Friday 31 January 2014

What Type of Life Insurance to Buy?

Article from IRDA website:


Kinds of Life Insurance Policies:
Term Insurance
You can choose to have protection for a set period of time with Term Insurance. In the
event of death or Total and Permanent Disability  (if the benefit is offered), your dependants 
will be paid a benefit. In Term Insurance, no benefit is normally payable if the life assured survives the term.

Whole Life Insurance:
With whole life insurance, you are guaranteed lifelong protection. Whole life insurance pays out a 
death benefit so you can be assured that your family is protected against financial loss that can
happen after your death. It is also an ideal way of creating an estate for your heirs as an inheritance.

Endowment Policy
An Endowment Policy is a savings linked insurance policy with a specific maturity date. Should an
unfortunate event by way of death or disability occur to you during the period, the Sum Assured  
will be paid to your beneficiaries. On your surviving the term, the maturity proceeds on the policy become                                                         payable.

Money back plans or cash back plans: 
Under this plan, certain percent of the sum assured is returned to the insured person periodically as 
survival benefit.  On the expiry of the term, the balance amount is paid as maturity value.  
The life risk may be covered for the full sum assured during the term of the policy irrespective of the 
survival benefits paid.

Children Policies:
These types of policies are taken on the life of the parent/children for the benefit of the child.  By such policy
the parent can plan to get funds when the child attains various stages in life. Some insurers offer waiver 
of premiums in case of unfortunate death of the parent/proposer during the term of the policy.

Annuity (Pension) Plans:
When an employee retires he no longer gets his salary while his need for a regular income continues. 
Retirement benefits like Provident Fund and gratuity are paid in lump sum which are often spent too 
quickly or not invested prudently with the result that the employee finds himself without regular income 
in his post - retirement days. Pension is therefore an ideal method of retirement provision because 
the benefit is in the form of regular income. It is wise to provide for old age, when we have regular income 
during our earning period to take care of rainy days. Financial independence during old age is a must for 
everybody.

There are two types of annuities (pension plans):
  • Immediate Annuity
    In case of immediate Annuity, the Annuity payment from the Insurance Company starts immediately.                                                           Purchase price (premium) for immediate Annuity is to be paid in Iumpsum in one installment only.
  • Deferred Annuity
    Under deferred Annuity policy, the person pays regular contributions to the Insurance Company, till the                                                 vesting age/vesting date. He has the option to pay as single premium also. The fund will accumulate                                                         with interest and fund will be available on the vesting date. The insurance company will take care of the                                                     investment of funds and the policyholder has the option to encash 1/3rd of this corpus fund on the                                                       vesting age / vesting date tax free.The balance amount of 2/3rd of the fund will be utilized for purchase                                                      of Annuity (pension) to the Annuitant.
Unit Linked Insurance Policy  
Unit Linked Insurance Policies (ULIPs) offer a combination of investment and protection and allow you the 
flexibility and choice on how your premiums are invested. . IN UNIT LINKED PLANS, THE INVESTMENT RISK
PORTFOLIO IS BORNE BY YOU AS YOU ARE THE INVESTOR Typically, the policy will provide you with a choice
of funds in which you may invest. You also have the flexibility to switch between different funds during the life 
of the policy. The value of a ULIP is linked to the prevailing value of units you have invested in the fund, 
which in turn depends on the fund's performance. In the event of death or permanent disability, the policy will
provide the Sum Assured (to the extent you are covered) so that you can take comfort in knowing that your
family is protected from sudden financial loss. A ULIP has varying degrees of risk and rewards. There are 
various charges applicable for Unit Linked Policies and the balance amount out of the premium is only invested 
in the fund/funds chosen by you.It is important to ask your insurer or agent or broker questions to understand
the sum total of charges that you have to incur. It is important to assess your risk appetite and investment
horizon before deciding to buy a ULIP policy.

You must also read the terms and conditions of the policy carefully to understand the features of the policy
including the lock-in period, surrender value, surrender charges etc.
All the types of plans mentioned above can be offered under ULIP plans.

Friday 24 January 2014

Why Do I Need Insurance?

I Have Everything    I Need
WHY DO I NEED INSURANCE?

Q) I earn well and save enough. Why do I need Insurance?
A) Life is unpredictable; Insurance is the simplest way to cope with the unforeseen and the unexpected. It is the best back-up that you or your dependents can rely on when risk becomes a reality and results in loss of life or property.

Q) I am young, fit and healthy, Why do I need Insurance?
A) Plan well and start early. That’s the best way to make Insurance work for you. Premiums will be low, processing will be minimal at young age and a long term financial cover is in place to take care of later years. Also you save in your most productive years to enjoy later.

Q) I have no loans or liabilities. Why do I need Insurance?
A) Insurance is a contingency plan to take care of uncertainties. It is a way of providing for your dependents and ensuring continuity of their material needs and wants in your unfortunate absence. It is a way to plan and ensure a regular income whenever you decide to retire.

Q) Isn’t insurance an unnecessary cost and expense?
A) Insurance is a responsibility. It ensures security and mitigates risk. It is an assurance to your dependents that you care. Insurance is also an investment tool and provides tax benefits too. Most of all, Insurance is Peace of Mind. The price of getting insured is negligible compared to the value that insurance delivers.

“Insurance is sensible, practical and above all, the right thing to do”