Life insurance can be baffling, with a wide diversity of policies and providers to pick from so knowing what the best type of product for you can seem overwhelming.
But if you would like to do away with the hassle of renewing your policy and searching the market for the best deals then universal life insurance could be the best option for you.
Universal life insurance – frequently abbreviated to UL – is a long term life insurance product which is based on a cash value. It works in a slightly different way than most other types of insurance as the policy holders pays premiums above and beyond what the insurance costs to provide.
This may seem like an undesirable situation but all of the money is credited to the policy each month, with the addition of interest and the insurer simply deducts the amount of charges equal to the costs of the plan. If no premium payment is made on any given month for some reason, the plan charges are simply deducted from the cash value of the policy.
The amount of interest credited to the policy varies between insurers but some are linked to an external index such as stocks or bonds.
A UL policy offers some unique benefits not frequently associated with life insurance, providing the insured with the option to use the plan prior to their death. As the plan has a cash value, it is usually possible to take out loans and as an added bonus, the capital does not need to repaid, just the interest. However, taking money out of the plan without replacing will inevitably have an impact, causing premiums to either rise or the projected span of the policy to shorten. If on the other hand, the interest is not repaid either, the amount will be taken out of the cash value of the policy, which if not sufficiently large, will mean the cover will lapse. If this happens, unlike other forms of loans which are not repaid, there is no adverse entry made on the individual`s credit file.
Whilst UL is classified as a permanent type of insurance, the provider does actually specify a finite timespan, with the common age of expiry approximately 121 years of age, far later than the average human need worry about.
Should the plan remain in force and the policyholder die, the resulting life insurance payout can be used for one of many reasons, some of the most common being to pay funeral costs, provide an income for dependents or settle estate fees.
Some plans include an extra benefit where the life cover is `accelerated`, allowing the payments to be made early as an alternative means of funding for long term care.
UL is not permitted to be sold as an investment product and being pegged to the economy means there is some risk that premiums will have to increase to sustain the benefits for the longer term or else agree to drop the life cover or reduce the policy term.
Whilst UL insurance do not necessarily appear to be good value for money saving money is actually far more likely in the longer term. The cheapest form of insurance has long been regarded as term insurance but some financial experts have argued that when the length of the UL is taken into account, it works out as far more cost-effective. This fact coupled with the additional benefits it provides means it remains a popular option for many people, despite the associated risks.