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Top 10 Pros and Cons of Variable Universal Life Insurance

Fact Checked by Jason Herring & Barry Brooksby
Licensed Agents & Life Insurance Experts.
Insurance and Estates, a strategic life insurance provider composed of life insurance professionals, is committed to integrity in our editorial standards and transparency in how we receive compensation from our insurance partners.
Variable Universal Life

At I&E, we don’t try to pretend that there is one best life insurance policy or company. The best policy depends on your specific needs, goals and objectives. In some cases the best policy will be Variable Universal Life insurance (VUL). In the following article on variable universal life insurance, we will cover the history of the product, what are the pros and cons associated with Variable Universal Life and when it is a good idea to choose a VUL policy. So the questions become, is VUL the best life insurance choice for you?

What is Variable Universal Life Insurance?

Variable Universal Life (VUL) is defined as a permanent type of cash value life insurance policy, in which the cash value can be invested into different accounts, including a fixed account and subaccount investment options that offer different risk levels and growth potential based on your financial goals.

Due to the fact that these underlying investment options are in securities, such as stocks, these variable universal life insurance policies are regulated under the federal securities laws. And you have to have a securities license in order to sell variable universal life policies. In other words, your normal, run of the mill, insurance agent is not allowed to sell VULs.

Two Death Benefit Options

  • A level benefit that is equal to the policy’s original Face Amount, or
  • A variable benefit that is equal to the original Face Amount plus your cash value account.

Who Is Variable Universal Life Insurance For?

A Variable Universal Life Insurance Policy caters to those seeking both the assurance of a death benefit and the possibility of increasing their wealth through the accumulation of cash value. Essentially, if you’re in search of lasting life insurance coverage and are at ease with the risks associated with investing, this type of policy could be a suitable option for you.

variable universal life insurance policyAs an example, consider Joe, a 41-year-old married father of two, who currently has group term life insurance via his job. He’s considering enhancing his family’s financial security with an additional permanent policy. After consulting with his financial advisor, Joe believes a Variable Universal Life Policy suits his needs best. He appreciates the policy’s premium payment flexibility and the option to distribute his premiums among various subaccounts, which could potentially increase his cash value on a tax-deferred basis.

History of the Variable Universal Life Policy

Variable Life Insurance has been around since the early 1980s. During the middle of the 20th century term life insurance provided temporary coverage while Whole Life insurance provided coverage for those that needed it to last a lifetime (or longer than 20 years).

In the 1980s when interest rates started rising many dividend paying whole life insurance policy owners saw increasing interest rates that did not reflect in lower policy dividends. (One reason is life insurance dividends tend to go up at a slower rate than interest rates so there is a lag effect.)

So, people began to ask if there was a better option. Why not buy term insurance and invest the difference in some sort of money market account that was paying double the dividend rate of the whole life policy? Americans started to cash in their whole life policies in droves. And the insurance companies were scrambling to figure out a solution.

Enter universal life insurance. A universal life policy didn’t offer the guarantees of the whole life policy, but it did offer flexibility and potential growth comparable with the money market accounts that were so enticing to consumers.

Schedule a consultation with our Universal Life expert

The ’80s

rising interest ratesJust a few years later, in the middle of the ’80s, Whole Life policies were paying over 13%, while their counterpart Universal policies were only paying 7%. Meanwhile the stock market was consistently averaging close to 15%. People wanted to buy term and invest the difference, and who could blame them.

In an effort to suppress the exodus from their products, the life insurance companies decided to add mutual funds to their cash value investment options – and thus Variable Universal Life insurance policies were born.

The variable universal life insurance policy was another form of permanent life insurance, and now it could grab the healthy gains of the stock market.

Variable Universal Life Insurance Policies Today

Variable universal life is still with us today, and the options for policy holders are far greater than when it was introduced. It also has some other benefits that make this product a viable option for the right person, whose goals and objectives align with a variable universal life insurance plan.

Top 10 Variable Universal Life Insurance Companies

The following carriers represent our current picks for the best variable universal life insurance companies in alphabetical order.

