IUL Increasing Death Benefit with Return of Premium

More in this post on American General’s Value+Proctor III Indexed Universal Life (IUL) focusing on the increasing death benefit option rather than level death benefit.

Male 42 years old, preferred plus, $250 per month premium all years, solve face amount, target premium, increasing death benefit, S&P 500 index annual point to point, hypothetical 5.00% interest crediting all years.

Monthly premiums: $250
Initial Death Benefit: $344,756

Year 25 Total premium outlay: $75,000
Year 25 Guaranteed Return of Premium: $75,000
Year 25 Guaranteed Death Benefit: $366,063

5.00% hypothetical
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Cash Surrender Value: $93,252
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Death Benefit: $438,009

3.70% hypothetical
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Cash Surrender Value: $78,848
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Death Benefit: $423,604

age 83 no-lapse guarantee (NLG, ULSG)

Guideline level premium: $18,895.80
7-pay premium: $23,855.94

The guideline level premium in monthly premiums is $1,574.65 (18,895.80 divided by 12). Here’s looking at this same basic structure: same initial death benefit with this maximum non-MEC premium. MEC stands for Modified Endowment Contract, the maximum allowed under IRS rules for favorable tax consideration.

Monthly premiums: $1,574.65
Initial Death Benefit: $344,756

Year 25 Total premium outlay: $472,395
Year 25 Guaranteed Cash Value Accumulation: $351,631
Year 25 Guaranteed Death Benefit: $696,390

5.00% hypothetical
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Cash Surrender Value: $732,360
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Death Benefit: $1,077,120

3.70% hypothetical
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Cash Surrender Value: $612,491
Year 25 Non-Guaranteed Death Benefit: $957,251

age 103 no-lapse guarantee (NLG, ULSG)

Guideline level premium: $18,895.80
7 pay premium: 23,855.88

Comments: The strategy is to begin the policy at an affordable level $250 a month and at some point go up higher, to $500 a month or whatever, up to $1,574 a month, the guideline level. Premiums can fluctuate up and down at any time. The 7-pay premium limit could boost that $1,574 monthly figure even higher. Just monitor premium limit by either the guideline level or 7-pay test. Increasing premiums may negate the full return of premium (ROP) option in year 25 but would help maximize cash value accumulation, as much as possible without the policy becoming a MEC. Note the 5.00% and 3.70% interest crediting are truly hypothetical for illustrations. No market index performs with steady results each and every year, and averages may vary given changes to participation rates, caps, and cost of insurance charges. What’s notable with this American General IUL product are the guarantees.

IUL comparison for maximum cash value accumulation and tax-free loans

Male, age 44, standard non tobacco

$200,000 annual premium years 1-10, zero premium years 11+: total premium $2,000,000
5.00% interest crediting S & P 500 index annual point-to-point, all years.  This is not the maximum crediting allowed but helps compare carrier performance apples-to-apples.

structured maximum cash value accumulation, guideline level premium, minimum face amount, increasing death benefit, non-MEC guideline level premium test

Cash Value Accumulation (non guaranteed based on 5%)

Company A: $2,967,294 initial death benefit, year 20 cash value: $3,749,106, age 79 no lapse guarantee 
Company B: $3,255,183 initial death benefit, year 20 cash value: $3,352,877, age 93 no lapse guarantee 

Tax-Free Loans

Same structure as above except an increasing death benefit years 1-20, level death benefit years 21+, variable loan rate 4.50%

Company A: $803,212 loans years 21-25, total loans $4,0116,060  net outlay ($2,016,060)
Company B: $680,000 loans years 21-25, non guarantee lapse age 86

Comments: Even though company A projects clear advantages in cash value accumulation and policy loans, company B with its age 93 no lapse guarantee (NLG) indicates a fundamentally stronger product impervious to cost of insurance (COI) increases in or cap reductions, any carrier undermining of product support in the future.

Indexed Universal Life (IUL) quotes run April 2023. Please contact me to discuss these two competitive carriers.

