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Section 1. AUTHORITY.
This rule is adopted and promulgated by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance pursuant to the general authority granted in Sections 75 and 4902 of the Insurance Code and also Sections 4723 and 4724 of the Insurance Trade Practices in the Vermont Title 8 Insurance Code.
Section 2. PURPOSE.
(A) The purpose of this Regulation is to require insurers to deliver to purchasers of life insurance, information which will improve the buyer's ability to select the most appropriate plan of life insurance for his needs, improve the buyer's understanding of the basic features of the policy which has been purchased or which is under consideration and improve the ability of the buyer to evaluate the relative costs of similar plans of life insurance.
(B) This Regulation does not prohibit the use of additional material which is not in violation of this Regulation or any other Vermont statute or regulation.
Section 3. SCOPE.
(A) Except as hereafter exempted, this Regulation shall apply to any solicitation, negotiation or procurement of life insurance occurring within this state. This Regulation shall apply to any issuer of life insurance contracts including fraternal benefit societies.
(B) Unless otherwise specifically included, this Regulation shall not apply to:
(1) Annuities;
(2) Credit life insurance;
(3) Group life insurance;
(4) Life insurance policies issued in connection with pension and welfare plans as defined by and which are subject to the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). However, full and adequate disclosure shall be given to the administrator or trustee of such plan;
(5) Variable life insurance under which the death benefits and cash values vary in accordance with unit values of investments held in a separate account.
NOTE: It is the intent of this Regulation to include plans such as tax sheltered life or endowment plans sold pursuant to Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, or any other deferred compensation plan containing life contingencies and in which the buying decision rests with the insured.
Section 4. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
(A) AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE OF RETURN INDEX. This index is calculated on cash value policies using the Linton Yield Method.
(1) The Linton Yield Method computes a level, effective, annually compounded interest rate, or yield. This yield is determined by equating the cash available at the end of a specified number of years from two different protection/savings programs, and then computing the annual yield that must be achieved on the separate savings fund of the second program in order to produce the cash equivalency with the first program. The two programs compared are:
(a) Usually, but not always, a life insurance policy on some permanent plan. The cash used at the end of the specified year is the policy's guaranteed cash surrender value plus the terminal dividend payable upon surrender and the dividend payable at the end of the specified year.
(b) A combination of a savings fund and yearly renewable term (YRT) insurance. The amount deposited in the savings fund each year is assumed to be equal to the annual premium payable under the alternative program for the permanent life insurance policy (less any dividend payable at the end of the preceding year) less an assumed premium payable for YRT insurance. The amount of YRT purchased each year is that which would be adequate to bring the combined death benefit from the savings plan and the YRT to the same as that payable under the permanent life insurance policy. The cash used for comparison with the permanent policy is the amount accumulated in the savings fund at the end of the specified year.
(2) Average Annual Rate of Return index figures given out in Vermont by insurers or intermediaries shall be calculated separately for males and females and shall be based upon the following assumptions.
(a) As to YRT premium rates: YRT premiums = (1,000 q) (K) + $ 0.90 + $ 25/S where K equals 1.00 for ages 0 through 14 and 0.95 for ages 15 and above, S equals policy size in thousands and 1,000 q equals the mortality rate for age x shown in Appendix C;
(b) As to elements entering into the calculation: Gross premiums shall include the total premiums charged for all life insurance benefits; dividends shall be total illustrated dividends excluding any separately identifiable dividends payable for benefits other than life insurance.
(3) Average Annual Rate of Return Index figures for Partial Endowment Type Policies defined in Section 4(G) shall be calculated in the same manner as for cash value policies. For purposes of the calculation, gross premiums shall include all payments made to the company under the contract and cash values for each year shall be the total amount to which the policy-holder is entitled under the contract for that year.
(4) Average Annual Rate of Return Index figures for annuities shall be the annually compounded interest rate, or yield, on gross premiums paid over the selected holding period.
NOTE: A discussion of the Linton Yield Method may be found on pages 28-30 in the Analysis of Life Insurance Cost Comparison Index Methods, prepared by the Society of Actuaries Committee on Cost Comparison Methods and Related Issues (Special), September, 1974. Further discussion on the "low" YRT rates to be used in computing the Linton Yield, which are the rates specified in this rule, may be found in Appendix E, pp. 187-192 of that same publication.
