Install
Universal and IUL guides
How to review your life insurance policy every yearA yearly check of coverage amount, beneficiaries, premiums, policy values and insurer health, with a step-by-step process and what to act on.Universal life cost-of-insurance increases and what to doWhy insurers raise universal life cost-of-insurance charges, what the contract allows, what documented lawsuits found, and what to do if you get a notice.Current-assumption universal life and crediting ratesCurrent-assumption universal life credits interest and charges costs at rates the insurer can change. How crediting rates work and what to watch for.Guaranteed universal life: permanent coverage without the cashGuaranteed universal life locks in a death benefit to a set age for a fixed premium, with little or no cash value. How it works, its risks and who it suits.How universal life insurance worksUniversal life splits a permanent policy into a cash account and monthly charges. See how premiums, interest, costs and death benefit options fit together.How to request and read an in-force illustrationAn in-force illustration projects your existing policy forward from today's values. How to ask for one, what to check, and the warning signs.Indexed universal life (IUL) explainedHow indexed universal life credits interest from a stock index, what it costs, how policy loans work and why illustrations are limited by regulators.IUL caps, participation rates and floorsHow caps, participation rates, spreads and floors turn an index's return into an IUL credit, with worked examples and what insurers can change each year.IUL illustrations and Actuarial Guideline 49How the NAIC's Actuarial Guideline 49 limits the returns an IUL illustration may show, what changed in 2015, 2020 and 2023, and what it cannot do.IUL pros and cons: what the sales pitch leaves outAn even-handed look at indexed universal life: the real advantages, the costs and risks, and who it fits. Includes a checklist for evaluating an IUL proposal.IUL vs 401(k): why the comparison misleadsIUL and a 401(k) do different jobs. Compare 2026 contribution limits, taxes, costs, access and risk before shifting money from one to the other.IUL vs Roth IRA for tax-free retirement incomeBoth are marketed as tax-free retirement income. Compare 2026 Roth IRA limits and income phase-outs with IUL loans, costs, access rules and risks.Joint first-to-die life insuranceOne policy on two people that pays at the first death. How it compares with two separate policies, and where it fits for couples and business partners.Premium-financed life insurance: how it works and the risksPremium financing uses a bank loan to pay for large life policies. How it works, and how rising rates, collateral calls and weak policy results can hurt.Survivorship (second-to-die) life insuranceOne policy on two lives that pays only after the second death. How it is priced, where it fits in estate planning, and the risks of owning it.Universal life death benefit options A and BOption A pays a level death benefit; option B pays the face amount plus the account value. How each affects cost, cash value and what your family receives.Variable life insurance and the securities rules that govern itVariable life is both insurance and a security. How SEC registration, the prospectus, FINRA licensing and state insurance law apply, and how to check a seller.Variable universal life (VUL) insuranceVariable universal life lets you invest policy cash value in market-based subaccounts. How VUL works, what it charges, how it can lapse, and who it suits.Whole life vs universal lifeWhole life offers fixed premiums and guaranteed cash value; universal life offers flexibility and more risk. Compared on cost, guarantees, cash value and lapse.Why universal life policies lapse, and how to prevent itA universal life policy lapses when its account value cannot cover monthly charges. The causes, how grace periods work, and a checklist to keep it in force.