When you pay your
premium on a permanent policy it's split between the death benefit and the cash value — essentially an investment product coupled with the insurance policy.
Although they do offer various annuities and other products, today we are going to be focusing
on their permanent policy as well as the term life option.
This is also true because the entire first year of premiums that you
spend on a permanent policy goes to the insurance agent who sold you the policy as commission.
However, the premium amount
due on a permanent policy will remain the same over time, while the term life insurance premiums can go up significantly each time you * renew.
When you pay your
premium on a permanent policy it's split between the death benefit and the cash value — essentially an investment product coupled with the insurance policy.
If you can start
paying on a permanent policy in your 40s — or better yet while you're still in your 20s — the monthly premium will be far less than someone in their 50s would pay.
It would be impossible to cover all of those here, so please review the
content on permanent policies in Questions and Answers on Life Insurance if you are considering this path.
This option can save you
money on a permanent policy, if your health has deteriorated from when you originally purchased your Term policy.
Interest
earned on permanent policy cash values is generally not taxable unless or until the policyowner surrenders the policy for cash.
So, even though the premium may start out
higher on a permanent policy than for a comparable term life plan, over time, the amount of the permanent life insurance premium could end up being quite a bit less.
Premiums
on a permanent policy cover more than the actual cost of the policy, and the extra amount supplements a savings account in your name.
Whereas the total
commission on a permanent policy typically is equal to about one year's premium with about 55 percent to 80 percent generally being paid in the first year, commission rates on term insurance policies tend to run about 40 percent to 60 percent of the first year's premium, and about 5 to 8 percent of each successive premium.
While it is very similar to the Term Essential ®, it does have conversion privileges, meaning some of the premiums you pay in the first few policy years can go towards the premiums due
on the permanent policy as a credit.
Here's some food for thought: Maybe a better bet would be to buy an affordable term life policy now and save separately on the side using the difference from what you would have
paid on a permanent policy.
So, if I buy a $ 500,000 policy to cover the years when my child is growing up, once that child is grown and no longer dependent on me, do I want to continue to pay
premiums on a permanent policy, or would I feel better about getting a refund on the term insurance I had but didn't use.
All of that complication and longevity comes at a price, so you'll spend far
more on a permanent policy to get the same amount of death benefit as you would on a term policy.
In this case, the premiums
on the permanent policy can continue to be waived (provided that certain conditions have been met).
Although the premium that is charged on a permanent life insurance policy will usually start out higher than that of a comparable term life insurance plan, the amount of the premium
on a permanent policy will typically be locked in for life.
The III notes, however, that you may have a few options if you can't pay a premium
on a permanent policy.