UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSAL LIFE

Life changes.
Make room
to adapt.

Universal life offers long-term protection and flexible payments within policy limits. Cash value helps support coverage, while ongoing charges and funding need regular review.

Inside a universal life policy
Your premiumFlexible, within policy limits
Policy chargesInsurance costs + fees
Cash valueRemaining value + interest*
Keep the policy funded.
Keep protection in place.
*Crediting depends on the policy. Charges continue even when you reduce payments. Conceptual flow, not an allocation or quote.
THE ESSENTIALS

Protection for the long run.
Flexibility along the way.

Universal life combines a death benefit with a cash-value account. It can last for life when funding and policy conditions are met.

You may adjust payments and coverage within the contract’s limits. Increasing the benefit can require new underwriting.

01

Choose your protection

Set a benefit and name the people who would receive it.

02

Build a funding plan

Understand the payments, deductions, and guarantees.

03

Review as life changes

Check statements and request updated illustrations.

THE BALANCE

Flexible payments.
Ongoing costs.

Cash value can help absorb a payment change. It is also where policy deductions come from. Explore how the direction can shift.

Flexibility works best with a plan—and regular check-ins.

Illustrative cash-value direction
EarlierLater
Funding supports the balance

Premiums and credited interest help support the balance as charges are deducted. Review actual values against your plan each year.

Conceptual scenarios: no amounts, rates, or guaranteed outcomes. A valid no-lapse guarantee may protect coverage if all its conditions are met.
THE OPTIONS

One family.
Different ways to grow—or guarantee.

IUL is one type of universal life. The names tell you something about how the policy works.

Insurer-set interest

A declared rate. A minimum in the contract.

The insurer credits interest subject to the policy’s guaranteed minimum. Current rates can change. Review both the crediting rate and deductions.

  1. Insurer declares a rate
  2. Contract sets a minimum
  3. Charges reduce value
The declared rate can change; this is not a growth forecast.
How it works at a glance. Review the actual contract.
THE COMMITMENT

Keep the flexibility.
Understand the tradeoffs.

UL may fit a lasting coverage need when you can support the funding and review it over time. It is usually more expensive than term insurance for the same initial benefit.

Funding

Could you afford more later if assumptions change?

Guarantees

What is guaranteed, for how long, and under which conditions?

Access

What would loans, withdrawals, or surrender cost?

Review

Who will help you check the policy each year?

THE TRADEOFFS

Start with what
you need to protect.

Three approaches to life insurance
ConsiderationTerm lifeWhole lifeUniversal life
CoverageSelected periodDesigned for lifeDesigned for life
PremiumsUsually level for the initial termTypically scheduled and fixedFlexible within limits
Cash valueGenerally noneGuaranteed schedule; possible nonguaranteed dividendsDepends on type, funding, and charges
What to watchExpiry and renewalPremium commitment and loan effectsFunding, performance, and guarantees

Coverage depends on meeting policy conditions. Explore term life · Explore whole life

A FEW MORE ANSWERS

Know what can change.
And what cannot.

A sunlit reading corner with an armchair, books, and family photographs.
YOUR LIFE. YOUR PRIORITIES.

Life keeps changing.
Plan for what’s next.

Explore my coverage