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Insurance
Principles of insuranceIndemnificationInsurer’s business modelHistory of insuranceTypes of insuranceHealthDisabilityCasualtyLife PropertyLiabilityCreditOther typesInsurance financing vehiclesInsurance companiesGlobal insurance industryInsurance insulates too muchClosed community self insuranceComplexity of insurance policy contractsRedliningInsurance patentsThe insurance industry and rent seekingCriticism of insurance companies
Principles of insuranceIndemnificationInsurer’s business modelHistory of insuranceTypes of insuranceHealthDisabilityCasualtyLife PropertyLiabilityCreditOther typesInsurance financing vehiclesInsurance companiesGlobal insurance industryInsurance insulates too muchClosed community self insuranceComplexity of insurance policy contractsRedliningInsurance patentsThe insurance industry and rent seekingCriticism of insurance companies
Life
Life insurance provides a monetary benefit to a decedent's family or other designated beneficiary, and may specifically provide for income to an insuredperson's family, burial, funeral and other final expenses. Life insurance policies often allow the option of having the proceeds paid to the beneficiary
either in a lump sum cash payment or an annuity.
Annuities provide a stream of payments and are generally classified as insurance because they are issued by insurance
companies and regulated as insurance and require the same kinds of actuarial and investment management expertise that life insurance requires. Annuities
and pensions that pay a benefit for life are sometimes regarded as insurance against the possibility that a retiree will outlive his
or her financial resources. In that sense, they are the complement of life insurance and, from an underwriting perspective, are the mirror image of life
insurance.
Certain life insurance contracts accumulate cash values, which may be taken by the insured if the policy is surrendered or which may be borrowed against. Some policies, such as annuities and endowment policies, are financial instruments to accumulate or liquidate wealth when it is needed.
In many countries, such as the U.S. and the UK, the tax law provides that the interest on this cash value is not taxable under certain circumstances. This leads to widespread use of life insurance as a tax-efficient method of saving as well as protection in the event of early death.
In U.S., the tax on interest income on life insurance policies and annuities is generally deferred. However, in some cases the benefit derived from tax deferral may be offset by a low return. This depends upon the insuring company, the type of policy and other variables (mortality, market return, etc.). Moreover, other income tax saving vehicles (e.g., IRAs, 401(k) plans, Roth IRAs) may be better alternatives for value accumulation. A combination of low-cost term life insurance and a higher-return tax-efficient retirement account may achieve better investment return.