A Good Deal, or Another Unethical Scam?


We’ve written before about both variable annuities and stranger-owned life insurance (SOLI), but some enterprising (?) investor types have figured out a new twist that combines these seemingly disparate vehicles:

Terminal Illness? $2,000 in CASH, Immediately Available.” … “He recruited dozens of terminally ill people to, in effect, serve as paid fronts for purchases of the product, variable

SourcedFrom Sourced from: Group Life Insurance

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Why Is the US Life Insurance Observing Falling Sales? | Best …


LIMRA International have said this is the greatest decline since 1942 over the last six months for US life insurance. Stock connected investments such as.

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You’re Retired. Should You Ditch Your Life Insurance Policy? (at Forbes.com)


SourcedFrom Sourced from: Yahoo! Finance: Life Insurance Industry News

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Survey: Life insurance one of safer financial products available


Traditional life insurance protection is an essential safety net to many consumers, with two-thirds of those surveyed indicating that it is one of the safer financial products available today, new …   Read → Survey: Life insurance one of safer financial products available originally reported at IFAwebnews.com

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Women receive more life insurance benefits than men, survey says


A gender gap exists in the amount of life insurance benefits received by men and women after the death of a spouse, according to a survey by MetLife.

SourcedFrom Sourced from: Group Life Insurance

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  • Comparing Life Insurance Policies It is important for you to understand that there are a number of different types of insurance policies out there for life insurance. Some of these life insurance policy options that you have available to you are term life insurance, universal life insurance, variable life insurance and whole life insurance.......
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Term Life Insurance and Home Mortgages


Term life insurance is a great way to protect against a mortgage or home loan default in the event of death of the main income earner.  The proceeds of a life insurance policy can pay off the balance or provide supplemental income for the monthly mortgage.  Although, many people cannot afford whole life insurance, especially young homeowners, term life insurance is a good, inexpensive alternative.

You can purchase a level term policy with one premium and one death benefit for the term of the policy.  Terms usually run from a choice of 10, 15, 10, 25, or 30 years.  Another option (although not necessarily the best)is to buy a decreasing term policy in which the premium stays the same and the death benefit decreases annually along with the mortgage balance. However, if the mortgage balance increases because it was refinanced, or a second mortgage is taken out, or the interest rate increases (e.g. adjustable rate mortgage), or if you buy a new home with a new mortgage balance, the decreasing term would no longer provide adequate protection.

Term insurance should not be confused with PMI, or Private Mortgage Insurance, usually required by the mortgage lender for people who put less than 20% down.  It does not pay off the mortgage in the event of death or disability.  The lending institution is the sole beneficiary of this policy.  Try to avoid the expense of PMI by making a larger downpayment if possible.

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How does a life insurance broker or agent get paid? Does it affect my premium?


Question: Can you tell me how a life insurance agent gets paid?  Does it affect my premium?

Answer: Whether a life insurance agent works for a specific insurance company (captive) or is an independent, he earns his money from the sale of an insurance policy.  Those earnings are in the form of a commission paid directly by the insurance carrier. Commissions are built into the policy and will not change the premium rate you are quoted.  In other words, there is no surcharge and commissions are not paid directly by the client.  Because commissions are built into the policy and cannot be altered, neither they nor the premium rates are negotiable.  The best way to get the lowest premiums is to shop around and get quotes from multiple insurance carriers.

Amounts of commission vary by insurance carrier, but agents generally receive up to 55% of your first-year premium for permanent cash value life insurance policies. After that, agents usually receive 3% to 5% in renewal commissions for the next five to ten years.  Commissions for term insurance are typically around 35% of the first-year premium and are not renewable in the following years.

Agents also get paid sales bonuses for reaching high production goals set by insurance carriers.  Production incentives like exotic trips and luxurious gifts are also awarded.  It is safe to assume that your premiums indirectly reflect the cost of these bonuses  in addition to the cost of the agents’ commissions.

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New Paper Evaluates Current State of Insurance Regulation and Its Future


The current state of the financial services industries and the role of the federal government in regulating these industries, including the insurance sector, continues to be a matter of debate in …

SourcedFrom Sourced from: Insurance Journal

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The Need for Life Insurance – Just Ask Ann Landers


lifeinsurancenoexam.biz is holding its $100 Writing Contest to demonstrate the need for life insurance.  Entrants are writing about the impact of life insurance on family, friends, or clients.  If Ann Landers was still alive, we’re sure she would have loved this contest.  Take a look at some of her columns on the subject –

Here’s one column reprinted by Prudential entitled The Importance of Life Insurance.

And here’s a response to that letter.

