What is Whole Life Insurance?
Whole life insurance is a life insurance policy that offers a guaranteed death benefit and guaranteed cash values for life. A whole life policy can either be participating whole life or non-participating whole life. If the policy is participating, the owner may also receive a dividend each year. While dividends are not guaranteed, many of the top rated life insurance companies have a strong history of paying them to policyholders. Dividends by definition are considered a return of excess premium and are not taxable under current guidelines. These dividends can be used in several ways:
- The dividend can be taken as a cash payment
- The dividend can be applied to the policy’s cash value – this option allows for the greatest cash value accumulation
- The dividend can be used to buy paid-up additional insurance – increases the total death benefit
- The dividend can be used to offset the premiums – lowers the potential cash value growth, but lowers out-of-pocket premium expenses
Who should buy Whole Life Insurance?
Whole life insurance is a suitable plan for both individuals and businesses. Individuals can protect family assets and future earning potential. Some of the common reasons to purchase whole life are:
- Income protection
- Mortgage protection
- Retirement funding
- Pension maximization
- Estate planning purposes
- Charitable donations
Whole life can be used to protect business interests of owners and provide additional compensation benefits for key employees. Some examples are:
- Deferred compensation
- Buy/sell agreements
- Executive Bonus Plans (Section 162 of IRS Code)
- Split dollar arrangements
- Group equity carve-outs
- Continuation of salary
How can I get a quote for Whole Life Insurance?
Whole life insurance policies have a number of options to select from that influence the coverage structure so it’s best to speak with a live agent for a free no-obligation consultation to determine the perfect plan for your personal needs. Please give us a call at 1-888-972-0024 or CLICK HERE to send us an e-mail 24 hours a day. We look forward to hearing from you!
You can also instantly compare quotes for term life insurance and universal life insurance by CLICKING HERE.