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Cash Value Life Insurance Choices

Santiago Rusiñol. Calvario marlloquí

Whole Life: life insurance participating, or par

  • Dividends
  • Builds Cash Value
  • Guaranteed Cash Value Accumulation
  • Endow, worth face amount in cash, at age 100 or age 121
  • Increasing face amount
  • Cash dividends option, after a period of years
  • Paid Up Insurance
  • Cash value protects policy if payments are missed
  • Coverage guaranteed to age 100 or age 121

Pros: Since it builds on top of guaranteed cash value, par whole life has highest potential for cash value accumulation, flexible to changing circumstances; good to start for children, in 20’s, 30’s or upper income
Cons: much more expensive than Universal Life (UL) or Indexed Universal Life (IUL)

Indexed Universal Life:  IUL

  • Builds Cash value, higher upside potential with index crediting then current assumption UL
  • some guaranteed cash value accumulation, not all years
  • Flexible on payments
  • Option for increasing face amount, option B
  • Cash value protects policy if payments are missed
  • Policy lapses with zero cash value

Pros: less expensive than Whole Life, flexible to changing circumstances
Cons: if underfunded and or performs poorly can lapse without additional premium; higher cost of insurance charges than UL, periodic review is advisable, more complex, more choices to make than current assumption UL

Universal Life: UL, current assumption UL

  • Builds Cash value
  • Flexible on payments
  • Option for increasing face amount, option B
  • Cash value protects policy if payments are missed
  • Policy lapses with zero cash value

Pros: less expensive than Indexed UL, flexible to changing circumstances, lower cost of insurance charges than Indexed UL
Cons: if underfunded and or poor interest credited can lapse without additional premium

Whole Life: non-participating, non-par

  • guaranteed cash value accumulation

Pros:  fixed premium, guaranteed cash value accumulation, endow at age 100 or age 120; good for final expense
Cons: level death benefit; cash surrender value matter little compared to death benefit

Guaranteed Indexed Universal Life: GIUL

  • cash value accumulation, generally not in 80’s and older

Pros:  lifetime guarantee, or set guarantee year
Cons: lower casher value accumulation than Indexed UL

Guaranteed Universal Life:  Guaranteed UL, GUL,  no lapse guarantee UL

  • Little to no cash value accumulation

Pros: least expensive lifetime guarantee age 120+, also least expensive setting guarantee to age 90, 95, 100, 105, 110 or whatever length desired;  ability to structure longer guarantees, and at older ages than term life, for example 30 year guarantee at age 59
Cons: missed premium payments lapse policy, little to no cash value accumulation
Return of Premium Term:   ROP term

  • guaranteed cash value accumulation
  • reduced paid up insurance with some carriers

Pros:  At the end of the term you get all your premiums back; builds cash value, mostly in the last years of the term period
Cons:  death benefit same as term if you pass away, cash value not included; more expensive than term, especially after mid 40’s

Increasing death benefit option

The coverage amount for permanent life insurance can either be level or increasing death benefit.  Either the benefit always remains the same, a fixed $250k for example, or it goes up over the years: $251k, $253k, $257k, etc. Which is best?  Obviously a rising death benefit is preferable, but whether its value outweighs its additional cost depends mostly on your age. Generally when under age 60, an increasing death benefit is better. Over age 60 a level death benefit works better simply because it’s more cost effective. Those in higher income brackets usually should opt for an increasing death benefit.  This is also called a level or increasing face amount.  With life insurance the initial benefit is called the face amount, and thereafter it’s called the death benefit.

Level Death Benefit:  Option A

pros:  less expensive; builds higher cash value

cons: the value of death benefit amount erodes due to inflation; less flexible

Increasing Death Benefit:  Option B

pros:  death benefit amount rises over the years to help the policy value keep pace with inflation; better for partial surrender of cash value; better for loans; more flexible, most policies will allow the owner to change from an increasing death benefit to a level death benefit.

cons:  more expensive

An increasing death benefit is used often with Indexed Universal Life (IUL), at least in the cash value accumulation phase. For policy loans to generate tax free retirement income switching the death benefit from increasing to level produces higher income amounts.

A level death benefit is best for Guaranteed Universal Life, also called no lapse Universal Life

For current assumption Universal Life, a regular UL, an increasing death benefit is preferable since most of those plans are geared for those in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.  A structure of an increasing death benefit UL and cost will depend on the assumption of the target case value: how much and a what age.  Typical cash value targets will be $1 or to endow, to be worth the initial face amount in cash, at either age 100 or age 120.  Whole life, the high quality ones, age guaranteed to endow at age 100.  A proper analysis of a UL should compare it structured like a whole life, to endow on the non guaranteed side at 100.  I have found, especially at younger ages. that whole life premiums are very competitive, sometimes even less expense, than a UL if they are both structured to endow at age 100.  Sometimes agents will solve a UL for $1 at age 100 to cut its cost, but for the policy holder that runs the risk of the policy underperforming and running out of cash value in later years. This was part of the problem for many UL policies written in the 1980’s and 1990’s.  At the very least the target cash value assumption at age 100 should be half of the original face amount, for example a $125k target cash value at age 100 for a $250k initial face amount.