Widower wishes he had prepared for the worst

Dear Ann Landers: I am a male reader who is very much interested in the letter signed “Finding My Way in Tampa.” The writer was saying how important it is to have life insurance. Please let your readers know that it is a good idea for a man to carry life insurance on his wife, whether or not she works outside the home.
Several years ago, my wife died of breast cancer, leaving me a widower at the age of 35. We had two children, 6 and 8 years of age. I did not have life insurance on my wife. Fortunately, I had enough savings to take care of the funeral and burial expenses without borrowing, but there wasn’t much left over.
I soon discovered I could not provide the stable home-life environment that my wife had supplied, and went through one child-care provider after another. I had to cut way back on my working hours, which did not endear me to my employer and co-workers when they had to pick up the slack. I became dependent on a lot of people for a long time.
My advice is this: Both spouses should get life insurance policies that will enable either one to maintain the independence and lifestyle he or she has today, in case tragedy strikes. It seems my experience with the untimely death of my wife is becoming all too common.
— J.A. in Pensacola, Fla.
Dear Pensacola: No one can sound a warning as effectively as someone who has “been there,” and you certainly have. The idea that a wife who is a homemaker should be covered by insurance may seem like a needless luxury, but you have pointed out that it could be a godsend. Thank you on behalf of all my readers who heard your wake-up call.

Take a look at another Dear Ann Landers about the importance of life insurance.
And here’s another-

Life insurance is money well spent

Dear Ann Landers:
I am a 48-year-old widow with four children.  My husband died suddenly of a heart attack last year.  Needless to say, this has been a very difficult time, but thanks to my husband’s loving foresight our family is doing well.
Throughout all the years of our marriage, in spite of tight budgets and financial difficulties, he maintained substantial life insurance policies on both his life and mine.  Even with my fulltime job, I would not have been able to manage had it not been for his insurance money.  At least our children’s grief over the death of their father was not compounded by the loss of their home and friends.
I am shocked by the number of women who have told me in confidence that they are concerned because their husbands have little or no life insurance.  They have two cars, a boat, and costly vacations.  They give their children music lessons, dancing lessons and orthodontic braces, but they ignore the possibility of what their children would do if the principal breadwinner were to die or become disabled.
Many people have small insurance coverage through their work and believe it is enough.  They need to wake up, Ann.  It cost me $15,000 just to bury my husband.  I’d hate to think of where I would be now if that dear man hadn’t loved us enough to make sure we were provided for after his death. – Carol in Martinez, Calif.
Dear Carol:

If ever there was a wake-up call, your letter is it.  Thank you for a letter that could make a big difference in the lives of my readers.  Reprint with permission

We hope you’ll write your about  your own experiences and enter lifeinsurancenoexam.biz “Why Life Insurance” Writing Contest.

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Weird Carrier Tricks [UPDATED & BUMPED]


[Please scroll down for update]
This one would initially seem to fall under our Stupid Carrier Tricks category, but it also seems to have a “happy ending:”
Hunh?
Apparently, Heather Toplak is a 35 year old breast cancer survivor, who needs annual blood screenings to determine if she’s still in remission. Such tests are generally considered “standard of care,” meaning that they’re usually covered expenses, unlike much more expensive scans. This can save the insurer (and thus, its policyholders) a lot of money, which would seem to be a good thing.
During her battle with the cancer, Anthem apparently had no qualms about paying for various treatments and procedures [ed: Hey, aren't they supposed to fight these types of claim tooth and nail, and then cancel the offending insured's coverage? Looks like someone didn't get the memo!]. The follow-up blood test was denied as “not medically necessary,” and recommended that she instead undergo a (much more expensive) Pet Scan. One presumes, given her condition, that she would have already met most (if not all) of her own out-of-pocket maximum, meaning that Anthem would have footed most or all of that bill.
Now, the twist: Mrs Toplak contacted her local TV-news troubleshooter, who in turn contacted the insurer. Anthem has reversed its decision, and “has agreed to pay for the [blood test]. Not only that, they are changing their policy on paying for these blood tests going forward.”
Kudos!
The story still left a few unanswered questions:
■ Why was an Arizona woman covered by Anthem (since that state is served by BCBS of Arizona)?
■ What type of policy did she have, a co-pay plan or an HSA?
That second question is important because it’s generally presumed that folks with HSA plans are more attuned to these issues.
I’ve emailed the reporter for clarification. So far, I haven’t heard back. We’ll let you know if and when we do.
[Hat Tip: FoIB Rick B]
UPDATE: In the comments, reader John H tells us that Mrs Toplak is most likely covered under the “Bluecard” program, which enables folks who live in states served by other “Blues” to have essentially seamless cover.
And we’ve heard from Carey Peña, the reporter on whose work we based this post. She tells us that she appreciates our “posting the story and hope that it helps advance the conversation.”
In response to our question regarding the type of coverage involved, she writes:
I’m not at liberty to answer your questions due to the privacy that I extend to my interview subjects. However I am more than happy to forward your link and request to Mrs. Toplak and if she wants, she can contact you directly with additional information.”
That’s an entirely reasonable response; we’ll let you know if we hear from Mrs Toplak.

SourcedFrom Sourced from: InsureBlog

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