This can provide you with the ability to earn a higher return than that of other
types of permanent policies such as whole life, or even regular universal life insurance.
Cash value is an interesting and important
feature of permanent policies; many insurance providers refer to cash value as part of a «living benefits» package as opposed to a death benefit.
Whole life insurance is the most established type
of permanent policy on the market, and its stability and «ease of use» keep it a popular option.
That extra premium paid in the early
years of the permanent policy gets invested and grows, minus the amount your agent takes as a sales commission.
You should keep in mind the conversion privilege and convert to whole life or another type
of permanent policy when able... like the universal life policy.
In the
case of permanent policies, the cash value is the amount of money available to you if you surrender or cancel your policy before your death or its maturity.
Check the fine print; some policies limit reductions in coverage as well as what
kind of permanent policy is available for conversion.
The final
advantage of a permanent policy is that it guarantees that you are insured for entire lifetime as opposed to term insurance which covers you for the life of the term.
Besides the conversion period and the conversion credits requirement that may differ between policies, another important caveat is you usually can only convert your term policy to certain types
of permanent policies offered by the same insurance company.
As a «Buy Term Invest The Difference» type of company, Primerica only sells term life insurance and actively campaigns against other types
of permanent policies like universal life and whole life.
[1] The amount of cash value available will generally depend on the type
of permanent policy purchased, the amount of coverage purchased, the length of time the policy has been in force, premiums paid to the policy, and any outstanding policy loans.
For even more cost flexibility, you can choose to have a joint policy issued as term coverage, or you can choose the protection and cash value
accrual of a permanent policy.
These two factors make term life insurance considerably more affordable than permanent policies; while term life is the best option for most people, others may benefit from the versatility afforded by the cash value
component of permanent policies.
The Index Universal Life policy differs from other types
of permanent policies in that its cash value growth is based around the equity index performance.
A voluntary return
of a permanent policy which cancels the coverage inside the policy and cashes out any remaining cash value attached to the canceled policy.