(B) BUYER'S GUIDE. A Buyer's Guide is a document which contains, and is limited to, the language contained in the Appendix to this Regulation or language approved by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
(C) CASH DIVIDEND. A Cash Dividend is the current illustrated dividend, or any other form of premium refund, which can be applied toward payment of the gross premium.
(D) EQUIVALENT LEVEL ANNUAL DIVIDEND. The Equivalent Level Annual Dividend is calculated by applying the following steps:
(1) Accumulate the annual cash dividends at five percent interest compounded annually to the end of the tenth and twentieth policy years.
(2) Divide each accumulation of Step (1) by an interest factor that converts it into one equivalent level annual amount that, if paid at the beginning of each year, would accrue to the values in Step (1) over the respective periods stipulated in Step (1). If the period is ten years, the factor is 13.207 and if the period is twenty years, the factor is 34.719.
(3) Divide the results of Step (2) by the number of thousands of the Equivalent Level Death Benefit to arrive at the Equivalent Level Annual Dividend.
(E) EQUIVALENT LEVEL DEATH BENEFIT. The Equivalent Level Death Benefit of a policy or term life insurance rider is an amount calculated as follows:
(1) Accumulate the guaranteed amount payable upon death, regardless of the cause of death, at the beginning of each policy year for ten and twenty years at five percent interest compounded annually to the end of the tenth and twentieth policy years respectively.
(2) Divide each accumulation of Step (1) by an interest factor that converts it into one equivalent level annual amount that, if paid at the beginning of each year, would accrue to the value in Step (1) over the respective periods stipulated in Step (1). If the period is ten years, the factor is 13.207 and if the period is twenty years, the factor is 34.719.
(F) GENERIC NAME. Generic Name means a short title which is descriptive of the premium and benefit patterns of a policy or a rider.
(G) PARTIAL ENDOWMENT TYPE LIFE INSURANCE. Partial Endowment Type Life Insurance, often described as "Deposit Term Life Insurance", is that class of policies or plans described as providing "term", "modified premium term" or "modified premium whole life insurance" coverage or those policies or plans bearing descriptions of similar import which require the payment of a premium in the first contract year higher than a series of premiums in the renewal contract years. For Partial Endowment Type Life Insurance, the word or words premium or annual premium shall include the full premium payable in the first year and any other year.
(H) LIFE INSURANCE COST INDEXES.
(1) LIFE INSURANCE SURRENDER COST INDEX. The Life Insurance Surrender Cost Index is calculated by applying the following steps:
(a) Determine the guaranteed cash surrender value, if any, available at the end of the tenth and twentieth policy years. For Partial Endowment Type Life Insurance, the guaranteed cash surrender value at the end of the tenth and twentieth years shall be determined by application of the automatic option.
(b) For participating policies, add the terminal dividend payable upon surrender, if any, to the accumulation of the annual Cash Dividends at five percent interest compounded annually to the end of the period selected and add this sum to the amount determined in Step (a).
(c) Divide the result of Step (b) (Step (a) for guaranteed-cost policies) by an interest factor that converts it into an equivalent level annual amount that, if paid at the beginning of each year, would accrue to the value in Step (b) (Step (a) for guaranteed-cost policies) over the respective periods stipulated in Step (a). If the period is ten years, the factor is 13.207 and if the period is twenty years, the factor is 34.719.
(d) Determine the equivalent level premium by accumulating each annual premium payable for the basic policy or rider at five percent interest compounded annually to the end of the period stipulated in Step (a) and dividing the result by the respective factors stated in Step (c). (This amount is the annual premium payable for a level premium plan.) In the case of in-force policies, add the cash value available and termination dividend, if any, at the end of the last completed policy year of the existing policy to the annual premium otherwise payable in the first policy year thereafter.
(e) Subtract the result of Step (c) from Step (d).
(f) Divide the result of Step (e) by the number of thousands of the Equivalent Level Death Benefit to arrive at the Life Insurance Surrender Cost Index.
