What is a non profit whole of life insurance plan?
The non-profit whole-life insurance policy has traditionally been regarded as a useful method of obtaining permanent cover till death, but the past two decades have undermined its value for this purpose. First, the effect of inflation has eroded the value of the sum assured. In 1960 a 30-year old man might have thought a £10,000 sum assured would be ample for long-term protection for himself and his family.
Actuaries have taken the view that they have to be cautious in making assumptions about interest rates which have effect over such long periods. So in 1960 premiums could have been based on an assumed net interest rate of 3-4%. The actual interest earned has been well in excess of this but the non-profit policyholder has not benefitted.
The decrease in mortality between 1949 and 1970 has been such as to give a valid explanation for a reduction in premiums on non-profit whole-life insurance policies of up to 20% for younger ages. Again, the life insurance policyholder has received no benefit from this, since his premium was set at the old rates and cannot be adjusted. In practice, what has happened is that, as interest rates have risen and mortality improved, companies have lowered their premium rates on non-profit life insurance policies, while existing policyholders have been locked into the higher rates they had originally contracted to pay and have therefore received a very poor return on their money. The modern tendency, therefore, is to purchase protection on a shorter-term basis through term assurance and FIB.
In theory, this will prove more expensive overall, but then this also accords with the trend of income since the young man has little to spare, and therefore wants the cheapest life insurance protection. At middle age he has surplus income and may not mind too much if his life insurance is costing him a lot more than it would have if he had taken it out 10 years previously when he could not afford it will show that for the younger man the saving with term assurance is substantial.
Tags: life insurance, life insurance cover, term life insurance