If you’re not familiar with indexed universal life insurance, you’ve come to the right place.
What is an IUL?
Indexed universal life insurance (IUL) is a type of permanent life insurance that has an investment element that helps the policy build cash value.
Part of the premium for an IUL is invested in stock options that track an index, like the S&P 500 or NASDAQ 100. This provides a higher growth potential than a whole life policy or a standard universal life policy (both of which provide a conservative fixed return). Gains may be capped in an indexed universal life policy, but the policy provides protections that prevent stock market meltdowns or slow slides from eroding the cash value in your policy.
Here are some of the main benefits of an IUL:
1. It protects your downside. Unlike direct investments, mutual funds, or other types of investments – an indexed universal life policy protects your downside. If the market drops for the index (or indexes) your policy tracks, you keep the gains and are sheltered from the losses. Don’t you wish your 401k or private investments could do that?
2. The cash value in your policy grows tax-deferred. Without the frequent tax liability that often comes with trading in and out of stocks or funds, the cash value can grow unhindered by the ball and chain of capital gains or income taxes.
3. Gains for an indexed universal life policy can be significantly higher than with a whole life policy or a universal life policy. Even with capped gains, which is a tradeoff in exchange for providing a floor to protect your policy from losses, the gains in an indexed universal life policy can outpace the earnings in fixed-rate policies. As with any investment, time tends to be your best friend, smoothing the down years (flat years for an IUL) with strong years to build an upward trend line.
An indexed universal life insurance policy can help supplement your retirement savings strategy and work in parallel with your existing 401k and IRAs – but with access to your cash value before age 59 ½ – or after – and without the dreaded 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal.
Summing It Up
As both a permanent life insurance policy and a tax-deferred investment vehicle that shields you from market losses, an indexed universal life policy can help provide for your family at nearly any point in life and then provide for your beneficiaries when you pass away.