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Bad manners
Queuing
Faux outrage
Those are a few of my least favourite things.
So what do the things that piss me off have to do with your life insurance?
Well, the things that piss everybody off about life insurance are:
Fear not, my angry friends, I have the solution – life insurance that can pay for itself and is guaranteed to pay out eventually!
Listen up, and I’ll tell you all about it but first, let’s look at the two types of whole of life insurance you may have already heard of.
This type of cover is shite.
Some boffin designed these policies to get so expensive that you eventually cancel so they never have to payout. Unfortunately, you’re then financially exposed at the exact time you need it most…when you’re older.
If you have one of these policies or know someone who might have one (your parents maybe?), advise them to find an alternative asap.
Here’s how they work
Here’s a more detailed article we wrote on the reviewable whole of life insurance.
Now let’s look at a much fairer type of whole of life insurance:
This is the one we have always recommended.
It’s fair because you know exactly how much will pay out and how much it will cost every month.
No nasty surprises, and no one has yet found a way to outlive the policy.
Taking out a guaranteed whole of life policy is the only way to beat the house.
But now, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the newest type of whole of life cover:
This one is a mixture of an ordinary term life insurance policy and a whole life insurance policy.
Let’s look at a policy I recently arranged:
Susan contacted me looking for €100,000 life insurance over 20 years for herself and her husband. However, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t paying, forgive the pun, dead money. Susan wanted to get something back from her policy. We looked at life insurance with cash back, but that was outside her budget. Instead, we settled on life insurance with the whole of life benefit.
The total cost of this policy over the 20 years amounts to €22,068 (€91.95 x 12 x 20)
But there is a guaranteed payout on each life of €25,000.
Let me repeat that.
The most Susan will pay in is €22,068. The minimum this policy will payout is €50,000
The policy also has a medical-free conversion option.
For the final time, for those of you down the back, for a benefit that will cost a maximum of €22,068 over 20 years, this is what could happen.
Scenario A:
Either Susan or her hubby dies within the 20-year term
€75,000 Life cover + €25,000 whole of life benefit pays out = €100,000 per person. If both die within 20 years, €200,000 pays out.
Scenario B:
Both survive past 2038, the life cover of €75,000 no longer applies, but the whole of life benefit of €25,000 continues on Susan and her husband for free. On their eventual deaths, €50,000 will payout (€25,000 for Susan and €25,000 for her hubby)
Ok, one last time – the maximum they will pay in is €22,068, but if they keep the policy for the 20 years, it will pay out a minimum of €50,000.
There’s only one.
You have to stick with this insurer and pay the premiums for the term of your policy.
That’s it.
But remember:
From the first second the insurer gets your money, they will invest it. They hope their investment return beats the return they have to provide on your life cover. They also hope many of you will cancel the policy before the free cover kicks in. And finally, inflation over those 20 years should make the payout at the end easier to swallow.
Still, even taking all of this into account, it’s an attractive product provided you structure it the right way.
And that’s where I come in.
Wondering how the life insurance provider can make money if it pays out more than you pay in?
You’re dead right!
Well, three things spring to mind:
If you don’t keep the policy for the full 20 years, the insurer will cancel your policy and pocket the premiums.
The €100,000 payout in 20 years will be worth less than €100,000 but seeing as we’re in a low inflation cycle will be for a while, such cover still makes financial sense.
The insurer will invest your premiums as they receive them over the years of your plan. These investments should generate more revenue than they will eventually payout.
Let’s rewind to your pet hates when it comes to life insurance:
Not if you structure it like Susan. In fact, it pays for itself.
Not if you add the whole of life benefit, you can’t outlive it.
I know it’s hard to get your head around, so I’d be only too delirah and excirah to go through it with you in more detail and answer any questions.
Complete this questionnaire, and I’ll be right back with a recommendation we can discuss.
Or you can schedule a call here to go through it.
Chat then!
Nick McGowan
lion.ie | making life insurance easier
As Ireland's leading life insurance broker, we specialise in comparing the rates and policies from the top five Irish life insurance providers and offering the very best value quotes to suit the individual needs of our clients. Our expertise lies in finding a suitable insurance plan for those with specific needs, be it a particular illness, occupation or claim history, we've got you covered in every sense!
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