Do you watch the Suze Orman Show?
Every now and then a caller asks a question about Term Life vs Whole Life Insurance . Want insight into what Suze Orman thinks about Whole Life Coverage? Here’s a look: .
Deepak: Hi Suze! We love your show. My wife and I watch it every week. It’s such an honor to talk to you.
Suze Orman: Oh. Thank you! What can I do for you?
Deepak: Well Suze, a friend has recommended that we buy a whole life insurance policy as an investment.
Suze Orman: Stop! Stop! There isn’t a friend in the world. Not one friend in the world that if it is a true friend that would recommend you buy a whole life insurance policy. A snook, somebody who wants to take you, somebody who in my opinion is not a friend maybe. But there is no way a friend would do it. Does that answer your question already?
Deepak: It gives me a good sense of what you are thinking.
Suze Orman: Alright, how old are you though Deepak?
Deepak: 31
Suze Orman: How much of an insurance policy? What was the death benefit?
Deepak: Um, I think 50…$500,000.
Suze Orman: $500,000? Alright how much was it per year?
Deepak: Fourteen
Suze Orman: Fourteen Hundred?
Deepak: $14,000
Suze Orman: Fourteen Thousand dollars a year?!?!
Deepak: …and the idea was largely use it as an investment to put money away to save on taxes.
Suze Orman: Ok, just out of curiousity…made my nose itch. I have to tell you whenever my nose starts to run I feel like Samantha…where I wanna…you know on Bewitched? I don’t know if you were even born back then where I want to twinkle my little and get that guy out or whoever that friend is and off the face of this Earth.Listen, insurance is not an investment. Does this friend of yours happen to sell whole life insurance?
Deepak: Boy it seems like you’re reading my mind here.
Suze Orman: Oh sweetheart that’s not a friend that a sn….I don’t even know %#*#)$! You know, it gives me dandruff I think. Listen, you can get a half a million dollar term policy for 20 years at your age for approximately $25 or $30 per month. OK? That’s $300 per year. Now, if you really want to make an investment you could take all those other $1000s of dollars and take that money and invest it where? In a retirement account, a piece of real estate, in stocks, bonds, whatever it may be where it absolutely makes sense to you.
Do you know that I am a licensed insurance agent. A life insurance agent and I am licensed in every single state in the United States except Hawaii because I don’t want to go to Hawaii right now to take the exam.
So I have been licensed everywhere. Very few people can tell you that they have that type of insurance background. I can tell you that if you put $14,000 into a whole life insurance policy, my friend, how much commission do you think I or your friend would make off of that $14,000 deposit?
Deepak: Like atleast a thousand or two.
Suze Orman: Oh, are you sitting down?
Deepak: I am.
Suze Orman: Are you? What don’t you try about $10,000. Ok?
Deepak: Wow.
Suze Orman: So yeah, he could buy you…just forget it. Here’s the bottom line. Don’t do it. Do what I said. Buy a term insurance policy. You can get a half million dollars that way. $300 a year and tell your friend why doesn’t he go and make some real enemies!
Whole Life Ins (also called Universal Life Insurance / Variable Life Insurance) is disliked by Suze Orman. But why?
Permanent Whole Life Insurance is way too costly for the amount of life insurance one purchases
It is surprising to have to $14k PER YEAR to only receive $500k worth of whole life insurance coverage
Paying $300 (or less) per year (not month!) you can get about $500k worth of term life insurance coverage
For Permanent Life coverage you are paying a whopping $13,700 extra .
Is there a difference between Term Life vs Whole Life Insurance?
Term Insurance is for a set term or time period from 1 year and usually up to 30 years .
Permanent Coverage is Whole Life Insurance + Investment (held within the life company) and you are supposed to have the policy for the rest of your life .
In regards to Term Insurance there is no investment but it is just like car insurance = pure insurance. Plain and simple .
Permanent life ins is sold as life coverage with an investment but it really does not make sense to do so . Maybe insurers are trying to combine life insurance with an investment vehicle out of convenience
Within a whole life insurance policy they have you locked into paying costly monthly premiums for the remainder of your life.
Understanding what reasons you need life insurance before buying it is key
It is for protecting your family that depends on you for income . The rest of the family would not be able to sustain itself if the monthly income was no longer available . Protection of the income provider is the key to having life insurance.
The income from the working spouse is important for the rest of the family. Especially the children who are dependent on that income to survive. When they get older and are able to work they no longer need to depend on the parents’ income. Life insurance isn’t important when the children is not counting on the monthly income from the parents any longer.
Does anyone want to continue to pay life insurance premiums for the rest of their life?
You don’t make anyone rich by owning life insurance. Don’t fall into that trap . Life insurance is of utmost importance to have during a certain period of time within a family . Don’t throw away your money like that . You are better off buying term coverage only for the time period for which it is needed .
As you get older your term life rates will go up but they lock the monthly rate as soon as you start your policy . Purchase Life Insurance coverage when the family needs the income protection and no other time.
By buying a term life insurance policy you can take those savings and invest it however which way you would like.
Is there anything worth noting about permanent life insurance coverage?
Well, whole life insurance has the investment component which is also known as “Cash Value”. Your money goes to the investment and you can then “Borrow” from your own money paying it back with interest .
Why must I borrow my own money and pay it back?
The only way to access your investment is to borrow it and pay it back with interest. It’s how whole life insurance works. The investment is called “CASH VALUE” which sounds incredible?
Even worse quality about whole life insurance? You receive absolutely NO CASH VALUE the first year of premiums payments . Your read correctly . The investment portion kicks in the second year of your policy . The first year’s premium payments go to paying the life insurance agent who sold you that whole life insurance policy . Cash value your hard earned money? Wrong. It’s really the insurer’s money .
BOTTOM LINE? Get Term Life Coverage when you need it (that is when you have children)
You can take the savings you would have from purchasing a term insurance policy instead of buying a whole life insurance policy and put it into a retirement account to invest any which way you choose. No borrowing and 100% control. Always have 100% control of your funds so that you have the freedom to move it anywhere you choose . Keep away from any type of life insurance that is asking you to put money towards cash value or an investment. Examples include variable life insurance, whole life insurance, permanent life insurance or universal life insurance.
When comparing Term Life vs Whole Life Insurance you know have a good idea which insurance type to purchase .