Chapter 10

Financial Planning with Life Insurance

Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Life InsuranceChapter Objectives

1. Define life insurance and determine your life insurance needs.

2. Distinguish between the types of life insurance companies and analyze various types of life insurance policies these companies issue.

3. Select important provisions in life insurance contracts and create a plan to buy life insurance.

4. Recognize how annuities provide financial security.

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Objective 1Define Life Insurance and

Determine Your Life Insurance Needs

• Primary Purpose of Life Insurance:– Protect someone who depends on you from

financial loss related to your death

• Life insurance:– Obtained by purchasing a policy

– The insurance company promises to pay a lump sum to a named beneficiary at the time of the policy holder’s death (or sometimes while they are still alive)

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Purpose of Life Insurance

Other reasons:– Pay off a mortgage or debts– Lump-sum endowments for children – Provide an education or income for children– Make charitable donations– Provide retirement income– Accumulate savings– Establish a regular income for survivors– Set up an estate plan– Pay estate and gift taxes

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The Principle of Life Insurance

• Mortality tables provide odds on your dying, based on your age and sex.

• Premium is based on your life expectancy and the projections for the payouts for persons who die

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Do You Need Life Insurance?

• Do you have people you need

to protect financially?

• Are you single and have a lot of debt?

• Do you have parents, relatives, or a

charity that you want to support?

10-6

Estimating Your Life Insurance Requirements

• The Easy Method

– 70% of your salary for seven years while your family adjusts

– Assumes typical family

• The DINK Method

– Dual income, no kids

– Assumes spouse earnings => insured

– Cover funeral + ½ debts

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Estimating Your Life Insurance Requirements

• The “Nonworking” Spouse Method

– # years until the youngest child reaches 18 X $10,000

• The “Family Need” Method

– More thorough than the first three

– Considers employer provided insurance, Social Security benefits, income and assets

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Objective 2Distinguish Between the Types of

Life Insurance Companies and Analyze Various Types of Life

Insurance Policies These Companies Issue

2 Types of Life Insurance CompaniesType of Company Owned by

Stock life Insurance Shareholders

Mutual life insurance Policyholders

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Stock Life Insurance Companies

• Owned by the shareholders

• 95% are of this type

• Sell non-participating (non-par) policies

• If you want to pay the same premium each year choose a non-participating policy with guaranteed premiums

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Mutual Life Insurance Companies

• Owned by the policyholders

• 5% of policies are from this type of company

• Participating policy premiums are higher than non-participating policies – Part of the non-participating premium is

refunded to the policyholders annually in the form of a policy dividend

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Types of Life Insurance Policies

• Term life insurance

• Whole Life insurance

• Group Life insurance

• Credit life insurance

• Endowment Life insurance

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Term Life Insurance

• “Term Life”– Protection for a specified period of time– If you stop paying premiums, coverage

stops

• Many types:– Renewable term– Multiyear level term– Conversion term– Decreasing term– Return-of-premium term

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Whole Life Insurance

• “Straight Life”– Pay the premium as long as you live– Amount of premium depends on age when

you start the policy– Provides death benefits – Accumulates a cash value

• You can borrow against the cash value or draw it out at retirement

– Look carefully at the rate of return your money earns

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Whole Life Policy Options

• Limited Payment Policy– You pay premiums for a stipulated period

• Usually 20 or 30 years, or • Until you reach a specified age (65)

– Policy then “paid up” and you remain insured for life

• Variable Life Policy– Minimum death benefit guaranteed– Benefit can be greater depending on earnings

of the dollars invested in the separate fund

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Whole Life Policy Options

• Adjustable Life Policy– Can change premium payments or period of

coverage as your needs change.

• Universal Life – Term life policy with a cash value

• Can borrow against cash value

– Premium amount may be changed at any time without changing coverage

– Part of premium goes to investment account– Increase in cash value reflects interest

earned on short-term investments

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Other Types of Life Insurance Policies

• Group life insurance– Term insurance– Often provided by an employer

– No physical is required• Credit life insurance

– Debt paid off if you die• Mortgage, car, furniture

– Also protects lenders– Expensive protection

• Endowment Life Insurance10-17

Key Provisions in a Life Insurance Policy

• Naming your beneficiary and contingent beneficiaries

• Incontestability clause after the policy has been in force for a specified period, the company can’t dispute its validity for any reason

• Length of grace period for late payments

• Reinstatement of a lapsed policy if it has not been turned in for cash

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Key Provisions in a Life Insurance Policy

• Non-forfeiture clause allows you to keep accrued benefits in a whole life policy if you drop the policy

• Misstatement of age provision• Policy loan provision to borrow against

cash value

• Suicide clause during first two years• Policy rider modifies the coverage by

adding or excluding conditions or altering benefits

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Key Provisions in a Life Insurance Policy

Life Insurance Policy Riders• Waiver of premium disability benefit

• Accidental death benefit - double indemnity

• Guaranteed insurability option

• Cost of living protection

• Accelerated benefits, also called living benefits, pay to those who are terminally ill before they die

• Second-to-die option, also called survivorship life, insures two lives

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Choosing Settlement Options

• Settlement Options = choices of how the insurance money is paid out– Lump-sum payment = most common– Limited installment plan

• In equal installments for a specific number of years after your death (10-year certain)

– Life income option• Payments to the beneficiary for life

– Proceeds left with the company• Pays interest to the beneficiary

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Buying Life Insurance

• Consider:– Present and future sources of income

– Other savings and income protection

– Group life insurance

– Pension benefits

– Social Security benefits

– Financial strength of the

insurance company

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Buying Life Insurance

• Determine from whom to buy your policy– Examine both private and public sources– Research the company’s rating by major

rating companies:• A. M. Best• Standard and Poor’s• Duff & Phelps• Moody’s• Weiss Research

– Talk to friends or colleagues

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Choosing Your Insurance Agent

• Ask friends, parents, and neighbors for recommendations.

• Does the agent belong to professional groups or is a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)?

• Is the agent willing to take the time to answer your questions and find a policy that is right for you?

• Does the agent ask about your financial plan?• Do you feel pressured?• Is the agent available when needed?

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Buying Life Insurance

• Compare policy costs based on:– Company’s cost of doing business– Return on company’s investments– Mortality rate among policyholders– Policy features – Competition from other firms

• Interest-adjusted index – Used to compare policy costs– Lower index = lower cost policy– See sites such as www.quotesmith.com

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Obtaining and Examining a Policy

• First step = apply

• Second step = provide medical history– Usually no physical for a group policy

• Read every word of the contract

• 10-day “free-look” period to change your mind

• Give your beneficiaries and lawyer a photocopy

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10 Golden Rules of Buying Life Insurance

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Should You Switch Policies?

• Switch if benefits exceed costs of getting another physical, and paying policy set-up costs

• The older you are, the higher the premium

• Are you still insurable?

• Can you get all the provisions you want?

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Objective 4Recognize How Annuities Provide

Financial Security

Financial Planning with Annuities

• An annuity = a financial contract written by an insurance company, providing a regular income

• Can supplement retirement income and shelter income from taxes

• Those who expect to live longer than average benefit most from annuities.

• Fully fund IRAs, Keoghs and 401(k)’s BEFORE considering an annuity

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Why Buy Annuities?

• Provides retirement income for life

• Compounded interest grows tax free

until money withdrawn

• No maximum annual contribution (like

IRAs)

• Beneficiary guaranteed no less than

amount paid in

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Types of Annuities

• Fixed annuity

– Annuitant receives fixed amount for life

• Variable annuity

– Amount received depends on investment

performance

• Can be included in IRAs and Keogh plans

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