CompanyProductsA.M. Best Rating
AIGAG Platinum Choice VUL 2A
AXA IncentiveLife Optimizer III

IncentiveLife Legacy III
A
John HancockProtection VUL

Accumulation VUL
A+
LincolnAsset Edge VUL

VULone
A+
NationwideVariable Universal Life Accumulator

Variable Universal Life Protector
A+
Pacific LifeSelect VUL-Accumulation

Prime VUL
A+
PrincipalVUL Income IIIA+
Protective LifeInvestors Choice VULA+
PrudentialVUL ProtectorA+
SecurianAccumulator VUL

VUL Defender
A+

VUL Advantages and Disadvantages

We will go into more detail in the next section on the pros and cons of variable universal life insurance, but the following is a good snapshot of the advantages and disadvantages of VULs.

Advantages of Variable Universal Life Insurance:

  • You have the opportunity to experience significant growth potential, as you’re able to invest in a diverse range of portfolios.
  • You can decide when and how much to pay for your premiums, within certain boundaries.
  • You have the flexibility to adjust the Face Amount of your policy. Be aware that increasing it may necessitate proof of insurability, and decreasing it could bring about pro rata surrender charges.
  • Your choice in investment options grants you greater control, yet it introduces a higher level of investment risk compared to Whole Life or Universal Life policies.

Disadvantages of Variable Universal Life Insurance:

  • The freedom to postpone premium payments, combined with the chance of negative returns, might create issues with funding your policy.
  • Subpar investment results could force you to raise your premiums, or worse, result in your policy lapsing.

Pros of Variable Universal Life Insurance

The following is a  list of the popular pros and cons of variable universal life insurance policies. We here at I&E hope that this list will help provide just a little insight into this unique insurance and investment product.

Pro #1 – Death Benefit

A variable universal life insurance policy is both an investment product AND a life insurance product. As such, it’s important to note that one of the major benefits over products that are just investments, is that there is an income tax free death benefit payout to the insurance beneficiary.

Money will never be able to replace the loss of a loved one, but avoiding the double-whammy of a family death and massive financial hardship is significant.

All life insurance products have a death benefit, so it may seem odd to discuss this as a pro, but ultimately it is the key aspect that is being purchased, so it shouldn’t be dismissed.

Also, keep in mind that this is permanent life insurance. This life insurance will not expire as long as you keep paying the premiums. It is different from term insurance which expires after a typical 20 or 30 years.

An additional benefit is you can add certain long-term care riders to your variable universal life insurance policy to add additional protection if you are disabled and cannot perform 2 of 6 activities of daily living.

Finally, there is no endowment age with most variable universal life insurance policies (the age at which the cash value equals the death benefit amount), allowing the policy’s death benefit to continue to grow as long as you live.

Pro #2 – Flexible Premiums

Just about any time you see the word “universal” in the name of an insurance policy, you can assume your premium payments will be flexible. In this case it is true with a variable universal life insurance policy. The premiums can go up or down for a couple reasons.

  1. You can choose to raise or lower your death benefit. Keep in mind that in most cases increasing your death benefit will require proof of insurability.
  2. The performance of your cash value account may allow you to lower your premium.

Whole life vs Variable Universal Life

Whole Life insurance benefits include fixed premiums which can be supplemented through dividends, whereas Variable Universal Life has more flexibility built into the policy.

Many people like the fixed premium of whole life because they know what they have to pay and can budget accordingly.

With variable universal life, your premium can fluctuate up or down depending on various factors, including stock market performance. This can be a plus or minus depending on which side your policy falls on.

In contrast, whole life insurance is an asset that is non correlated to the stock market. That means that the performance of the stock market does not have a direct affect on the performance of your whole life policy. Rather, whole life acts as a safe bucket, that provides peace of mind away from Wall Street.

Pro #3 – In the Market – Inflation Hedge – No Rate Cap

This third pro is the reason the Variable Universal Life policy was created. So policy holders could enter the investment market with their cash value.

By entering the market, the VUL provides a permanent life insurance product with NO RATE CAP, versus indexed universal life insurance that offers both a cap and floor.

If the mutual fund to which the cash value is invested returns a rate that exceeds 20%, the full amount is credited to the policy holder’s account (minus fees of course).

