When your clients look for investment returns
and insurance coverage, the first product which comes to your mind is a Unit
Linked Insurance plan (ULIP). A ULIP is an insurance plan which provides a unique
combination of market-linked returns as well as life insurance coverage.
Moreover, the new age ULIPs which are now available in the market promise
additional benefits, both in terms of coverage as well as benefits offered.
Modern-day ULIPs have, in fact, undergone a sea of change compared to
traditional ULIPs which were available about a decade or more back. Some of the
notable changes include the following –
The charges under new age ULIPs have reduced
drastically. While, earlier, the premium allocation charge and other charges
associated with the policy rode up to 40% or more, current ULIPs have charges
lower than 5%. With the reduced charges the revamped ULIPs offer higher
allocated premiums which, in turn, provide better returns to customers
The coverage tenure under many new ULIPs has
increased substantially. Nowadays, the whole of life unit-linked plans is being
offered by many companies which provide coverage until the insured attains 99
or 100 years of age. As such, customers can now enjoy lifelong coverage which
was not available in the earlier variants of the product.
Current ULIPs are also promising loyalty
additions, guaranteed additions or wealth boosters which get added to the fund
value at a pre-determined rate. These additions are over and above the
market-linked growth which the plan promises
The benefit structure has also changed wherein
ULIPs are paying monthly benefits after death or maturity so that the plan
provides a stream of regular income to the policyholder.
These new features in present-day ULIPs have
made these plans quite popular among customers. Moreover, with the lifelong
coverage now available and the tax-free returns, ULIPs have also become a
preferred investment avenue for retirement planning. If customers choose a
whole life ULIP they can create a good retirement corpus and even continue the plan
as a source of retirement funding. Let’s understand how –
Lifelong ULIPs continue till 100 years of age
The first feature which makes whole life ULIPs
suitable for retirement planning is the whole life coverage provided under the
plan. Under whole life ULIPs, the premium payment term is limited. Thus, the
policyholder would not have to pay premiums in the older ages when he/she
retires and loses the source of income. However, though the premium payment
term is limited, the coverage is not. Coverage continues till death or till the
insured reaches 100 years of age, whichever is earlier. Since coverage is
lifelong customers can enjoy coverage even after they retire, a feature which
is usually not available in other types of life insurance plans.
The benefits are tax-free
The best part about ULIPs is that the benefits
which the plan pays are completely tax-free. Whether it is partial withdrawals
from the fund, a benefit paid on death or the benefit paid on completion of the
plan tenure, everything is tax-free in the customer’s hands. Even when the
market is volatile and the customer switches his investments to a secured debt
fund, the switched amount is also free from the incidence of taxation. The
money which is invested in the plan is also tax-free under the provisions of
Section 80C up to a maximum of INR 1.5 lakhs. Thus, ULIPs provide an all-round
tax-free advantage. The investments, the returns generated and the redemption
benefits are all tax-free. These tax-free benefits ensure that the customer’s retirement
corpus does not get eroded due to tax.
Systematic partial withdrawals or annuities
create regular incomes
To create a stream of income through ULIPs for
meeting the expenses post-retirement, policyholders can choose a Systematic
Withdrawal option in their whole life ULIP plan. The option would create
partial withdrawals from the fund value at regular intervals so that a stream
of income would be generated. This income would be tax-free (as stated earlier)
and would also help the customer with a regular source of income.
So, utilize the new age whole life ULIPs to
your customer’s advantage. Plan their retirement with these unit-linked plans
and create a tax-proof retirement fund which also gives them insurance
protection.
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