(2) LIFE INSURANCE NET PAYMENT COST INDEX. The Life Insurance Net Payment Cost Index is calculated in the same manner as the comparable Life Insurance Cost Index except that the cash surrender value and any terminal dividend are set at zero.
(I) POLICY SUMMARY. For the purposes of this Regulation, Policy Summary means a written statement describing the elements of the policy including but not limited to:
(1) A prominently placed title as follows: STATEMENT OF POLICY COST AND BENEFIT INFORMATION.
(2) The name and address of the insurance agent, or, if no agent is involved, a statement of the procedure to be followed in order to receive responses to inquiries regarding the Policy Summary.
(3) The full name and home office or administrative office address of the company in which the life insurance policy is to be or has been written.
(4) The Generic Name of the basic policy and each rider.
(5) The following amounts, where applicable, for the first five policy years, (the first twenty years in the case of Partial Endowment Type Life Insurance) and representative policy years thereafter sufficient to clearly illustrate the premium and benefit patterns, including, but not necessarily limited to, the years for which Life Insurance Cost Indexes are displayed and at least one age from sixty through sixty-five or maturity whichever is earlier:
(a) The annual premium for the basic policy.
(b) The annual premium for each optional rider.
(c) Guaranteed amount payable upon death, at the beginning of the policy year regardless of the cause of death other than suicide, or other specifically enumerated exclusions, which is provided by the basic policy and each optional rider, with benefits provided under the basic policy and each rider shown separately.
(d) Total guaranteed cash surrender values at the end of the year with values shown separately for the basic policy and each rider.
(e) Cash Dividends payable at the end of the year with values shown separately for the basic policy and each rider. (Dividends need not be displayed beyond the twentieth policy year.)
(f) Guaranteed endowment amounts payable under the policy which are not included under guaranteed cash surrender values above.
(6) The effective policy loan annual percentage interest rate, if the policy contains this provision, specifying whether this rate is applied in advance or in arrears. If the policy loan interest rate is variable, the Policy Summary includes the maximum annual percentage rate.
(7) Life Insurance Cost Indexes for ten and twenty years but in no case beyond the premium paying period. Separate indexes are displayed for the basic policy and for each optional term life insurance rider. Such indexes need not be included for optional riders which are limited to benefits such as accidental death benefits, disability waiver of premium, preliminary term life insurance coverage of less than 12 months and guaranteed insurability benefits nor for basic policies or optional riders covering more than one life.
(8) The Equivalent Level Annual Dividend, in the case of participating policies and participating optional term life insurance riders, under the same circumstances and for the same durations at which Life Insurance Cost Indexes are displayed.
(9) A Policy Summary which includes dividends shall also include a statement that dividends are based on the company's current dividend scale and are not guaranteed in addition to a statement in close proximity to the Equivalent Level Annual Dividend as follows: An explanation of the intended use of the Equivalent Level Annual Dividend is included in the Life Insurance Buyer's Guide.
(10) A statement in close proximity to the Life Insurance Cost Indexes as follows: An explanation of the intended use of these indexes is provided in the Life Insurance Buyer's Guide.
(11) The date on which the Policy Summary is prepared.
(12) If the rates for any available option are not guaranteed, a statement that these rates are not guaranteed.
(13) For Partial Endowment Type Life Insurance, the Policy Summary must contain the following additional information:
(a) A complete description of each option existing under the policy at the end of its first policy term in the format prescribed in Appendix B. This shall include the description of the automatic option. Substantially equivalent forms may be used with prior approval of the Commissioner.
(b) A statement indicating that the rates for any option, when exercised, will be at the insured's then attained age.
The Policy Summary must consist of a separate document. All information required to be disclosed must be set out in such a manner as to not minimize or render any portion thereof obscure. Any amounts which remain level for two or more years of the policy may be represented by a single number if it is clearly indicated what amounts are applicable for each policy year. Amounts in items (5) and (13) of this Section shall be listed in total, not on a per thousand nor per unit basis. If more than one insured is covered under one policy or rider, guaranteed death benefits shall be displayed separately for each insured or for each class of insureds if death benefits do not differ within the class. Zero amounts shall be displayed as zero and shall not be displayed as a blank space.
(J) PREMIUM. Premium means the total amount payable for coverage on an annual basis. This shall include the policy fee and any other fees.
