Is a permanent life insurance policy a good investment for retirement? It’s a question we are often asked on our Tuesday livestream. There is no shortage of people wondering if a permanent life insurance policy could offer tax benefits in retirement and provide for your family when you’re gone. As with nearly every great debate, there are three different camps: those who believe permanent life insurance makes a great investment, those who are strongly opposed to the idea of life insurance as an investment, and those who aren’t sure what to believe.
I think it would be valuable for a follow-up article to go deeper on why IUL is terrible. In my understanding, the underlying insurance component is a 1-year auto-renewing term policy. So as the insured ages, the premiums can only increase. In a long bear or flat market for 2-3+ years at the 0% floor, those premiums can cannibalize the cash/investment portion and/or require additional premiums to avoid lapse and a possibly a huge tax bomb.
I think a follow-up to explain when it might be worth considering Whole Life; the content team usually does a great job being fair and explaining both sides of the coin. I 100% agree that insurance is not an investment vehicle. It's insurance first and a wealth preservation tool second. I heard a rule of thumb to not bother with Whole Life until you can max all retirement accounts and have a good chunk of savings leftover. You have a lot of mutants who fall into, or are striving for, this category.
Please touch one some scenarios such as...
- how a real estate investor or serial entrepreneur could leverage WL (infinite banking; Walt Disney)
- how & why corporations use it (Bank of America, for instance)
- estate planning & generational wealth (Rockefellers vs. Carnegies)
- riders, such as Long Term Care (vs. stand-alone insurance)
Great read as always. I like the way you explained it is a benefit that you don't receive a payment, not a disincentive. I don't want to die just so someone can have that money lol. I did very little right before I found Dave Ramsey and then graduated to The Money Guys but I'm thankful I bought term life insurance instead of an alternative. Any little thing I got right before learning is just a win in my book.
P.S- I definitely would pay to support this as I believe in supporting companies, not just ideas. I just don't understand the pre pledge setup. Keep up the good work though and love all the research you provide to the team each week!
I think it would be valuable for a follow-up article to go deeper on why IUL is terrible. In my understanding, the underlying insurance component is a 1-year auto-renewing term policy. So as the insured ages, the premiums can only increase. In a long bear or flat market for 2-3+ years at the 0% floor, those premiums can cannibalize the cash/investment portion and/or require additional premiums to avoid lapse and a possibly a huge tax bomb.
I think a follow-up to explain when it might be worth considering Whole Life; the content team usually does a great job being fair and explaining both sides of the coin. I 100% agree that insurance is not an investment vehicle. It's insurance first and a wealth preservation tool second. I heard a rule of thumb to not bother with Whole Life until you can max all retirement accounts and have a good chunk of savings leftover. You have a lot of mutants who fall into, or are striving for, this category.
Please touch one some scenarios such as...
- how a real estate investor or serial entrepreneur could leverage WL (infinite banking; Walt Disney)
- how & why corporations use it (Bank of America, for instance)
- estate planning & generational wealth (Rockefellers vs. Carnegies)
- riders, such as Long Term Care (vs. stand-alone insurance)
Thanks for loading us up! Love ya team,
Shea (Go Bills)
What about life insurance with a long term care rider?
Great read as always. I like the way you explained it is a benefit that you don't receive a payment, not a disincentive. I don't want to die just so someone can have that money lol. I did very little right before I found Dave Ramsey and then graduated to The Money Guys but I'm thankful I bought term life insurance instead of an alternative. Any little thing I got right before learning is just a win in my book.
P.S- I definitely would pay to support this as I believe in supporting companies, not just ideas. I just don't understand the pre pledge setup. Keep up the good work though and love all the research you provide to the team each week!