What's the difference between an individually owned policy and group life through my employer?

Employer group life is usually 1–2× annual salary, included as a benefit, and typically not portable when you change jobs. Group life is a fine baseline but rarely sufficient by itself: most working adults need 5–10× more coverage than a typical employer plan provides, and the coverage disappears when employment ends — exactly when your survivors might need it most. Individually owned policies are portable, can be sized appropriately, and lock in your insurability rating at the time of purchase (so a future health event doesn't disqualify you). Most working adults benefit from supplementing employer group life with an individually owned term policy.