Your life insurance company likely frowns on many activities, whether or now you’re aware. There are lists of hobbies, occupations and activities that your life insurance company may consider too high risk, or will just reject flat-out, with no consideration. It’s to your advantage that you know before you go out shopping what might get you barred from insurance, so we’ve put together a short list to help you with understanding how it works.

Risky Jobs

These jobs won’t necessarily preclude you from coverage, but may come with higher premiums and lower payouts, depending on your role and how long you’re involved in them.

• If you work high off the ground, such as cleaning windows or helping to build large buildings, you might be considered high risk.
• If you work with explosives, or around dangerous chemicals, then you’re likely to be considered a higher risk. The closer you work with them, the higher the risk.
• If you work underground, such as mining operations, that’s a high risk.
• If firearms are part of your job, then you’ve made the risk-list as well.
• Members of the armed forces are on the list, for obvious reasons.
• Any journalist, cameraman, photographer, etc who works war zones is also on the list.

Automatic Rejection

For most insurances, except in special circumstances with special companies, you can pretty much forget about life insurance if you commit any of these acts:

• Active engagement in war, such as if you’re a soldier, except with special military insurances.
• If you take part in acts of terrorism, strikes, rioting, insurrections, a coup or criminal activity and your insurance company finds out, they’re going to reject or cancel your policy. That should pretty much be obvious, but you’d be surprised.
• If you commit suicide, life insurance was a waste of money.
• If you have a self-inflicted problem with alcohol, or you have a non-prescription drug habit, that’s another no-no. (This won’t include forced overdoses, rare though they may be. They could also be hard to prove.)
• Unfortunately, being HIV positive will preclude you from coverage.

Hobbies, Sports And Other Pastimes Which Might Cause Concern

There are quite a few dangerous, yet very popular, hobbies and sports which will raise red flags with insurance companies. These will include:

• Involvement in most motor sports.
• Inherently risky hobbies like hunting, polo and racing.
• “Thrill seeker” hobbies like bungee jumping, hang gliding and sky diving.
• Rock climbing and mountaineering make the list too, just in case you should fall 20,000 feet down the mountain.
• Scuba diving without and instructor when you’re not qualified poses and obvious risk, as well as a red flag.
• Professional sports, especially as they get more violent. This should pretty well go without saying.

With many of the hobbies and pastimes, they’re only considered a danger or a risk if you regularly engage in the activity. Chances are, the insurer won’t mind if it was a one time thing that you did because it was a life dream to try it once and it was a birthday present. If you’re not sure what they might think, you can always ask them. Of course, if you make your living jumping out of a perfectly good jets at 50,000 feet, the insurer will obviously take issue with that.