According to the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), in 2008, the face amount of the average life insurance policy in the U.S. was $183,000.

In 2010, the face amount of the average life insurance policy was $165,000. So, over that two year period, the average amount of life insurance for a policy had decreased by $18,000 in life insurance coverage.

If a life insurance policy is Term insurance, there is no cash value worth to the policy itself, there is only life insura...