Insurance Flashcards
Where is insurance regulated?
At the state level
What are 4 methods to manage risk?
Avoidance - most serious type of risk
Insurance - big financial loss, doesn’t happen often
Retention/reduction - minimal financial loss, too expensive to insure
Retention - minor injuries, illness, car door dings
What are perils?
What are hazards?
Three types
Physical
Moral: a character flaw. Lying cheating
Morale: being stupid. Leaving keys in the car
What is adverse selection?
What is the principal of indemnity? Subrogation clause?
Principal of indemnity is the right of the insured to be made whole after a loss occurs.. but not more than whole
Subrogation- insurance company steps into shoes
What is the principal of insurable interest?
You must have an emotional or financial hardship resulting from damage, loss, or destruction
Property and liability must exist at time of policy inception and at time of loss
For life insurance, you only need insurable interest at policy inception
- ex: divorce would not cancel a policy a previously married couple created
What is the difference between an insurance agent and broker?
Agent - legally represents insurance company
Broker - legally represents the policy owner, not the company
Review in book!
What are features of an insurance contract?
Exclusions - things that are not covered
Riders and endorsements - contract add ons. They take precedent over something in the policy if there is a conflict. Ex: house mold
What are the methods of valuation for insured losses?
Replacement cost - replacing property with new materials
Actual cash value - replacement cost less depreciation
Agreed on value - typical for art, antiques
How does the federal level regulate insurance?
It’s primarily regulated at the state level through the state insurance commissioner!
Although…
Legislative branch enacts laws for licensing agence
Judicial branch
Executive
What is the NAIC?
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Provides watch list of insurance companies based on financial ratio analysis
no regulatory power
but issue model legislation for the states to adopt
NAIC does not directly regulate the insurance industry
What are the different methods of calculating insurance needs?
Capital Needs approach - NPV of future needs - income, college, etc
Human Life Value approach - looks at lost income less amount consumed by the insured
Capital retention - Not invade the capital of the estate
Income retention - how much insurance do we need to maintain the income level
Income multiplier - rule of thumb - 12-16x gross earnings
Features of term life
Max death benefit per premium dollar
no cash value, savings, or investment component
protection ends when term ends
Features of whole life policies
AKA permanent
If you want coverage for your WHOLE life (versus term)
Average the premium over your entire life – so more expensive when younger, but cheaper when older
Participating (pay a dividend) or non-participating (don’t pay a dividend)
What are you options when you own a participating policies?
This means you’re getting dividends
You can use the money to:
- just get cash - nontaxable and return of basis.
- Reduce future premiums
- Accumulate at interest (added to CV)
- Get a paid up perm addition
- One year of term insurance addition
Remember CRAPO
What are the different whole life payment structures?
- Ordinary life - pay your premiums until age 120
- Limited pay life - pay for x years
- Variable life - cash value is invested in stock, bond sub accounts. Death benefit and cash value fluctuate based on investment performance
What is first-to-die insurance?
Provides death benefits when eh first insured dies.
What is second or last to die?
Provides death benefits when the second dies
What is universal life?
FLEXIBILITY! Pay what you want to pay but don’t manage your investments.
Insured may adjust the:
- premiums
- face value
- cash value
Insured does not direct the investment portion
Cash value can be used to pay the premiums
What is the difference between universal A and universal B?
With B, as your cash value rises, your death benefit rises as well
unbundled
What is the difference between universal A and universal B?
With B, as your cash value rises, your death benefit rises as well
What are features of variable universal life?
Pick this if you have high risk tolerance and you want a higher return
Insured manages the investment.
Cash value is invested in a separate account, not the insurers general account
The cash value is not guaranteed but in the event of an insurance company failure the operate account will not be treated as an asset of the insurance company
unbundled
Memorize this insurance chart
What are insurance termination options?
Take out the cash – surrender value
- if this amount exceeds your basis, then it is taxable. Otherwise not
Take cash value and convert to paid up
Use the CV to buy a term policy
What are the settlement options of life insurance policies?
lump sum
interest only - might be the right option for a spouse who needs life income
Annuity payout
How does a cross purchase agreement work?
Provide the cash necessary to one partner to buy out the heirs of the other partners
ex: would give me the money to buy out Gregs share from Kristen
Cross purchase: each partner buys a policy on the other partners
– Basis increases by the amount that they paid the heirs
Entity agreement: Company pays for the policies.
