How to View Life Insurance As An Investment Tool
A lot of people have been approached about using life insurance as an investment tool. Do you believe that life insurance is an asset or a liability? I will discuss life insurance which I think is one of the best ways to protect your family. Do you buy term insurance or permanent insurance is the main question that people should consider?
Many people choose term insurance because it is the cheapest and provides the most coverage for a stated period of time such as 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. People are living longer so term insurance may not always be the best investment for everyone. If a person selects the 30 year term option they have the longest period of coverage but that would not be the best for a person in their 20’s because if a 25 year old selects the 30 year term policy then at age 55 the term would end.
When the person who is 55 years old and is still in great health but still needs life insurance the cost of insurance for a 55 year old can get extremely expensive. Do you buy term and invest the difference? If you are a disciplined investor this could work for you but is it the best way to pass assets to your heirs tax free? If a person dies during the 30 year term period then the beneficiaries would get the face amount tax free.
If your investments other than life insurance are passed to beneficiaries, in most cases, the investments will not pass tax free to the beneficiaries. Term insurance is considered temporary insurance and can be beneficial when a person is starting out life. Many term policies have a conversion to a permanent policy if the insured feels the need in the near future,
The next type of policy is whole life insurance. As the policy states it is good for your whole life usually until age 100. This type of policy is being phased out of many life insurance companies. The whole life insurance policy is called permanent life insurance because as long as the premiums are paid the insured will have life insurance until age 100. These policies are the highest priced life insurance policies but they have a guaranteed cash values.
When the whole life policy accumulates over time it builds cash value that can be borrowed by the owner. The whole life policy can have substantial cash value after a period of 15 to 20 years and many investors have taken notice of this. After a period of time, (20 years usually), the life whole insurance policy can become paid up which means you now have insurance and don’t have to pay anymore and the cash value continues to build.
This is a unique part of the whole life policy that other types of insurance cannot be designed to perform. Life insurance should not be sold because of the cash value accumulation but in periods of extreme monetary needs you don’t need to borrow from a third party because you can borrow from your life insurance policy in case of an emergency.
In the late 80’s and 90’s insurance companies sold products called universal life insurance policies which were supposed to provide life insurance for your whole life. The reality is that these types of insurance policies were poorly designed and many lapsed because as interest rates lowered the policies didn’t perform well and clients were forced to send additional premiums or the policy lapsed.
The universal life policies were a hybrid of term insurance and whole life insurance policies. Some of those policies were tied to the stock market and were called variable universal life insurance policies. My thoughts are variable policies should only be purchased by investors who have a high risk tolerance. When the stock market goes down the policy owner can lose big and be forced to send in additional premiums to cover the losses or your policy would lapse or terminate.
The design of the universal life policy has had a major change for the better in the current years. Universal life policies are permanent policy which range in ages as high as age 120. Many life insurance providers now sell mainly term and universal life policies. Universal life policies now have a target premium which has a guarantee as long as the premiums are paid the policy will not lapse.
The newest form of universal life insurance is the indexed universal life policy which has performance tied to the S&P Index, Russell Index and the Dow Jones. In a down market you usually have no gain but you have no losses to the policy either. If the market is up you can have a gain but it is limited. If the index market takes a 30% loss then you have what we call the floor which is 0 which means you have no loss but there is no gain.
Some insurers will still give as much as 3% gain added to you policy even in a down market. If the market goes up 30% then you can share in the gain but you are capped so you may only get 6% of the gain and this will depend on the cap rate and the participation rate. The cap rate helps the insurer because they are taking a risk that if the market goes down the insured will not suffer and if the market goes up the insured can share in a percentage of the gains.
Indexed universal life policies also have cash values which can be borrowed. The best way to look at the difference in cash values is to have your insurance agent show you illustrations so you can see what fits you investment profile. The index universal life policy has a design which is beneficial to the consumer and the insurer and can be a viable tool in your total investments.
Choice is always good. In a globalized world, the consumer has a plethora of choices in everything, from airlines to automobiles. This is why nowadays even airlines make an announcement after the passengers land: “We know you have a choice. Thanks for flying with us!”