As a product that is fully entered into the stock market, the cash value growth has the luxury of gaining a hedge against inflation. If the economy is strong and booming, inflation will likely increase, and so will the cash value growth in this account.

The ability to participate fully in the market and still receive the tax benefits of life insurance is one of the primary reasons variable universal life is used in private placement life insurance.

Variable Universal Life vs Indexed Universal Life

Having no rate cap can be a huge advantage when comparing VUL vs IUL policies. VUL insurance policies have the ability to offer higher returns. Included with higher returns is the ability to lose principal in a down market.

With an Indexed Universal Life policy the max rate cap is around 8-10%. If the market goes up beyond that you will not participate in the additional gains from the index your policy is correlated with. Some IUL insurance policies offer no cap but have a lower participation rate.

On the other side of the coin is with an indexed universal life insurance policy there is a floor. The floor of your indexed universal life policy protects your cash value from negative market returns. However, with a VUL policy, your loss is potentially unlimited, based on what the stock market does.

Pro #4 – Tax Advantaged

All cash value life insurance has distinct tax advantages, see is life insurance taxable. Death benefits are paid out to beneficiaries tax-free. And all gains in cash value are tax-deferred.

And there is a bonus that can make the product virtually tax-free for life – including the gains. Taxes are typically only charged on withdrawals of the cash value. And even then, your withdrawals occur FIFO (First In – First Out), which means that the premiums you paid in to the cash value would have to be completely depleted before your withdrawals would be taxed.

Just to be clearer, your withdrawals will be tax free on the basis (premiums paid in). You will only be taxed on the growth of the account IF you withdraw beyond your basis.

But most people don’t choose to withdraw their money because that lowers their cash value – and thus their potential earning. Instead they choose life insurance policy loans – which we’ll discuss next.

In addition to these advantages, you don’t have the early withdrawal penalties and the required minimum distributions that the IRS forces on the other tax deferred products, such as IRAs and 401ks.

Pro #5 – Cash Value / Policy Loans

The variable universal life insurance policy is a cash value life insurance product. As such, a certain amount of the premium goes toward the cost of insurance while the remainder goes to the cash value.

This cash value is invested in a number of ways across the different permanent life insurance products. The VUL gives the policy holder the option to invest in securities, such as stocks and bonds, through mutual funds.

The cash value portion of the policy is the engine that makes the policy work. Without the cash value growth, the premiums would eventually rise very high and the policy would likely lapse.

But if the cash value is invested wisely, and the investments perform well, the cash value growth may be faster than any other life insurance product, making a variable universal life insurance policy a potentially great choice when implementing a life insurance retirement plan.

You don’t have to withdraw your money to access it!

Life insurance policy loans can be used to access cash value. Typically, you can borrow up to 90% of the Policy Value minus Surrender Charges.

Life insurance loans are a unique way in which many policy holders access their cash value without incurring any tax hit. And depending on your return in your overall cash value account, you can get arbitrage. This arbitrage can work in your favor. Or in many cases can just mean that you have a wash loan – it costs you nothing.

Many people with variable universal life insurance policies take out policy loans and use the money well into retirement for a variety of wants and needs. When the insured ultimately dies, the tax free death benefit is paid to the beneficiary minus the outstanding loans.

Generally, when you take out a policy loan, whether you repay it or not, it impacts your cash value over time. This happens because the loan amount is taken from your Subaccounts and/or Fixed Account as collateral. The portion used as collateral for the loan doesn’t share in the investment gains of the Subaccounts. Instead, it earns interest at the fixed minimum guaranteed rate of 4% in the Fixed Account.

Variable Universal Life Cons

Con #1 – More Risk / In the Market

Whole Life insurance offers guarantees, such as guaranteed fixed premiums, and guaranteed cash value growth. Indexed universal life provides a floor. However, Variable Universal Life insurance does not offer guarantees or a floor.

When the savings component of the insurance policy is separated from the death benefit, the risk is transferred to the policy holder. The VUL allows the policy holder to use the savings account to invest in various underlying investment options, and those investments are not guaranteed. Without guarantees the policy holder is required to accept risk.