Section 5. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.
(A) The insurer shall provide, to all prospective purchasers, a Buyer's Guide and a Policy Summary prior to accepting the applicant's initial premium or premium deposit, unless the policy for which application is made contains an unconditional refund provision of at least ten days or unless the Policy Summary contains such an unconditional refund offer, in which event the Buyer's Guide and Policy Summary must be delivered with the policy or prior to delivery of the policy.
(B) The insurer shall provide a Buyer's Guide and a Policy Summary to any prospective purchaser upon request.
(C) For policies already issued and paying premiums on the effective date of this rule, policyholders shall have the right to obtain a Policy Summary. The company may utilize reasonable assumptions in providing the Life Insurance Cost Indexes, as long as they are clearly disclosed. The company may charge a reasonable fee for preparing this Summary not to exceed $ 5.00.
(D) In the case of policies whose Equivalent Level Death Benefit does not exceed $ 5,000, the requirement for providing a Policy Summary will be satisfied by delivery of a written statement containing the information described in Section 4(G), items (2), (3), (4), (5)(a), (5)(b), (5)(c), (6), (7), (11), (12) and (13).
Section 6. GENERAL RULES.
(A) Each insurer shall maintain at its home office or principal office, a complete file containing one copy of each document authorized by the insurer for use pursuant to this Regulation. Such file shall contain one copy of each authorized form for a period of three years following the date of its last authorized use.
(B) An agent shall inform the prospective purchaser, prior to commencing a life insurance sales presentation, that he is acting as a life insurance agent and inform the prospective purchaser of the full name of the insurance company which he is representing to the buyer. In sales situations in which an agent is not involved, the insurer shall identify its full name.
(C) Terms such as financial planner, investment advisor, financial consultant, or financial counseling shall not be used in such a way as to imply that the insurance agent is generally engaged in an advisory business in which compensation is unrelated to sales unless such is actually the case.
(D) Any reference to policy dividends must include a statement that dividends are not guaranteed.
(E) A system or presentation which does not recognize the time value of money through the use of appropriate interest adjustments shall not be used for comparing the cost of two or more life insurance policies. Such a system may be used for the purpose of demonstrating the cash-flow pattern of a policy if such presentation is accompanied by a statement disclosing that the presentation does not recognize that, because of interest, a dollar in the future has less value than a dollar today.
(F) A presentation of benefits shall not display guaranteed and non-guaranteed benefits as a single sum unless they are shown separately in close proximity thereto.
(G) A statement regarding the use of the Life Insurance Cost Indexes shall include an explanation to the effect that the indexes are useful only for the comparison of the relative costs of two or more similar policies.
(H) A Life Insurance Cost Index which reflects dividends or an Equivalent Level Annual Dividend shall be accompanied by a statement that it is based on the company's current dividend scale and is not guaranteed.
(I) For the purposes of this Regulation, the annual premium for a basic policy or rider, for which the company reserves the right to change the premium, shall be the maximum annual premium.
(J) For any contract containing life contingencies, the use of any statement or illustration in any advertisement, sales material or sales presentation, whether written or oral, which makes reference to such term as "deposit", "accumulation", "interest at x%", and all such similar terms associated with fund accumulations and investment contracts constitutes a misrepresentation of material facts, except that the Average Annual Rate of Return Index, as defined in Section 4(A) may be used.
(K) No statement or illustration in any advertisement, sales material, or sales presentation, whether written or oral, shall: (1) state or imply that a pure endowment is or resembles a return of the first year premium, or any part thereof, together with an accumulation of interest; (2) describe the first year premium, or any part thereof, as a deposit; or (3) depict a policy as a low-cost policy or as a policy that will enable the purchaser to save money unless actual premiums or cost indexes are shown or presented in conjunction with that statement.
(L) No statement or illustration in any advertisement, sales material or sales presentation whether written or oral, shall be made with respect to any contract containing life contingencies which describes it in such a manner that it appears to be an annuity contract. Terms such as "immediate estate value", "survivor benefits", "incidental death benefits", or similar descriptions, which imply that life insurance benefits are incidental shall not be used to describe ordinary life insurance contracts, endowments, or retirement income policies unless the words "life insurance" are used with equal emphasis in such a manner as to make it undeniably clear to the prospective purchaser that he is purchasing a life insurance contract.
