A Risk-Free Life Insurance Policy? (No)

Is your life insurance policy risk-free? At its core, a cash-value life insurance policy consists of three components: interest rates/dividend rates, mortality costs (cost of insurance) and expense charges. And, over the last 10 years, interest rates have been at historic lows. They are often lower than the guaranteed interest rates on universal life insurance policies. Something has to give. Insurance companies traditionally have invested their funds in debt-related investments (mostly bonds). As insurance companies are not earning enough interest to meet the projected interest rates on universal life and other cash value life insurance policies, they have had to lower the interest rates they credit to their policy owners. On some of these older policies, the guaranteed interest rate is higher than what the companies are earning, so the insurance companies are losing money on interest rates. See Also: How to Reach Millions With life Insurance What happens when insurance companies lose money? Well, they're not charities, so they look for the money in other places. Some companies have been able to make up some of the difference by changing their investment portfolio; however, by regulation, they are restricted in what they can invest in to some degree.  Why Am I Reading About Universal Life Policies Terminating?  Keeping in mind that almost every universal life insurance policy is crediting the guaranteed minimum interest rate, the insurance companies really only have one other component they can change to continue to maintain profitability. And that's the mortality costs, also known as the cost of insurance. A number of companies have recently announced increases in their mortality costs, though they do not typically disclose what the actual change is (dollar amount or  percentages). These companies include AXA Equitable, Banner Life, Security Life of Denver, Transamerica Life, Voya Life and William Penn Life. It is important to note that the companies are only raising mortality costs on some universal life policies, not all of them.  It is highly likely that other life insurance companies will follow, especially if there are no repercussions (regulatory, media, consumer, etc.).   If you have a whole life policy, you may be thinking, "Well, I'm safe, I'm getting my dividends." Dividends are tricky. Companies with whole life policies have reduced dividend scales, but this is usually not disclosed anywhere—you just receive lower dividends. On a whole life policy where your original projection was to pay premiums for X number of years, you'll find yourself paying premiums for much longer periods without ever being told. Most people don't realize their premium payment periods have been significantly extended.  Also, you won't be building up the cash value that was on the original projection, so if you bought a policy using the "Missing Money concept," "Be Your Own Banker concept" or a similar concept, you are almost certainly not going to end up where you expected. (This is setting aside the issue of whether these concepts really make sense, but that's a topic for another newsletter/article.) What's This Mean for You?  If you have a cash value life insurance policy, especially one purchased more than 10 years ago, your policy has a very high chance of terminating without value. To avoid this unwanted outcome, higher premiums are needed on almost every older universal life policy (traditional universal life, variable universal life or indexed life), basically on any life insurance policy where the premiums are not fixed. And if your premium is guaranteed, such as on a whole life policy, you may be paying premiums for significantly longer than expected or will be receiving a lower cash value. "So," you ask, "why hasn't my insurance company or insurance agent told me about this?" Good question. The answer could be any or all of the following: The insurance companies are not facing facts; the insurance companies would prefer to not face the issue; the insurance company does not realize the issue exists; the agent doesn't understand the problem; or the regulatory system is not addressing it yet.  This is definitely a matter of concern because life insurance companies are not detailing the impact on premiums and the life of the policy. And companies are not required to do so; nor are they even required to notify policyholders of increases in their costs of insurance (mortality costs).  How Do I Find Out About My Policy?  Recently, Bottom Line Personal interviewed me for a story on this topic: "Your Life Insurance Policy May Be Terminated." As mentioned in the interview, the only way to determine the impact of this increase in mortality costs is through an in-force illustration. An in-force illustration is a projection of future values based on current assumptions. The Insurance Literacy Institute has free "Insurance Annual Review" guides that include a form letter to request in-force illustrations in the Resources Section.  Your in-force illustration request should include a projection based on current premiums and assumptions, along with a request for the required premium to continue your policy to maturity (maximum length). The difference in premium may be significant. What Should I do?  A couple of things to consider are your health and life expectancy as well as your current need for life insurance. Most people find they don't have a need for permanent life insurance because they have other assets they accumulate and that replace the need for life insurance. Remember, life insurance is for protecting those who are financially dependent upon you. If you do need your life insurance policy, consider if you can pay the higher premium that would be required to keep your policy in force to maturity, or consider if a reduced death benefit would meet your needs. You should also take a look at the ratio of premiums to death benefit. If you're paying in 10% of the death benefit each year in premiums, then the policy doesn't provide you good leverage. Surrendering the policy is an option to consider, especially if there is a sizable surrender value. See Also: Bringing Clarity to Life Insurance Another option is selling a policy in the secondary marketplace (life settlement), though this needs to be approached carefully. Big Question:  How many other companies have increased their mortality costs, and how many other policies are affected?