The risk of a variable life policy is acceptable only because there is hopefully a comparable amount of reward. In other words, the risks are warranted because of the reward from the underlying investment.

We talked about the rewards of the VUL above when we mentioned they have no rate cap. The higher possible returns are the carrot that entices the consumer into the VUL. But with variable universal life insurance policies your cash value can drop dramatically in a very short period of time.

In 2008, there were mutual funds that lost more than 50% of their value in just a few short months. That means there is tremendous risk for those that choose to enter that market. If you are considering a Variable Universal Life policy, please weigh the risks of market exposure, because a bad year for the stock market could cause your policy to lapse if you don’t take steps to keep it afloat.

Con #2 – Higher Cost

Due to the fact that the variable universal life insurance policy’s cash value is being invested in the financial markets, there are additional oversight, policy charges and management fees. So the VUL typically has a higher cost per year than a comparable Universal Life policy.

Many financial advisors will recommend buying term insurance and investing the rest in low cost ETF’s or money market funds. This strategy provides protection while also enjoying the market gains of financial markets. However, this strategy is not a form of permanent insurance coverage, and therefore isn’t an apples to apples comparison.

Besides, no one actually buys term insurance, figures out the difference in price between term and permanent coverage, and then invests accordingly.

And what this tired mantra fails to take into account is the tremendous leverage associated with the life insurance death benefit, missing from any mutual fund.

Further, as mentioned above, private placement life insurance benefits by using the tax incentives allotted to life insurance by the IRS.

If you want permanent insurance and also want the ability to use the cash value to invest in the financial markets, you’ll likely have to pay more in policy expenses. Not all VUL’s have the same fees, so make sure you do a cost comparison with a trusted life insurance strategist before you sign up.

Con #3 – Complicated / Requires Management

It’s also true that a VUL can be complicated. This is especially true when compared with other forms of life insurance. With Variable Universal Life you have the option, and responsibility, to manage multiple investment accounts. You can invest in mutual funds, or money market funds, or even hedge funds.

The policies today often offer 50 or more separate accounts covering an incredible variety of asset classes and management styles. The separate accounts are organized as trusts to be managed for the benefit of the policy holder.

They are called separate because they are not included with the ‘general account’ of the life insurance company. In this way they are similar to mutual funds, but have different regulatory requirements and investment risks.

Ultimately the variety of options and responsibilities provided to the policy holder requires greater oversight and knowledge. All that to say – the Variable Universal Life policy can be complicated.

Con #4 – Premiums may Rise / Account suffers Loss

The additional complexity and variety of a variable universal life insurance policy, along with the added risk, comes the potential for loss. If you you lose your cash value, or you lose a substantial amount of your cash value, the policy will be in jeopardy.

With a VUL the insurance company has passed the risk to the policy holder, in exchange for greater choice and potential gains. But ultimately the death benefit has to be paid.

Therefore the insurance company needs to raise premiums to meet their actuarial targets. The cash value of your variable universal life insurance policy needs to meet certain targets (seen in your prospectus), or the policy premiums will need to rise. If you don’t pay the increased premiums, the policy will likely lapse, or will need to be modified.

With most permanent life insurance there are guarantees against loss. Some are greater than others, but with the Variable Universal Life policies, the risk of loss is greatest. You are responsible for your investment risk and will need to diversify accordingly.

It is true that many insurers offer guaranteed death benefits up to a certain age, as long as premiums are paid. But this is not much of a guarantee as it really only amounts to a term policy rider.

Schedule a consultation with our Universal Life expert

Con #5 – No True Guarantees

I guess this is pretty obvious by now, but we thought it should be spelled out – no true guarantees. Whole Life has a guarantee. Indexed Universal Life has a floor. Variable Universal Life does not have a guarantee or a floor. At least not a true guarantee in the same sense as the WL and IUL policies.

As mentioned above, the variable universal life insurance policy can provide a death benefit guarantee up through a certain age. But that is really just the bare minimum and is no better than Term Insurance. The separate accounts can gain or lose at any rate the market chooses. As such the risk is on your shoulders as a policy holder.

