If you are looking into options for life insurance with investment features, read on to learn about the basics of a variable life policy and how it works.
What Is Variable Life Insurance?
Since a variable life insurance policy is a type of permanent life insurance, it covers you for your lifetime, as long as you pay the premiums and maintain the policy in good standing. Variable life falls into the category of cash-value life insurance, which means that in addition to providing a death benefit, it doubles as a savings or investment vehicle that allows you to get money from the policy as needed (through loans or withdrawals) throughout your life. The main difference between variable life insurance and other types of cash-value life insurance is that you can choose from a portfolio of securities in which to invest your cash value. Investment options typically include managed mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and fixed accounts. You select how you want your cash value allotted and can manage the investments you make over time. Unlike other cash-value life policies, variable life policies are categorized as securities and are subject to federal securities laws and state regulations. It’s important to note that the interest (gain) in a variable life policy is not guaranteed. If your investments perform well, the policy could increase in value. But if your investment choices are not sound or the market takes a downturn, you can lose cash value.
How Does Variable Life Insurance Work?
These are fundamental factors to look at when considering a variable life policy:
Premiums: Premiums for variable and other types of cash-value life insurance pay for policy fees and expenses, plus incorporate an amount that goes toward the cash value. Increases in the cash value help offset increased insurance costs as the insured ages. Someone who purchases a variable life policy will pay an initial premium larger than what is required to cover policy fees and expenses—it’s this “extra” amount that can be invested.
Policy fees and expenses: Policy fees and expenses are regular charges that come out of your premium payments or your policy’s cash value. Variable life policies have many different types of costs, such as investment management fees, sales fees, withdrawal fees, fees for optional features, and administrative fees. Surrender charges: Most insurance companies charge a fee if you surrender your variable life policy or decrease the face amount before the surrender period expires. A policy surrender is when you cancel your policy and withdraw all the money in one lump-sum payment. Policies may have a surrender period of a certain number of years, such as nine, during which the surrender charge applies. Death benefit: Also known as the face amount, this is the amount of money paid to your beneficiary upon your death. Not all variable life policies have a death benefit guarantee, but you may be able to pay an additional premium to obtain one. A guaranteed death benefit is an advantage because the death benefit will not fall below the minimum guaranteed amount regardless of market performance. Be sure to ask if the death benefit is guaranteed when comparing policies.
Cash value: The cash value is the savings and investment part of your policy that builds as you make premium payments. The value in a variable life policy depends on the performance of your investment choices. Some companies may also offer add-on options, or riders, for an additional cost to guarantee a minimum accumulation in the cash value. Investment options: Variable life policies allow you to choose where to invest using different accounts. Choices include mutual funds (stocks, bonds, and securities) or fixed accounts. Loans and withdrawals: The cash value allows you to take loans from your life insurance policy or make withdrawals. Cash-value growth is tax-advantaged. When you take money from the policy in the form of loans, the funds are generally not considered taxable. Withdrawals, on the other hand, are taxable. Prospectus: The prospectus is a legal disclosure that outlines information about company management and includes details about investment options, such as fees, risks, investment objectives, and past performance.
Variable life insurance has a couple of key benefits, such as flexible premium payment options and the ability to control where you want your cash value invested. However, fees and charges associated with maintaining the policy come out of your premiums or cash value. If the cash value is not sufficient to pay the required policy fees or premiums, the policy can lapse—and you would lose the death benefit.
Pros Explained
Potential for Higher Returns
Being able to invest in various mutual funds and control your investments allows you the opportunity to take advantage of economic upturns, which can yield more robust returns relative to other cash-value life insurance policies.
Death Benefit
Since variable life policies are permanent life insurance, one advantage is that they offer a death benefit for life. Depending on the type of policy you choose, the death benefit may be flexible, fixed, or guaranteed.
Flexible Premium Options
If you choose a flexible premium option and build enough funds in the cash value of the policy, you can use those funds to pay your premiums or adjust how much premium you pay out of pocket vs. from your cash value.
Manage Investments Based on Your Risk Tolerance
Variable life policies allow you to manage where you invest your money and have control of your assets—you’re responsible for choosing how to allocate the policy’s cash value between the available investment accounts. Other cash-value policies do not allow you to manage the investment portion.
Tax-Advantaged Savings and Tax-Free Death Benefit
Life insurance has a few tax advantages:
When you take out policy loans, they may be tax-free.Any gains (in the cash value) accumulate on a tax-deferred basis.The death benefit of a life insurance policy is tax-free.
Cons Explained
Death Benefit and Cash Value Are Affected by Market Volatility
If the market does not perform well, you are at risk of losing value in your investments. In some cases, the death benefit may also decrease when your cash value drops.
Surrender Charges Can Be High
Variable universal life policies may have high surrender charges, especially in the policy’s early years. Surrender charges may be owed not only if you surrender the policy but also if you decrease the face amount.
Fees and Expenses Can Be Significant
Fees and expenses can be significant and cause your policy to lapse or premiums to increase. Fees can increase every year, and if the policy’s cash value is not sufficient to cover these fees, the premiums may go up or the policy may lapse. Consumers should be vigilant about these costs over time.
Policy Loans Could Incur Taxes or Cause the Policy to Lapse
You can borrow money from a variable life insurance policy in the form of a loan if you want to access your cash value.
If you take a loan from the policy before meeting certain tax conditions—in particular, during the first seven years—your withdrawal or loan could be taxed as a modified endowment contract (MEC), and you could lose tax benefits.If you take out a loan on your policy and then do not have the funds to maintain the policy in force, the policy may lapse.When a policy lapses with an outstanding loan, the loan amount may be treated as a withdrawal (and therefore taxed).Your death benefit can be reduced when you take a loan from the policy.
Your Policy Is Only as Secure as the Insurance Company
If the insurance company that issues the policy is in financial distress or fails, it may not be able to meet its obligations, such as paying the death benefit on your policy. You could lose your investment or any guarantees that the company has made. This is the case with any cash-value life insurance policy.
Do I Need Variable Life Insurance?
There are many types of life insurance to consider when you are looking for life insurance. If you are considering a variable life policy, discuss your goals with a licensed financial planner who will work with you to review investment options and insurance providers. If you are looking for a long-term investment, then variable life insurance may be a good option. But it is not suited for short-term savings. Most policies have years-long surrender periods and involve multiple charges and financial risks due to the investment portion. Even if your investments experience gains, you could still lose money if those gains plus your premiums aren’t enough to offset policy costs. If you are risk-averse, the cost of the policy may not be worth it compared to other types of less risky cash-value policies, such as a whole life policy.
Variable Life Insurance Example
When you purchase a variable life policy, you start with an initial premium payment, which the insurance company allocates per your investment choices. Let’s say your initial premium is $25,000, and you decide to allocate 50% to a fixed account (which pays a 5% fixed rate of interest) and 50% to a mutual fund (which has a variable return). If over the year the mutual fund account has a 10% return, the cash value of the account would be $26,875 ($13,125 in the fixed account plus $13,750 in the mutual fund), less any underlying fund charges, policy fees, and expenses.
