanent insurance, while term is used to provide coverage for a certain amount of time. Most people require a combination of the two, BUT the best thing to do is meet with a professional who can help you determine the amount of coverage needed and what kind of term/perm combination is best. Here is more info on whole - http://www.findlocalinsurance.com/permlife.html
4. Whole Life Insurance - Life insurance that is kept in force for a person's whole life as long as the scheduled premiums are maintained. All Whole Life policies build up cash values. Most Whole Life policies are guaranteed as long as the scheduled premiums are maintained. The variable in a Whole life Policy is the dividend which could vary depending on how well the insurance is doing. If the company is doing well and the policies are not experiencing a higher mortality than projected, premiums are paid back to the policy holder in the form of dividends. Policyholders can use the cash from dividends in many ways. The three main uses are: it can be used to lower or vanish premiums, it can be used to purchase more insurance or it can be used to pay for term insurance. Term Insurance - Protection during limited number of years; expiring without value if the insured survives the stated period, which may be one or more years but usually is five to twenty years, because such periods usually cover the needs for temporary protection.
5. Whole life incurs interest and can be borrowed against. Term cannot.
6. it seems everyone has already defined the two for you, so I will just add : Whole life insurance - the savings portion of it is actually not in your best interest, if you are wanting savings and insurance, then I recommend opening a seperate RRSP for your savings, or even mutual funds or common sense funds, you get a better rate of return, and every cent you put in you will eventually be able to receive back. The idea of savings is so you can retire, but essentially savings should be seen as 'the rainy day' so if you die prematurely your family can use the savings to live on especially if you are the primary wage earner. THat is why Term life is so advantageous, the rates are cheaper, you can fix them for 10yrs with renewal, or even 15-20yr terms generally the terms are flexible because you only want the insurance until you have the savings. Once you have the savings behind you, then you give up the insurance. Insurance is meant for those with high needs, mortgages, dependents, debts, education etc but a well planned diverse portfolio will provide you with better benefits than a whole life plan that charges you way to much for premiums and a savings program that doesnt give you back what you put in, much less a rate of return on your money.