(M) The name given to partial endowment type life insurance products shall not include any term that implies a deposit or any similar term associated with fund accumulations and investment contracts.
(N) If the life insurance policy offered for sale contains certain conversion or renewal options, which are not guaranteed, the insurer shall clearly state in any advertising material, sales presentation and Policy Summary that the conversion or renewal options are not guaranteed or are available subject to standard underwriting practices, if that is the situation.
(O) If the life insurance policy offered for sale does not guarantee the premiums for the conversion options, the insurer shall state in any advertising material, sales presentation and Policy Summary that the premiums are not guaranteed.
(P) In a sales presentation or proposal for a life insurance product used in conjunction with a side investment plan, including but not limited to annuities, retirement deposit fund riders or mutual funds, any advertisement or written material showing premiums payable, cash values and death benefits, must show these items in separate columns for the life insurance product and the side investment plan. Where these figures are illustrated, they must be illustrated as outlined in Section 4(I). When these figures are shown separately, it shall be permissable to illustrate a column of the combined figures. Any advertisement or proposal used must include a clear explanation of the minimum guaranteed interest rates on any side investment plan and what a given periodic payment would accumulate to for the years out-lined in Section 4(I) at guaranteed rates.
Section 7. FAILURE TO COMPLY.
Failure of an insurer to provide or deliver a Buyer's Guide or a Policy Summary as provided in Section 5. shall constitute an omission which misrepresents the benefits, advantages, conditions or terms of an insurance policy.
Section 8. PENALTY.
Any insurer, agent, representative, officer or employee of such insurer failing to comply with the requirements of this Regulation shall be subject to such penalties as provided in Title 8 V.S.A., Chapter 131, Section 4804 and any additional penalties as may be appropriate under the insurance laws of the State of Vermont.
Section 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This rule shall apply to all solicitations of life insurance which commence on or after April 1, 1978. The amended provisions of this rule are effective October 1, 1980.
APPENDIX A LIFE INSURANCE BUYER'S GUIDE
The face page of the Buyer's Guide shall read as follows: LIFE INSURANCE BUYER'S GUIDE
This guide can show you how to save money when you shop for life insurance. It helps you to:
-- Decide how much life insurance you should buy,
-- Decide what kind of life insurance policy you need, and
-- Compare the cost of similar life insurance policies.
Prepared by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Reprinted by (Company Name)
(Month and year of printing)
The Buyer's Guide shall contain the following language at the bottom of page 2:
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is an association of state insurance regulatory officials. This association helps the various Insurance Departments to coordinate insurance laws for the benefit of all consumers. You are urged to use this Guide in making a life insurance purchase.
THIS GUIDE DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY COMPANY OR POLICY.
The remaining text of the Buyer's Guide shall begin on page 3 as follows:
BUYING LIFE INSURANCE
When you buy life insurance, you want a policy which fits your needs without costing too much. Your first step is to decide how much you need, how much you can afford to pay and the kind of policy you want. Then, find out what various companies charge for that kind of policy. You can find important differences in the cost of life insurance by using the life insurance cost indexes which are described in this Guide. A good life insurance agent or company will be able and willing to help you with each of these shopping steps.
If you are going to make a good choice when you buy life insurance, you need to understand which kinds are available. If one kind does not seem to fit your needs, ask about the other kinds which are described in this Guide. If you feel that you need more information than is given here, you may want to check with a life insurance agent or company or books on life insurance in your public library.
CHOOSING THE AMOUNT
One way to decide how much life insurance you need is to figure how much cash and income your dependents would need if you were to die. You should think of life insurance as a source of cash needed for expenses of final illnesses, paying taxes, mortgages or other debts. It can also provide income for your family's living expenses, educational costs and other future expenses. Your new policy should come as close as you can afford to making up the difference between (1) what your dependents would have if you were to die now, and (2) what they would actually need.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT KIND
All life insurance policies agree to pay an amount of money if you die. But all policies are not the same. There are three basic kinds of life insurance.
