Insurance Basics Part III - Types

By Prajna Capial

Why Do I Need Life Insurance?

You need Life Insurance because typically the need for income continues for those who are financially dependent on you, but there is no guarantee of your ability to earn consistently and for the rest of your life. Life insurance can help you safeguard the financial needs of your family.

This need has become even more important due to steady disintegration of the prevalent joint family system, and emergence of nuclear families. The need to protect your family's ever growing needs is why you need Life Insurance.

Life insurance is designed to protect you and your family against financial uncertainties that may result due to unfortunate demise or illness. You can also view it as a comprehensive financial instrument - as a part of your financial planning offering you savings & investment facilities along with cover against financial loss. By choosing the right policy as per your needs i.e. customized solutions, you will be able to plan for a secure future for yourself and your loved ones.

1. UNIT LINKED

Market linked insurance plans invest the premium in to the equity, debt and cash markets by the way of allocating units, which like any other mutual fund have a NAV and the customer is free to switch between one fund class to another depending on the risk factor he wishes to be in.

ULIPs offer -

1) Better return than the traditional endowment plans and

2) Offer a great deal of flexibility along with great returns making them the finest product offering.

ULIP products can range from single premium to a regular premium option along with investment funds ranging from index funds to mid-cap funds and debt market linked funds.

a) Regular Premium

Unit Linked Single Premium Plans require the premium to be paid at the interval agreed on the application.

b) Single Premium

Unit Linked Single Premium Plans require the premium to be paid only once.

2. PENSION

Retirement Plans which will make sure that we are there to support you in every stage of your life and your savings today become your wealth and support for your future years to come. Plans help you secure your financial independence even after retirement.

a) Annuity

Annuity is an insurance scheme under which an insurance company promises to make a series of fixed periodic payments to a person in exchange for a premium or a series of premiums called the purchase price.

b) Retirement

Retirement is the beginning of the twilight of the journey of life when you have done all that you could to arrive at this point of time, and now left with time to reflect back on what was, and also what is to come. Our retirement plans help you to retire with laughter lines - not worry lines.

3. TRADITIONAL

Saving Plans, which offer bonuses, are excellent long term saving instruments with complete safety. Our products offer additional benefits which include 4 times life cover at little extra costs, limited premium payment terms and compounded reversionary bonuses making it a very good long term investment.

a) Endowment

Life insurance cover with a savings component. Apart from death benefit, a predetermined sum is paid at the end of a specified term. A plan in which the amount is paid to a policyholder if he outlives the tenure of the contract or to the beneficiary if the insured person dies before the date on which the policy matures.

b) Money Back

A plan in which part of the sum assured is paid back to the policyholder at regular intervals.

Money back plans are Traditional Insurance plans that provide the investor with returns at regular stages of life.

4. TERM PLANS

A type of life insurance where the sum assured is payable only in the event of death of the life insured during the specified term. In the case of survival, the contract expires and the premium is not paid back to the insured.

The sole objective of Term plans is to serve the protection needs of the customers and by doing so, safeguard one's family from the financial implications of unfortunate circumstances that one cannot foresee. These plans are pure risk cover plans with or without maturity benefit. These pure risk plans cover your life at a nominal cost and you may want to take this plan to cover your outstanding debts like a mortgage, a home loan etc.

5. CHILDREN PLAN

As a parent, you always dream the best for your child including marriage, higher education, or that hand holding for a start in life. Whether you are there to see your child grow up and settled or not, your child feels your love in the financial support arranged by you through our wide range of Children's insurance policies taking him from one milestone to another.

Saving early and saving regularly for your child helps combat inflation and ensures higher yields. If you take an insurance policy for your child you can take advantage of lower premium rates and ensure that your children remain covered throughout adult hood, at a much lower rate. This also instills a saving-habit in your children at a young age developing them as and when the policy vests in them.