What’s the Point of Life Insurance?

For a healthy 30-yr non-smoker, 20-yr term coverage of $500K ran roughly $25-$40 monthly, with age, health, amount, and policy type driving cost.
Age carried the heaviest pricing weight: a 40-yr-old paid roughly double a 30-yr-old, while smokers often paid two to three times more.
Term policies kept fees minimal. Permanent policies added cash value, front-loaded commissions, and early surrender charges, making them significantly costlier despite lifelong coverage options.
The cost-optimal strategy was maximum term protection when dependency peaked, then less coverage as debts cleared and children left home, with reviews every five years.
Life insurance was framed as risk transfer, not investing: premiums bought certainty for dependents, while policy payments supported future claims, operating expenses, reserves, and profit.