1. Term insurance
2. Whole life insurance
3. Endowment insurance
Remember, no matter how fancy the policy title or sales presentation might appear, all life insurance policies contain one or more of the three basic kinds. If you are confused about a policy that sounds complicated, ask the agent or company if it combines more than one kind of life insurance. The following is a brief description of the three basic kinds:
Term Insurance
Term insurance is death protection for a "term" of one or more years. Death benefits will be paid only if you die within that term of years. Term insurance generally provides the largest immediate death protection for your premium dollar.
Some term insurance policies are "renewable" for one or more additional terms even if your health has changed. Each time you renew the policy for a new term, premiums will be higher. You should check the premiums at older ages and the length of time the policy can be continued.
Some term insurance policies are also "convertible". This means that before the end of the conversion period, you may trade the term policy for a whole life or endowment insurance policy even if you are not in good health. Premiums for the new policy will be higher than you have been paying for the term insurance.
Whole Life Insurance
Whole life insurance gives death protection for as long as you live. The most common type is called "straight life" or "ordinary life" insurance, for which you pay the same premiums for as long as you live. These premiums can be several times higher than you would pay initially for the same amount of term insurance. But they are smaller than the premiums you would eventually pay if you were to keep renewing a term insurance policy until your later years.
Some whole life policies let you pay premiums for a shorter period such as 20 years, or until age 65. Premiums for these policies are higher than for ordinary life insurance since the premium payments are squeezed into a shorter period.
Although you pay higher premiums, to begin with, for whole life insurance than for term insurance, whole life insurance policies develop "cash values" which you may have if you stop paying premiums. You can generally either take the cash, or use it to buy some continuing insurance protection. Technically speaking, these values are called "nonforfeiture benefits". This refers to benefits you do not lose (or "forfeit") when you stop paying premiums The amount of these benefits depends on the kind of policy you have, its size, and how long you have owned it.
A policy with cash values may also be used as collateral for a loan. If you borrow from the life insurance company, the rate of interest is shown in your policy. Any money which you owe on a policy loan would be deducted from the benefits if you were to die, or from the cash value if you were to stop paying premiums.
Endowment Insurance
An endowment insurance policy pays a sum or income to you -- the policyholder -- if you live to a certain age. If you were to die before then, the death benefit would be paid to your beneficiary. Premiums and cash values for endowment insurance are higher than for the same amount of whole life insurance. Thus endowment insurance gives you the least amount of death protection for your premium dollar.
FIND A LOW COST POLICY
After you have decided which kind of life insurance fits your needs, look for a good buy. Your chances of finding a good buy are better if you use two types of index numbers that have been developed to aid in shopping for life insurance. One is called the "Surrender Cost Index" and the other is the "Net Payment Cost Index". It will be worth your time to try to understand how these indexes are used, but in any event, use them only for comparing the relative costs of similar policies. LOOK FOR POLICIES WITH LOW COST INDEX NUMBERS.
What is Cost?
"Cost is the difference between what you pay and what you get back. If you pay a premium for life insurance and get nothing back, your cost for the death protection is the premium. If you pay a premium and get something back later on, such as a cash value, your cost is smaller than the premium.
The cost of some policies can also be reduced by dividends; these are called "participating" policies. Companies may tell you what their current dividends are, but the size of future dividends is unknown today and cannot be guaranteed. Dividends actually paid are set each year by the company.
Some policies do not pay dividends. These are called "guaranteed cost" or "non-participating" policies. Every feature of a guaranteed cost policy is fixed so that you know in advance what your future cost will be.
The premiums and cash values of a participating policy are guaranteed, but the dividends are not. Premiums for participating policies are typically higher than for guaranteed cost policies, but the cost to you may be higher or lower, depending on the dividends actually paid.
What Are Cost Indexes?
In order to compare the cost of policies, you need to look at:
1. Premiums
2. Cash values
3. Dividends
Cost indexes use one or more of these factors to give you a convenient way to compare relative costs of similar policies. When you compare costs, an adjustment must be made to take into account that money is paid and received at different times. It is not enough to just add up the premiums you will pay and to subtract the cash values and dividends you expect to get back. These indexes take care of the arithmetic for you. Instead of having to add, subtract, multiply and divide many numbers yourself, you just compare the index numbers which you can get from life insurance agents and companies:
1. LIFE INSURANCE SURRENDER COST INDEX -- This index is useful if you consider the level of the cash values to be of primary importance to you. It helps you compare costs if at some future point in time, such as 10 or 20 years, you were to surrender the policy and take its cash value.
