After the fiasco/failurelast year that resulted fromgetting involved in the mortgage business, Wall Street began looking for a new financial venture - it appears that it will be in life insurance. DBRS, a company that gives risk ratings to investments,reported last weekthat it is currentlyreviewing nine proposals for life-insurance securitizations from private investors and financial firms.
According to a recent NY Times article, those bankers involvedplan to buy life settlements, which are life insurance policies that ill and elderly people will sell for cash (ex. a policyholder might accept $400,000 for a $1 million policy). After these settlements are purchased, they plan to "securitize" them, which means they will package hundreds or thousands of them together into bonds then resell them to investors in aform similar to a big pension fund. The investors will thenreceive the payouts when people with the insurance become deceased.
The earlier the policyholder passes way, the bigger the return will be. On the other hand, if the policyholder lives longer than expected, the investor could receive a poor return, or even lose their money. The point is that Wall Street will profit either way because it gets to profit sizable fees for creating, reselling and trading the bonds.
As you can imagine, these financial transactions from higher-ups cannot occur without having some effect on the "little guys" - the insured. Some say that this "venture" could benefit policyholders because it will allow them to cash out their policies while they're alive. However, those who have studied life settlements warn that insurers will likely have to raise premiums if they ultimately have to pay out more death claims than they anticipated.
What are your thoughts? Could this venture end like the mortgage scandal did last year?
A variable life insurance policy is not only beneficial to the heirs who are chosen to receive the death benefit from the policyholder, but the policyholder can also reap the financial rewards of funding a policy that builds cash value over time.
By choosing a variable life insurance policy you will get the option to target your premium investment money towards opportunities of your choice. As a policyholder you can have your cash value invested into fixed income investments, stocks, bonds, or even money market funds.
Benefits of Variable Life Insurance Policies
- A variable life insurance policy cannot be canceled, unless you fail to pay your premiums
- Beneficiaries are guaranteed a death benefit
- The policy payments you make will build cash value and fund the policy
- The premium rates will never increase over the life the policy
- You have the option to borrow against the cash value of your policy
- You can choose investment options for your cash value
- Typically those choosing a variable life insurance policy can make 12 investment choices a year without penalty
- You can make changes in your investment choices without incurring taxes or transaction fees (up to the maximum)
- All monetary growth within the policy is tax-deferred (until withdrawal)
It is hard to consider choosing a life insurance policy when the last thing anyone wants to do is think about their own mortality. However, by taking the time to consider your insurance options now when you are young and healthy, you can make wise decisions that will affect both your future and the future of those you love.
Whole life insurance is only one of the options available to consumers interested in getting a policy with a death benefit to provide for their family. Whole life insurance is not just a policy that kicks in after you are gone, it is a complicated financial tool many people utilize to plan for...
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With variable life insurance , both the heirs and policyholder can benefit. Variable life insurance is a dual purpose policy. One portion guarantees a death benefit to be paid to the beneficiaries while there is an investment portion that can also be used by the policyholder to offset their taxes...
Read full article: FAQ: Who Benefits from Variable Life Insurance?
With life insurance, you will be protecting your family should you die, because your life insurance policy will give them a sum of cash in order to get by without you. While it's never very much fun to contemplate your guaranteed mortality, it's even more unpleasant to imagine your loved ones...
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If you are the sole income generator of the family, your spouse and children can benefit from you purchasing term life insurance .
Benefits of Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance is a type of insurance policy that only guarantees a death benefit to your heirs if you die during the time the...
Read full article: FAQ: Who Benefits from Term Life Insurance?
In order to prepare for a day when they need help with day to day living, many people get long-term care insurance. This insurance will help cover the staggering costs of a home health care worker or other kind of helper or caregiver. When you buy long-term care insurance, you can opt to buy one...
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Life insurance is a necessary tool for ensuring that your loved ones will be financially covered when your are no more. Permanent life insurance is just one variation in guaranteeing that your beneficiaries will have a monetary safety net to help them cope when you're gone. In 2004, life...
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Continue to Chapter 5: Does an MEC Make Sense?
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Modified Endowment Contracts: Chapter 4 of 5
What basically starts off as a typical permanent life insurance policy that provides both investment opportunities for the policyholder and a death benefit to heirs...
Read full article: Modified Endowment Contract Series: Costs Associated with MECs
In the 1970's, insurance companies introduced variable life insurance policies to compete for consumer investment dollars against other financial institutions. Variable life insurance policies provide policyholders with a way to save money while providing death benefits to heirs upon their...
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