  • Whole Life offers guaranteed growth and a guaranteed death benefit.
  • Indexed Universal Life offers a minimum floor.
  • Variable Universal Life offers a temporary guarantee on the death benefit – that’s it.

For those that believe they have the skills to increase their cash value almost every year – the variable universal life insurance policy is a fantastic tax incentivized option. But don’t expect any true guarantees.

Variable Universal Life Insurance Riders

Optional Benefit Riders: Your policy includes the option to add extra benefits, known as “riders,” at an additional cost, offering you enhanced protection under the policy. These riders, available only when you first take out your policy, encompass:

  • Riders that boost the payout in the event of your or a family member’s death, such as the Accidental Death Benefit Rider, Children’s Insurance Rider, and Other Insured Rider.
  • Riders designed to keep your Policy active and prevent it from lapsing, like the Waiver of Monthly Premium Rider or the Flexible Duration No-Lapse Guarantee Rider.
  • Riders allowing a portion or all of the death benefit to be paid out in installments before your death, for instance, the Accelerated Death Benefit Rider for Terminal Illness,  the Long Term Care Benefit Rider, or the Chronic Illness Rider.

Conclusion

As with all forms of life insurance there are advantages and disadvantages to the Variable Universal Life policy. For those people that are savvy investors, and yet want their investments tied to a life insurance product – the VUL is a great option.

For others, and I would even say for most, the VUL doesn’t offer enough advantages to outweigh the additional risk. It may be better to keep your investments and life insurance separate.

If you’re considering a permanent life insurance policy, including variable universal life insurance, and you want to get some solid advice, contact us today. We highly recommend talking with a qualified life insurance professional when making important financial decisions.

30 comments… add one
  • Tony Nikolas August 29, 2018, 6:13 am

    What about the MEC??

    • Maurice Miller September 13, 2018, 7:06 pm

      What do you mean?

      • Nam November 30, 2020, 7:27 pm

        MEC is Modified Endowment Contract to which he is referring.

  • universal life insurance September 24, 2018, 3:17 am

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on life cover. Regards

  • life assurance policy October 5, 2018, 1:44 pm

    Fine way of telling, and good post to get facts about my
    presentation subject, which i am going to convey in institution of higher education.

    • Insurance&Estates October 5, 2018, 2:23 pm

      Thanks for visiting and your kind feedback!

      Best,

      I&E

  • Anonymous January 14, 2019, 9:32 am

    What about eligibility? Are those with pre-existing conditions more likely to receive coverage due to risk being shared not just by policy owners but also by the risk assumed by the market? Do disability benefits exist under this insurance type? If so, those would be two additional pros.

    • Insurance&Estates January 18, 2019, 10:22 am

      Thanks for visiting Insurance and Estates. Good question. The general answer is that we have clients that are often approved with pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies are much better now than they used to be concerning clients that do not have perfect health. Also, the type of policy does not matter to an insurance company and approvals are based upon a combination of health and financial underwriting. There are several options currently that include waiver of premium and disability riders. Give us a call or e-mail contact information and we will have one of our Pro Client Guides reach out to you. Best, Steve Gibbs

  • Suzanne Bilbrey November 7, 2019, 10:27 am

    My financial advisor is “brokering” a quote for me on this, and I was confused as to why. Is it because I will have to assign that responsibility/authority to him to manage? and I’m assuming charging for the investment privilege ? I am concerned that I was being sold on the “rider” for allowing for withdrawal for long term care (with the 2/6 life function determination) but if the value can actually go down, is that the right way to look at it? If I’m expecting to be able to withdraw the full value of the death benefit as LTC costs, and the value isn’t there, then I am limited to the cash value amount?

    • Insurance&Estates November 8, 2019, 7:23 am

      Hello Suzanne, thanks for your comment and reading. I believe you’re concerns are valid, as it is common to see financial advisors with little knowledge of life insurance or long term care pursue solutions through a third party relationship. This can be okay if all disclosed and the 3rd party is an expert with the products, etc. It sounds like you’re concerned about costs and should ask for full disclosure. I can’t really speak to the actual products, rider or other questions as I have no direct knowledge of them. You’re welcome to seek a second opinion from our Sales Director and Long Term Care expert Jason Herring by e-mailing him at jason@insuranceandestates.com to set up a discussion.