2. LIFE INSURANCE NET PAYMENT COST INDEX -- This index is useful if your main concern is the benefits that are to be paid at your death and if the level of cash values is of secondary importance to you. It helps you compare costs at some future point in time, such as 10 or 20 years, if you continue paying premiums on your policy and do not take its cash value.
* * * * * *
There is another number called the Equivalent Level Annual Dividend. It shows the part dividends play in determining the cost index of a participating policy. Adding a policy's Equivalent Level Annual Dividend to its cost index allows you to compare total costs of similar policies before deducting dividends. However, if you make any cost comparisons of a participating policy with a non-participating policy, remember that the total cost of the participating policy will be reduced by dividends, but the cost of the non-participating policy will not change.
How Do I Use Cost Indexes?
The most important thing to remember when using cost indexes is that a policy with a small index number is generally a better buy than a comparable policy with a larger index number. The following rules are also important:
(1) Cost comparisons should only be made between similar plans of life insurance. Similar plans are those which provide essentially the same basic benefits and require premium payments for approximately the same period of time. The closer policies are to being identical, the more reliable the cost comparison will be.
(2) Compare index numbers only for the kind of policy, for your age and for the amount you intend to buy. Since no one company offers the lowest cost for all types of insurance at all ages and for all amounts of insurance, it is important that you get the indexes for the actual policy, age and amount which you intend to buy. Just because a "shopper's guide" tells you that one company's policy is a good buy for a particular age and amount, you should not assume that all of that company's policies are equally good buys.
(3) Small differences in index numbers could be offset by other policy features, or differences in the quality of service you may expect from the company or its agent. Therefore, when you find small differences in cost indexes, your choice should be based on something other than cost.
(4) In any event, you will need other information on which to base your purchase decision. Be sure you can afford the premiums, and that you understand its cash values, dividends and death benefits. You should also make a judgment on how well the life insurance company or agent will provide service in the future, to you as a policyholder.
(5) These life insurance cost indexes apply to new policies and should not be used to determine whether you should drop a policy you have already owned for awhile, in favor of a new one. If such a replacement is suggested, you should ask for information from the company which issued the old policy before you take action.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER -- A SUMMARY
The first decision you must make when buying a life insurance policy is choosing a policy whose benefits and premiums most closely meet your needs and ability to pay. Next, find a policy which is also a relatively good buy. If you compare Surrender Cost Indexes and Net Payment Cost Indexes of similar competing policies, your chances of finding a relatively good buy will be better than if you do not shop. REMEMBER, LOOK FOR POLICIES WITH LOWER COST INDEX NUMBERS. A good life insurance agent can help you to choose the amount of life insurance and kind of policy you want and will give you cost indexes so that you can make cost comparisons of similar policies.
Don't buy life insurance unless you intend to stick with it. A policy which is a good buy when held for 20 years can be very costly if you quit during the early years of the policy. If you surrender such a policy during the first few years, you may get little or nothing back and much of your premium may have been used for company expenses.
Read your new policy carefully, and ask the agent or company for an explanation of anything you do not understand. Whatever you decide now, it is important to review your life insurance program every few years to keep up with changes in your income and responsibilities.
APPENDIX B The (insert generic name) Life Policy is a special life insurance policy. It is neither intended nor recommended for individuals who are not reasonably certain that they will maintain the policy in-force for at least ten* full years.
Policy Options at the end of the 10th* Policy Year are:
1. Continue in 11th* year as Whole Life Policy
2. Renew Partial Endowment Type Life Policy for second ten* years
3. Convert to Decreasing Term to 100
4. Other: Describe in Option 4
If the person insured or policyowner does not elect an option, the terms of the policy designate Option No. ___ above as the automatic option.
The following is a brief outline of each option listed above.
Option 1. Continue as Whole Life Insurance for $___ face amount.
