After more than a year of market volatility and economic instability, Nevada consumers are looking for safe ways to invest and protect their assets. Whole life insurance offers such a vehicle. With a whole life insurance policy, policyholders can provide financial protection for their families in case of death, can grow cash value benefits tax-free, and can create a source of cash liquidity for personal loans.
Knowing Your Investment Dollars are Safe
Generally, life insurance companies have superior financial strength and track records than banks and financial institutions. There are many reasons for this. Unlike banks and financial institutions life insurance companies are non-transactional. Their investment portfolios are structured, conservative and regulated according to the state in which they operate.
The professional money managers working for life insurance companies do not chase performance like most hedge fund and mutual fund managers. They are not looking for a quick return on money; They are looking out 5, 10 & 20 years down the road. They also diversify by industry, maturity & geography. This keeps costs and risks very low.
Policyholders of Whole Life Insurance in Nevada also gain peace of mind in knowing that their policies are protected by state regulators. Regulation at the state level has proven to be very effective in protecting the interests of individuals over corporations.
Nevada Whole Life Insurance Protections
The State Insurance Commissioner also mandates reserve pools. Unlike other businesses, life insurance companies are not allowed to file for formal bankruptcy. However, in the unlikely event that a company is unable to meet its obligations, most states, like Nevada, have established Life and Health Guaranty Associations. Life insurance companies in these states support one another and if one fails, the others will be assessed the money to pay the claims of the insured persons who held policies with the defunct provider.
Guaranty associations operate much like the FDIC does for banks. And like the FDIC, there are limits associated with these protections. In the state of Nevada, the Nevada Guaranty Association currently guarantees whole life insurance policy protection up to $300,000 in death benefit per insured life. Cash values up to $100,000 per insured life are also protected.
In addition, most life insurance companies are insured themselves for major losses. This is called re-insurance and provides an additional layer of protection for policyholders.
Nevada whole life insurance assets are also partially protected in the event a policyholder must file personal bankruptcy. Under current Nevada law, whole life policies with an annual premium of $15,000 or less are exempt from creditors.
Benefitting from a 100% Reserve Base
Whole life policyholders are often allowed to use the cash values within their policies for personal loans. These also are secured by the financial structure of the whole life product. Whole life insurance policy loans are based on 1:1 reserves, meaning that for every dollar loaned there is a dollar held in reserve to back that loan. This policy does not lead to inflation like the Federal Reserve’s policy of fractional lending.
The practice of fractional lending allows a bank to lend out $10 for every $1 that is kept in reserve. Therefore, money can be created out of thin air for every dollar that is deposited with a bank. This puts bank deposits at much greater risk in the event of a financial catastrophe. It also underscores the overall strength and prudence of life insurance companies. This is one of the reasons why whole life insurance cash values remained 99.9% safe during the Great Depression while over 10,000 banks failed during the same period.
Added Benefits of Dividend Paying Whole Life
Dividend Paying Whole Life Insurance is often structured to allow for perpetual self-financing, also known as Infinite Banking. In the Infinite Banking System, policyholders are encouraged to use their policy’s cash value to finance their personal loans. Policyholders are essentially their own bank.
By using dividend-paying whole life insurance as a personal bank, policyholders can reap many financial rewards. By accessing the “bank” policyholders can lend money to themselves. They set the loan amount, the interest rate and the payment schedule. When they pay the loan back they pay themselves – with interest. So they are financing and making money on themselves, instead of paying that money and interest to a bank or other financial institution.
As an added bonus with policy loans, the cash values within the policy will continue to earn the interest that has been guaranteed and, depending on the life insurance company, may earn dividends on the entire pre-loan amount, as if the money had never been borrowed. All of this is done tax free and without government restrictions. This is a great way to increase personal wealth, and these types of policies enjoy the same industry protections as other forms of whole life. As long as dividend paying whole life policyholders have the discipline to repay themselves, their personal financing activities are also safe.
A Proven Product
In this time of financial uncertainty, Nevada consumers can feel safe purchasing whole life insurance products as both guaranteed life insurance and reliably performing investment tools. Whole life insurance is a proven financial product with a history of financial stability, and the Nevada Guaranty Association provides policy protection and peace of mind for policyholders.
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