chapter 3 Flashcards
Permanent life insurance provides coverage over the entire lifetime of the life insured.
It does not expire (as long as the required premiums are paid), and it does not need to be renewed
There are three main types or categories of permanent life insurance. They are:
▪ Whole life;
▪ Term-100 (T-100);
▪ Universal life (UL)
Whole life insurance provides coverage for the entire lifetime of the life insured, with a premium
that typically remains level over the duration of the contract.
A whole life policy builds up a cash
surrender value (CSV) over time, and if the policyholder surrenders the policy prior to the death of
the life insured, he may be entitled to receive payment of that CSV, less any surrender charges,
if applicable.
Term-100 (T-100) life insurance also provides coverage for the entire lifetime of the life insured, but
the policy matures at ______, such that premiums are no longer payable. T-100 policies typically
do not have a CSV.
“Term-to-100” is also a name widely used in the industry for this product
age 100
Universal life (UL) insurance provides coverage for the entire lifetime of the life insured, but it also
includes a savings component that is created through the deposit of excess premiums.
Within certain limits, the policyholder can use a UL policy to accumulate savings that are completely
sheltered from tax if they form part of the death benefit, or tax-deferred if they are withdrawn prior
to death.
UL insurance policies are noted for the flexibility they provide the policyholder
Mortality costs approximate the insurance company’s cost of paying out policy death benefits. In
the case of a term life insurance policy, the annual mortality cost of the policy is estimated by
multiplying the policy’s face amount by the life insured’s probability of death during that year. With
term insurance, there is a chance that the insurance company will not have to pay out the death
benefit, because the policy term could expire before the life insured dies.
In the case of a whole life insurance policy, the annual mortality cost is still estimated by multiplying
the policy’s face amount by the life insured’s probability of death during the year. However, with a
whole life policy, the insurance company knows that it will eventually have to pay out the death
benefit (unless the policyholder decides to surrender the policy prior to death). When calculating
the premiums for a whole life policy, the insurance company spreads the cumulative annual
mortality costs over the anticipated duration of the life insurance contract.
the premiums for a whole life policy have to cover the insurance
company’s expenses, including:
___
___
___
___
___
___
With a whole life policy, the insurance company must make assumptions about these expenses
well into the future.
▪ Cost of selling the policy (e.g., marketing, salaries or commissions to agents);
▪ Underwriting the policy (e.g., processing applications, paying for medical exams);
▪ Issuing and administering the policy;
▪ Paying income taxes;
▪ Investigating claims;
▪ Paying death benefits and the profits sought by shareholders.
Life insurance premiums are normally quoted on an ______, and premiums are payable
_________.
annual basis
in advance
Victor bought a whole life policy with an annual premium of $956, but he wants to pay the premiums monthly.
If the modal factor is 0.088, his monthly premiums will be ________________
Over the course of one year, he will pay a total of _____________.
This annualized premium is 6% higher than the quoted annual premium.
$84.13, calculated as ($956 × 0.088).
$1009.56 in premiums, calculated as ($84.13 × 12)
one of the pricing factors that affect insurance premiums is the rate of return the insurance company expects to get on invested premiums.
When premiums are paid annually in
advance, the insurance company gets the benefit of investing those funds for up to a year.
However, the policyholder can usually choose to pay those premiums semi-annually, quarterly or
monthly.
The insurance company calculates the periodic premium payment by applying a modal factor that reflects the insurance company’s loss of investment income, compared to the income it could have earned on an annual premium.
ongoing premiums:
The traditional option involves paying a fixed premium for the duration of the contract (i.e., until
the life insured dies or the policyholder surrenders the policy).
This is sometimes referred to as a
“lifetime-pay policy”.
Helena is 40 years old, a non-smoker and in excellent health. She just obtained a $500,000 whole life policy on her own life. Her premiums will be $11,065 annually and they are guaranteed to never increase.
3.2.4.2 Single premium
At the other extreme, it may be possible for the policyholder to pay a single lump-sum premium for
life insurance coverage that will last for the entire lifetime of the life insured. An insurance policy is
said to be “paid-up” if no more premiums are needed to keep the policy in force for the life of the
life insured, so by definition a single premium policy is also a paid-up policy
Limited payment
Limited payment whole life insurance is somewhere between these two extremes, with premiums
payable for a specific period of time (e.g., for 10 or 20 years) or to a specific age (e.g., to age 65
or age 100), after which the policy is deemed to be a paid-up policy. Limited payment policies are
discussed in more detail later in this Chapter.
Death benefit options
Depending on the insurance company, the policyholder may also have some choice as to how the
death benefit is determined. The policyholder has a choice between __________ and _________
guaranteed whole life and
adjustable whole life
Guaranteed whole life
A guaranteed whole life insurance policy offers a death benefit and premiums that are guaranteed
not to change over time, regardless of the insurance company’s experience with mortality costs,
expenses and investment returns.
By offering these guarantees, the insurance company is taking on all of the risk stemming from its assumptions about these pricing factors. This risk can be
significant over the long-time horizon of a permanent insurance policy.
Adjustable whole life
an adjustable whole life insurance policy offers a death benefit and premiums that the
insurance company may adjust periodically to reflect its actual experience.
Usually the insurance company will guarantee the death benefit and premiums for a certain period of time initially, such as five years.
At the end of that period, the insurance company will compare its actual experience to its projections, and also update its assumptions about mortality rates, investment returns and expenses.
As a result of this review, it may increase, decrease or maintain the premiums and the death benefit.
This exposes the policyholder to more risk than a guaranteed whole life policy. As a result, the
premiums on an adjustable whole life policy will be lower than the premiums on a comparable
guaranteed whole life policy
Ranjit purchased an adjustable whole life policy 10 years ago, with an annual premium of $6,500 guaranteed for 10 years. As a result of its 10-year review,
the insurance company determined that men who had purchased the same policy as Ranjit are actually living longer than expected, so the company has had to pay out fewer death benefits than expected. The insurance company reduced Ranjit’s premiums to $6,415 annually, guaranteed for the next 10 years.
Helmuth purchased an adjustable whole life policy five years ago, with an annual premium of $11,600 guaranteed for five years.
As a result of its five-year review, his insurance company noted that market interest rates had dropped,
and that as a result they have earned less income on their policy reserves than expected. The insurance company increased Helmuth’s premiums to $12,100,
guaranteed for the next five years
Whole life insurance policies are classified as either non-participating or_____________, depending
on how the insurance company handles any surpluses that result from the policies in that category.
participating
Insurance companies base whole life insurance premiums on assumptions for mortality costs,
expenses and investment returns. They typically are very conservative in their assumptions to reduce their risk exposure, and this can result in surplus revenues.
For example, surpluses would occur if:
▪ Fewer people died than expected (i.e., actual mortality rates were lower than projected);
▪ Investment returns were higher than expected;
▪ Administrative expenses were lower than expected.
The insurance company retains some of this surplus to boost policy reserves, in case they experience a shortfall in revenue in the future. In fact, regulators specify the level of policy reserves that an insurance company must maintain to fund future liabilities.