Premiums 11th* year and thereafter $___ Cash Values
10th year $ ___
15th year $ ___
20th year $ ___
Age 65 $ ___
What happens to Pure Endowment? ___
Option 2. Renew Partial Endowment Type Life Policy for second ten* years
Total Death Cash Value at
First Renewal* Premium Benefit End of Year
11th year
12th year
13th year
14th year
15th year
16th year
17th year
18th year
19th year
20th year Pure Endow. ___
What happens to Pure Endowment? ___
Option 3. Convert to Decreasing Term to age 100 for $ ___ face amount. (A table of decreasing amount of insurance must be included.)
Annual Premium for the basic policy $ ___
Annual Premium for optional riders (describe) $ ___
What happens to Pure Endowment? ___
Option 4. Description of Premium and Benefit Patterns ___
* If the pure endowment matures in other than 10 years, this form should be altered to reflect the appropriate maturity dates.
APPENDIX C Maximum Yearly Renewable Term Insurance Mortality Tables
The following are the maximum mortality rates which may be used in determining the yearly renewable term premiums for calculating Average Annual Rate of Return Index (Linton Yield Method).
MORTALITY RATES PER 1,000
Attained Male Female Attained Male Female
Age (x) Lives Lives Age (x) Lives Lives
0 5.80 4.80 48 5.71 3.20
1 1.33 1.22 49 6.34 3.52
2 0.84 0.72 50 6.94 3.84
3 0.65 0.55 51 7.56 4.15
4 0.53 0.48 52 8.32 4.48
5 0.48 0.42 53 9.20 4.84
6 0.42 0.37 54 10.09 5.23
7 0.39 0.33 55 11.00 5.67
8 0.35 0.29 56 12.06 6.16
9 0.32 0.22 57 13.26 6.70
10 0.32 0.25 58 14.60 7.27
11 0.32 0.26 59 16.06 7.87
12 0.33 0.27 60 17.69 8.52
13 0.42 0.29 61 19.55 9.21
14 0.52 0.31 62 21.61 10.00
15 0.73 0.36 63 23.75 10.83
16 0.87 0.36 64 25.83 11.81
17 1.02 0.37 65 27.99 13.07
18 1.18 0.38 66 30.34 13.72
19 1.29 0.40 67 33.04 16.80
20 1.37 0.41 68 35.92 19.28
21 1.46 0.44 69 39.27 22.28
22 1.52 0.48 70 42.90 25.69
23 1.47 0.53 71 46.45 29.43
24 1.32 0.60 72 49.96 33.43
25 1.25 0.66 73 53.72 37.30
26 1.22 0.70 74 58.16 40.72
27 1.19 0.70 75 63.36 43.59
28 1.17 0.70 76 69.04 46.36
29 1.13 0.71 77 75.09 49.38
30 1.15 0.75 78 81.98 53.45
31 1.22 0.83 79 89.68 59.01
32 1.28 0.93 80 96.68 66.03
33 1.32 1.04 81 105.42 73.80
34 1.34 1.14 82 113.40 79.38
35 1.40 1.21 83 122.90 86.03
36 1.49 1.23 84 135.00 94.50
37 1.60 1.25 85 149.17 107.40
38 1.75 1.29 86 165.94 122.80
39 1.91 1.37 87 182.12 138.41
40 2.12 1.47 88 196.71 153.43
41 2.36 1.59 89 213.16 170.61
42 2.66 1.74 90 229.66 188.32
43 3.02 1.91 91 246.98 207.47
44 3.45 2.10 92 262.03 225.34
45 3.96 2.32 93 276.79 243.58
46 4.51 2.58 94 302.02 271.82
47 5.09 2.88 95 338.33 311.26
NOTE: The mortality rate for ages 0 through 14 are from the 1965-70 Select Basic Tables published on pages 202 and 203 of the Transactions of the Society of Actuaries Publication Year 1974, Number 3, 1973 Reports of Mortality and Morbidity Experience. The mortality rate for ages 15 and above are from the Ultimate Basic Tables, Male Lives (1957-1960 Experience), Female Lives (1957-1960 Experience) published on page 48 of the Transactions of the Society of Actuaries, Publication Year 1963, Number 2, 1962 Reports of Mortality and Morbidity Experience.
COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND INSURANCEStatutory Authority: 8 V.S.A. §§ 75, 4723, 4724 and 4902