It’s rather simple. You have a choice – if you don’t like the product or service, switch! The same goes for health insurance policies as well. In India, people have woken up to the promise of health insurance, which has led to a proliferation of health insurance providers across the board. Because of this wide variety available, the policyholder doesn’t need to stick to an insurance provider if they feel dissatisfied with the services.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) has a novel scheme for disgruntled policyholders to switch providers: health insurance portability. Now, what do we mean by this? Let’s elaborate.
What is health insurance portability?
Health insurance portability is the manner through which a health insurance policyholder can transfer his/her existing policies from the current provider to a new one. Portability offers a way for customers to opt for better service and product. That way, an insurance provider cannot take them for granted.
Reasons for porting
When and why should you port a health insurance policy to a different provider? Here are some pointers to help you decide:
Quality of Service
If you feel that the standards of service offered by a policyholder is not at par with what they promised while logging you in, may be it’s time to move on. Often, an insurance provider will promise the moon while getting a customer on board in the eagerness of cracking a deal, but gradually, reality strikes and the customer realizes that it was all hogwash. There’s no point continuing a bitter relationship, right?
o Increased Benefits
There might be a point when you realize the cover offered to you by your current health insurance provider is not sufficient, and after talking to them it seems clear that that’s the best they can do. Under the circumstances, it may be wise to switch to a provider that can offer the additional cover/ benefits.
Expensive
There is really no point in paying more for a service/ benefit that is available for a much lesser price with a competing provider. If you feel the competition offers a better product at lesser cost, it is time to make that switch.
Specialization
Health insurance policies are offered by general insurance companies as well specialized health insurance providers. If it is felt that with the current provider, the attention is more on non-health policies, switching to a specialized health insurance company may suit your needs better.
Relocation
When you relocate to a new city, you need to have the same services and cover as before. But your existing insurance provider may not have as better access or as many network hospitals in the city. It might then make sense to port to a provider who has those services in your city.
Claim Settlement
This is important. Some companies take ages to clear a claim. Before you land up in such a situation, it’s important to know whether your insurance provider has any such reputation. If that is the case, port out.
o Transparency
Often there are hidden clauses and conditions in the contract which the policyholder is not aware of. Such hidden clauses rear their ugly head during emergencies, and you do not know where to go. Time to move to a provider with more transparency in their dealings.
Now that we have a fair idea when to opt for portability, it is also important to know the benefits. What does a policyholder gain out of it? Well, here it goes
Customization
While porting to a new provider, it becomes easier to customize the features to one’s specific needs and requirements. You can add nominees, even go for additional cover or benefits.
Continuity Benefits
When you change your health insurance company, there is no reason to lose the benefits you had accrued with your previous provider. According to IRDA, your new insurer has to give you the benefits accumulated with previous insurer.
New Sum Insured
IRDA says your new insurer has to insure you at least up to the sum insured under the old policy. In most cases, the existing sum insured is added to the accrued bonus to give the new sum assured. The No Claim Bonus is also added to the new sum insured.
Better service, affordable premiums, transparency Portability takes care of the inconveniences associated with your earlier health insurer, owing to which you made the switch in the first place.
Yes, portability is a major advantage to those health insurance policyholders who are unhappy with their current insurance provider. But it’s also important to know the conditions and criteria for portability to occur.
Conditions for portability
1. The policy can be ported only at the juncture of renewal. The new insurance period will be with the new company
2. Apart from waiting period credit, all the other terms of the new policy will be at the discretion of the new insurance company
3. The process has to be initiated by the policyholder at least 45 days before renewal:
Write to your existing provider requesting a shift Specify the new insurer you want to shift your policy to Ensure that the policy is renewed without a break (there is a 30-day grace period if porting is under process)
In short, if you are disappointed with your health insurance policy, portability is a good option that offers a recourse – if the above conditions are met. Now, let’s get into the most important part.
Porting Process:
Application for portability should be made at least 45 days before the renewal date of the existing policy, on the portability form
The company will then send your portability form and all the policy related documents The new insurer will take a decision on accepting the policy within 15 days Other documents include all previous policies, claim experience, proof of age and others. If any other documents are required, the new insurance company may ask for it.
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