Whole Life Insurance is a life insurance contract with level premiums that has both an insurance and an investment component. The insurance component pays a stated amount upon death of the insured. The investment component accumulates a cash value that the policyholder can withdraw or borrow against. As the most basic form of cash-value life insurance, whole life insurance is a way to accumulate wealth as regular premiums pay insurance costs and contribute to equity growth in a savings account where dividends or interest is allowed to build-up tax-deferred.  

Term with Living Benefits

Living benefits come in the form of life insurance riders attached to a life insurance policy. Sometimes they’re also known as accelerated death benefits and are available on both term life insurance and permanent life insurance policies.

Living benefits essentially allow the insured to access money from the policy’s death benefit while they’re still alive. These funds can be used to pay for expenses associated with terminal or chronic illness, such as medical care, hospice or nursing home care, in-home caretakers and more. The trade-off is that accessing living benefits reduces the death benefit available to your beneficiaries when you die.