- Does NOT increase basis
Features of key version insurance
premiums not deductible
death benefits are received tax free
What appears on the declaration section of an insurance policy?
Insureds name
What are the different types of authority that an insurance agent has?
Express authority - written in contract
implied authority - when a third party is led to believe authority based on letterheads and signs. These actions are within the agents rights
Apparent authority - signage and business cards that imply authority when there isn’t actually authority
Temporary insurance coverage, which is available based on an applicant’s ability to provide evidence of insurability, may be provided by:
Conditional receipt
What is the collateral source rule?
The person who commits the tort will not benefit or be relieved of obligation and responsibility just because the victim has insurance.
What is a collateral assignment?
Temporary transfer of some or all of the ownership rights of an insurance policy whereby such rights revert to the assignor upon satisfaction of agreed-upon conditions.
What is absolute assignment of an insurance policy?
Irrevocable transfer of all ownership rights which can be accomplished through a sale or gift.
What is a unilateral contract?
drafted by one party
What is an aleatory contract?
The policy values are uneven. The insured pays a small premium for a larger death benefit from the insurance company
What is a conditional contract?
The conditions must be met to establish the policy
-underwriting
-health screening
etc
What is personal contract of adhesion?
It is not a business contract. It is a policy on one person
What is dynamic risk?
The core risk resides in the change in the environment cause by the changing human condition
What is Viatication?
When you’re allowed to sell your life insurance policy because you are terminally or chronically ill
What are types of annuities in terms of how you pay for them?
Immediate: purchase and start receiving payments
Deferred: Two phases, accumulation then annuitization. You pay for it over x years then get paid for remainder
Flexible premium deferred annuity (FPDA): Allows insured to vary the premiums paid. Retirement income function of what they paid into it
Single Premium Annuity (SPDA): Lump sum. Can use LIF proceeds
What are types of annuities in terms of how they pay you?
Fixed - guaranteed return. Fixed interest rate.
Variable - invests in “sub accounts”. No guarantee of return. Owner takes on investment risk
Equity indexed -fixed annuity linked to an index. Usually limits downside risk
What is a guaranteed minimum payments annuity?
AKA period certain
You get the payments no matter what, the bene gets it if the annuitant dies
What is the refund option on an annuity?
If you die too early your bene either gets a cash refund or installments for a n agreed on time
How is life insurance tax?
DB are generally not taxable
How can endowment, life insurance, and annuities be exchanged?
Life insurance for life insurance - tax free
life insurance for annuity - tax free
annuity for life insurance - taxable
annuity for annuity - tax free
How are life insurance dividends tax?
Not taxable unless you’ve received more back than your basis
What you receive back reduces your basis
What is a MEC?
Designed in 1982 to prevent people from taking advantage of tax benefits of life insurance. They’d front load premiums then borrow at a low interest rate
7 pay test: If you contribute more than
If it’s a MEC, and you borrow, it is not tax free! LIFO treatment. OI paid on all withdrawals until you get to basis
Also need to pay a 10% penalty if you withdraw/borrow before 59.5
Doesn’t matter if you won’t pull money out until death
What happens if you sell your life insurance policy (transfer for value)
If the sale proceeds exceed basis, then the excess is ordinary income.
What are the exceptions to the transfer for value rule?
- Transfer to the insured
- transfer to the business partner of the insured
- transfer to the partnership of the insured
- transferred to a corp in which insured is shareholder
- any transfer that results in a carryover basis from transferee to transferree
Are LI premiums tax deductible?
No! This allows for DB to ne tax free
Unless group
How are group life insurance premiums treated?
Insurance premiums paid by the employer are deductible to the employer
Premiums paid by employer for coverage over $50k are considered taxable income for employees
Note that premiums on key employee and split dollar insurance are not deductible
How are annuities taxed?
Earnings are not taxed while they grow in the annuity
Basis is always tax free
You calculate an exclusion ratio
Exclusion ratio = basis/total payments
Total expected payments = monthly payment x 12 months x life expectancy
Once you hit life expectancy, 100% of the payments are taxable as OI (but not subject to FICA)
How are viatacle settlements taxed?
your chronically or terminally ill
You sell your LI policy to a viatical
Your proceeds are tax free
Memorize this chart
How are annuities taxed?
If you do an early withdrawal:
- pre 1982 - taxed FIFO
- post 1982 - taxed LIFO
10% penalty if before age 59.5
What are the limits on healthcare?
NONE! Affordable care act