Established in 1825, Standard Life is a leading provider of long term savings and investments to over 6 million customers worldwide.  Headquartered in Edinburgh, Standard Life has around 10,000 employees across the UK, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Austria, India, USA, Hong Kong and mainland China. The Standard Life group includes savings and investments businesses, which operate across its UK, Canadian and European markets; corporate pensions and benefits businesses in the UK and Canada; Standard Life Investments, a global investment manager, which currently manages assets of over £145.8bn globally; and its Chinese and Indian Joint Venture businesses.  At the end of March 2010 the Group had total assets under administration of £181.5bn. On 10 July 2006, after 80 years as a mutual company, Standard Life Assurance Company demutualised and Standard Life plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Standard Life now has approximately 1.5 million individual shareholders in over 50 countries around the world. How life insurance works: Now’s the time to buy Life Insurance. Life Insurance can look after your family’s future should the worst happen and you’re no longer around to do it. You choose the amount of cover up to a maximum of £500,000 (lower maximum if you’re aged 56 or over). You could use it to protect a mortgage, other loans or to help provide financial security for your family. Sign up and get £60 M&S vouchers (terms and conditions apply). You also benefit from:  Cover from just £5 a month. A simple application either online or by phone. A quick quote in a matter of minutes. Choose cover up to £500,000 (£300,000 if you’re aged 56-65 and £200,000 if you’re aged 66-69). Single or joint cover. A  fixed premium. This plan doesn’t have a cash-in value, so if you don’t die during the selected term you get nothing back. Further information can be found on the key features document for this product. LV= Life insurance is for permanent UK residents aged 17-69 years of age. If you don’t meet these criteria, Standard Life Direct can offer you other plans that might suit you better.  Decreasing cover - This type of cover decreases each month as the amount owed on a typical repayment mortgage reduces but you pay the same amount for your cover each month. However it does not guarantee to repay the mortgage or loan in full.  Level cover - If you’d simply like to provide your family with a fixed lump sum if you die then this type of cover could be the answer. The amount of cover is fixed for the term of the plan. Please note, this means it won’t keep up with inflation. Insurance provided by LV= part of Liverpool Victoria Group