      Best,

      Steve Gibbs, for I&E.

  • JD November 11, 2019, 9:59 pm

    You didn’t list New York Life’s AA+ rating on the A.M. Best ratings

    • Insurance&Estates November 16, 2019, 12:09 pm

      Hello JD, we were a bit confused by your comment because NY Life isn’t known for variable products and you’re comment relates to that article. Thanks for reading and commenting.

      Best,

      Steve Gibbs, Esq.

      • Jim January 27, 2021, 2:40 pm

        Not true! I have a VUL with New York Life. I believe other highly rated mutual companies have them as well, like Northwestern.

        • Insurance&Estates February 2, 2021, 7:57 am

          Northwestern isn’t likely. Interesting that NY Life offers one, their flagship product however is whole life. We don’t really promote these or sell them, so thanks for your feedback.

          Best, Steve Gibbs, for I&E.

  • Kristianne November 15, 2019, 5:56 pm

    Nov. 16, 2019

    Hello Sir,
    I don’t really know what is happening with sunlife but my VUL insurance is not progressing, in fact i am losing Php50000+ on my investment. i started my VUL on 2015 with a 5 year term of payment (Phpp80K/year i was 29 years old), 1 more year before I finish paying. i picked peso balance fund with starting unit price of Php3.1578 and peso bond fund with starting price of Php2.0029 as the investment linked on my insurance. now four years later, unit price is at 3.3459 and 2.1589 which is i think is too low. January 2019 is when is my highest loss, PHP74,000+. what do you think? should i pull out my insurance or not? all those numbers in the projected fund value my agent gave me never came true, tsk tsk. i also heard from one of my colleague, he has a mutual fund account in sunlife and for 5 years the increase is only Php600.00. what the heck sunlife? really, i think your the only one getting the goods on these transactions. why oh why? Any advice?

    • Insurance&Estates November 16, 2019, 12:13 pm

      Hello Kristianne, thank you for your comment; however, this is a very detailed question that requires an in depth look at your policy. I’ve asked Jason Herring to reach out to you as he is an expert at analyzing and explaining universal life products.

      Best,

      Steve Gibbs for I&E

    • Queenie September 23, 2020, 2:10 am

      Same here.Happened in my Manulife. It’s been more than 5 yrs now and I have not enjoy the so-colled interest earned.I really regret in getting Manulife. I have pay my premium P3k for 5 yrs if I put this in a bank at least there will be interest earned even small amount rather than these the cash value has been so low. I dont when will I enjoy the said interest. Imagined, we tried to invest and the agent keep on promising us after 5 yrs for sure your money will grow..Haizz..so for young professionals out there…think more than a hundred times before investing in VUL eventually you will regret if you will see your money that you invest never gain..

      • Insurance&Estates September 24, 2020, 9:23 am

        Hello Kristianne, thanks for your comment. While we talk about a lot of different types of life insurance for various purposes, variable is not a product that our experts tend to favor for most people. Generally, we like to see folks utilize high cash value whole life instead, as it offers a guaranteed return, plus historically documented dividends, plus tax advantages. Feel free to explore this option in more detail by initiating a conversation with our Whole Life expert Barry Brooksby at barry@insuranceandestates.com.

        Best, Steve Gibbs for I&E.

  • Trudie Freed January 25, 2020, 9:53 am

    Is Penn Mutual a good company for having my VUL IV with? Also is there a difference between a VUL and a VUL IV? If so, what?

    • Insurance&Estates January 27, 2020, 8:35 am

      Hello Trudy, thanks for commenting. I recommend you connect with Jason Herring on this question at jason@insuranceandestates.com.

      Best, Steve Gibbs for I&E

  • New Financial Advisor January 26, 2020, 5:28 pm

    Hi,
    I just recently started applying to be a financial advisor. While I’m still training, I’m trying to learn as much as I can. I’ve been reading articles and blogs, and it seems that most financial managers seem to really dislike VULs. They recommend not to combine insurance and investments, mainly because of the high cost and possibly low returns. Can the costs be worth it? And is it really just for financially illiterate or lazy people?

