Life Insurance. Planning Today for Tomorrow

Transcription

1 Life Insurance Planning Today for Tomorrow

2 Life insurance is simply a contract between you {the insured} and a life insurance providing company {the carrier}.

3 Life insurance can be a source of funds for your spouse, children, business partners or other beneficiaries during an extraordinary time of change. Some of the more common needs that life insurance can help with are: Income Replacement: Are you the primary wage earner in your family? Final Expenses: Is your family prepared for the high expense of funeral services and final medical care? Debt Repayment: Do you have a mortgage, credit card debt or any outstanding financial obligations that your family may be burdened with? Child Care: Do you have children or dependants who would require care in your absence? College and Educational Expenses: Do your children or grandchildren have plans to attend college or seek additional career training? Charitable Contribution: Are you currently contributing to a charity, cause or organization? Have you considered leaving a final contribution? Business Continuation: Are you currently an owner of or a partner in a business? Have you considered leaving funds to help continue the business without you or giving your family the option of exiting the business comfortably? Wealth Transfer: Do you have plans in place to preserve your wealth and transfer your assets to subsequent generations? Estate Tax: Have you considered and planned for the federal tax burden your family may incur when your estate is transferred? Basic Life Insurance Terms Life Insurance is simply a contract between you and a life insurance company. You pay a premium and the life insurance provider pays a benefit to your predetermined beneficiaries upon your death. Some basic life insurance terms you should know are: Insured: Person whose life is insured Policy Owner: Person who owns the life insurance contract Premium: Amount paid for the contract Beneficiary: Person or entity identified by the policy owner to receive the death benefit Death Benefit: Amount of money to be paid to the beneficiary at the death of the insured Cash Value: Cash accumulated within the life insurance contract

4 Your Life Insurance Options There are two main types of life insurance available: term and permanent. Term life insurance provides protection for a specific period of time. Permanent life insurance provides protection for a lifetime.

5 Term Life Insurance Term life insurance is the most basic of life insurance options. For a specified premium, you receive a contract to pay a death benefit to your beneficiary in the event of your death during a specified period, or term. Most term insurance has a convertibility option, allowing you to convert a term contract to permanent insurance during the specified premium payment period. Common term life insurance options include: 10-year term Annual renewable term 15-year term Customized year term 20-year term Return of premium term 30-year term Permanent Life Insurance Permanent life insurance provides a death benefit for your entire life and gives you the ability to accumulate tax-deferred cash value within the contract for as long as the policy is enforce. Many variations of permanent life insurance are available in today s market. Some of the most common are: Whole Life Whole life insurance is the original form of permanent life insurance, providing a death benefit for your whole life based on a specified premium obligation. Whole life provides for contract guarantees in premiums, cash value accumulation and death benefit, with little flexibility. Whole life contracts may or may not include dividend payments. Universal Life Universal life provides for flexibility within the contract. You have the ability to customize death benefit, length of coverage, premium obligation and cash value accumulation. Many variations of universal life exist in the current market: Current Assumption Universal Life: Assumes current interest rates to illustrate cash value accumulation within the contract. The premium and death benefit remain flexible. No-lapse Guarantee/Secondary Guarantee: Guarantees the death benefit for your lifetime, or a specified period, as long as the minimum premium is paid. Indexed Universal Life: This is similar to current assumption except the cash accumulation within the contract is based upon the performance of a stock index, such as the S&P 500, or multiple indices. Premiums and death benefit remain flexible. Variable Universal Life: This is similar to current assumption except the cash value accumulation in the contract is based upon the investment options you choose. The investment prospectus should be consulted for more information on the investment options and risks associated with purchasing this kind of life insurance.

6 Comparing Basic Types of Insurance Term Insurance Permanent Insurance Term Life Whole Life Universal Life Concept Limited premium, limited protection period Guaranteed death benefit, cash value and premium; no flexibility Flexible death benefit with potential cash value accumulation options Premiums Level for specified period Level and inflexible Flexible Death Benefit Level Level or increasing Level, increasing or decreasing Cash Value None Guaranteed at a fixed rate Available at current rate assumptions based on index tracking or on separate account investments; flexible Other Factors to Consider Carrier Ratings Industry rating agencies evaluate the financial strength of life insurance carriers and publish this information to help you assess a carrier s reputation and its current ability to meet contractual obligations. This information is readily available online or through your insurance professional. Underwriting Underwriting is the process of evaluating expected mortality in an effort to appropriately price life insurance for an individual. You may be asked to complete a questionnaire(s), provide medical records, visit a physician for an exam or provide additional personal information so a carrier can determine how much your insurance will cost. Riders Most life insurance contracts allow for the addition of extra benefits by adding a rider to the contract *. Ask about riders available on the life insurance you are considering. Tax Advantages Life insurance can potentially provide an income tax-free death benefit and tax-deferred cash accumulation. For more information, consult with your financial planner or CPA. FOOTNOTES * The selection of some riders will result in an additional cost to the insurance contract and once selected may not be able to be removed at a later date.

7 Life insurance can be a source of funds for your spouse, children, business partners or other beneficiaries during an extraordinary time of change.

8 About Benefits Partners We do more than help companies get by. We elevate them through the power of collaboration and innovation. A division of NFP (NYSE: NFP), Benefits Partners is a national corporate benefits organization of more than 175 offices across the country bringing together leading-edge thinking, preferred carrier relationships, best-of-breed products, advanced benchmarking and analysis tools, and comprehensive decision and implementation support services that help keep companies ahead of the curve. More than a leading national corporate benefits producer group, Benefits Partners is a movement that strives to bring all companies regardless of their size the greatest, most comprehensive and cutting-edge benefit offerings and resources in the market. We work to give our member firms a powerful competitive advantage when providing corporate benefits for their customers. We empower collaboration and innovation on every level from the knowledge we share, to the products we offer, to the tools we create. And we push the development of new platforms, technologies and signature solutions you won t find anywhere else. This material was created by National Financial Partners Corp., (NFP), its subsidiaries, or affiliates for distribution by their Registered Representatives, Investment Advisor Representatives, and/or Agents.This material was created to provide accurate and reliable information on the subjects covered. It is not intended to provide specific legal, tax or other professional advice. The services of an appropriate professional should be sought regarding your individual situation. Neither NFP nor its affiliates offer legal or tax services. Guarantees are subject to the claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Please note that Variable Universal Life insurance products are only available through securities licensed representatives and that not all persons using this brochure are licensed to offer securities products. This brochure does not constitute an offer for any specific insurance product. The children s term rider and the coverage that it provides terminates when the insured child reaches a specified age, which is defined in the rider itself. The premium for this rider will continue to be deducted after such termination until the policy owner notifies the company to cancel the benefit. Securities and Investment Advisory Services may be offered through NFP Securities, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. NFP Securities, Inc. and Benefits Partners are affiliated. Neither firm is affiliated with any other entity listed on this document /10 (INS ) Copyright 2010 NFP. All rights reserved.