How Whole Life Insurance Works
Whole life insurance guarantees payment of a death benefit to beneficiaries in exchange for level, regularly-due premium payments. The policy includes a savings portion, called the “cash value,” alongside the death benefit. In the savings component, interest may accumulate on a tax-deferred basis.1 Growing cash value is an essential component of whole life insurance.
To build cash value, a policyholder can often remit payments greater than the scheduled premium to purchase extra coverage (known as paid-up additions or PUA). Policy dividends can also be reinvested into the cash value and earn interest. Over time, the dividends and interest earned on the policy's cash value will provide a positive return to investors, growing larger than the total amount of premiums paid into the policy.
Uses of Whole Life Insurance
As with any kind of life insurance, a whole life insurance policy gives individuals and their families financial security against the loss of a breadwinner. For families that rely on the income of a single person, a whole life policy can provide financial security against the sudden loss of an income provider.
But unlike term life, whole life can also be used as an investment. Once the cash value has grown big enough, you may be able to withdraw or borrow from it to pay for large purchases such as a home. Some people also use whole life cash value to supplement their income in retirement when markets are low.
Whole life insurance is also useful for businesses as a contingency plan for the loss of a key employee or partner. If a key employee passes away, a whole life policy can provide a financial offset to the loss of their skills or expertise. If the deceased is part owner of the company, a whole life policy can provide the remaining owners with enough capital to buy out the deceased partner's share of the business.