  • Joshua Mills September 24, 2020, 7:03 pm

    In my opinion VUL has a lot of benefits but the “best” policy depends on your specific needs, goals and objectives.

    Joshua Mills

    • Insurance&Estates September 25, 2020, 9:25 am

      Hi Joshua, thanks for commenting. We agree, there is no one size fits all best policy and each person’s goals and situation should be carefully reviewed in order to determine the best fit.

      Sincerely, I&E

  • Mykee Carlo October 25, 2020, 7:51 am

    Is vul retirement plan good for me,? I’m 26 yrs.old and I thought that this is perfect for me.. it will end in my 65th yrs.old. is this worthing,?
    It has a minimum coverage which prioritized investment.. which I preferd

    • Insurance&Estates October 26, 2020, 10:44 am

      Hello, depending on your goals, VULs may or may not be ideal. For an in depth look with an expert, you can connect with Jason Herring at jason@insuranceandestates.com.

      Best, Steve Gibbs for I&E.

  • Carlos Fragela March 27, 2021, 12:43 pm

    Hello, I found this very helpful and I have a couple of questions.
    At this moment, I’m on the fence whether getting the VUL or not. I am currently working with an insurance agent who is doing all my paperwork for the 403b and also he’s encouraging me into getting VUL. To summarize, the way he explained it to me I though it was fantastic. He told me he can guarantee an 8 percent investment grow. My premium is only $56 monthly, and the rest will be cash value. So Im going for $200 monthly payments and $56 of that is premium which covers me for a $250,000 death benefit value. So according to the chart he showed me I will be making $40000 in 15 years in just cash value. He told me I can withdraw any amount of money with no penalties. Should I go for it?

    • Insurance&Estates April 6, 2021, 12:47 pm

      Hi Carlos, I definitely cannot advise you to go with any product or strategy in a blog post comment. If you’re interested in specific advice, I recommend you connect with Jason Herring at jason@insuranceandestates.com who handles our VUL inquiries.

      Best, Steve Gibbs, Esq.

  • Lynette June 26, 2021, 9:13 pm

    I purchased a VUL IV via my local agent and it is through Midland National. I knew very little about the details when I purchased it and over the years I have felt some concern, however, as I look at the plan now and analyze it I can understand the many benefits. The initial amount of coverage was for $250,000. I have had the policy in place now for 20 years and as the cash value has now grown to just under $120,000 the death benefit has also increased and is now nearly $370,000. I have the ability to borrow a sizeable portion of the cash value at no interest without harming the policy in any way except for my beneficiaries would have a reduction in death benefit by the amount I borrow. Meanwhile, for the past 20 years, I have been fully insured. Additionally, the total dollar amount I have paid out in premiums over the past 20 years is less than the $120,000 cash value I have increased by.

    I realize that a drop in the market can impact the cash value of my fund, however, as I look at it now, I don’t know of any other way to be insured at basically no cost unless you take into account what I MIGHT have done with the money instead. But it is just as likely that I could have spent it on something of no lasting value, whereas once I had money sunk into the policy, I was not going to simply change my mind.

    I am grateful I was finally able to understand the true benefit to me and my family because I frequently had experienced concerns and wondered if I had made a horrible financial decision. To any who DO choose a VUL, my biggest advice is to be sure you carefully analyze your investment options and spread the money across several funds. The funds that do well one quarter do not always do great the next quarter, so be sure to check the long-term record of the investment choice or % return since inception and rebalance your investments when necessary.

    Also, make sure you work with an agent you trust and feel comfortable asking questions. Do your research and don’t make decisions just because you feel pressured. If you have the discipline to ALWAYS pay yourself by investing monthly, then go ahead and buy term and invest on your own. It is unfortunate that the math common-core is not based on personal finance! It is the one type of math that will make the biggest difference to each of us individually throughout our lives. Maybe it is time for a change!!!

  • oliver george April 7, 2022, 12:11 pm

    Private placement life insurance is not available in all countries and has been proven to be beneficial for high-income individuals who have a large estate in countries where it has been legalized

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