Whole life is either level or increasing death benefit.  Participating whole life, called “par” whole life for short, offers dividends that increases the death benefit over the years.      Final expense whole life for seniors is level death benefit “non par” or non-participating whole life. They do build some cash value, but the key is the benefit amount, affordability and simplified underwriting.

Choose “par” whole life for child life insurance.  Mail offers for child life insurance are level benefit “non par” whole life, non-participating, and they are a rip off considering how much more value you get for just a few dollars more with a increasing benefit whole life plan like Mass Mutual.

Equitable “Long-Term Care Services Rider” has an increased death benefit option.  This is a very distinctive feature offered for a hybrid life/LTC product.  Most other carriers only allow Option A, a level death benefit, for LTC benefits.

Please request a quote : free and strictly confidential

increasing death benefitLicensed Agent: Sean Drummey
phone: (910) 328-0447
email: spdrummey@gmail.com


revised: 4/29/2022

Equitable checked 8/1/2022

Best Indexed Universal Life (IUL) for retirement income: How does AXA Equitable measure up?

Which is the best Indexed Universal Life (IUL) carrier for tax-free policy loans for retirement income?   AXA Equitable has been in 2011 a consistently leading seller for Indexed UL.  Let’s compare AXA side-by-side with other carriers to see how it performs.  AXA product features include four index options.  But beyond reviewing specs like rate caps and guarantees, the most useful way to evaluate carriers is to run policy illustrations using the the same premium and death benefit and compare projected returns.

The Indexed UL structure employed here is to overfund premiums with the minimum amount of death benefit to stay within IRS rules for tax advantaged life insurance.   Then in retirement income take the maximum amount of  tax free loans while still retaining a lifetime death benefit.

This Indexed UL strategy is an alternative for someone in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s to directly investing in equity markets for retirement.  IULs allow you to take advantage of market gains without the downside risk.

Here’s what it looks like for a male age 44 putting in $25,000 a year for 20 years, and then starting at age 65 taking the maximum out in tax free policy loans for retirement income for the next 20 years, while retaining at least a $100,000 death benefit to age 121.  The death benefit starts at about $540,000 for each carrier and increases for years 1 – 20.

Carrier Cash Value
Year 20
Death Benefit
Year 20
Loan Amount
Years 21-40
Cash Value
Year 41
Death Benefit
Year 41
Lincoln  1,072,791  1,611,714   145,602  826,476  1,115,403
North American  1,144,104  1,683,029   147,248  658,775     981,056
Minnesota Life  1,100,898  1,655,898   137,217  584,737     876,987
John Hancock  1,085,171  1,323,908   139,719  614,556    913,093
Transamerica  1,065,637  1,630,637    95,000  215,254    346,582
AXA Equitable     995,284  1,534,207    86,402   98,473    212,604
Aviva     972,524  1,527,524   120,188 *
*yrs. 21-31 only
   83,677    204,366

I quoted AXA Equitable’s S & P 500 current rate which assumes 7.55% which is below the 8% plus range of S & P 500 rates assumed by other carriers, and that does have something to do with its lower cash value and death benefit accumulations on the chart at year 20.

Regardless,  AXA only uses a variable  loan rate which is currently illustrated at 3% policy yeas 1-10 and 2% thereafter.   The rate is the greater of 3% or published monthly average Moody’s Corporate Bond Yield.  Guaranteed not to exceed 15%.  They do not offer a fixed rate.

Since those loan payouts are not competitive with Lincoln’s 5% fixed rate or higher variable rates assumed by the other carriers, AXA Equitable does not appear be competitive.  Best way to find out which carrier is right for you is to request that I email you free quotes in the form of policy illustrations.

Carriers & Products quoted:

Lincoln National Life Insurance Company:  “Lincoln LifeReserve Indexed UL  (2011)”
North American Company for Life and Health Insurance:  “Rapid Builder IUL”
Minnesota Life Insurance Company:  “Eclipse Indexed Life”
John Hancock Life Insurance Company:  “Indexed UL”
Transamerica Life Insurance Company:  “Freedom Global IUL II”
Aviva Life and Annuity Company:  “Advantage Builder Series IV”
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company:  “Athena Indexed Universal Life”

call Sean (910) 328-0447
email: spdrummey@gmail.com

Disclaimer:  Information and quotes are current and accurate to the best of my knowledge on November 22, 2011.  Product features and rates are subject to change.  Quotes are non-guaranteed projections based on current interest rates and cost of insurance. Tax information is general information only. Please seek professional tax advice for personal income tax questions and assistance.