Life insurance is, without question, one of the most unique financial tools ever developed. Life insurance lets you   create an estate – a reservoir of funds – to protect and sustain your family and/or business following your death. But life insurance does so much more than simply provide financial security in the form of a death benefit. You can also tap into the benefits of permanent life insurance while you are still alive. 

Financial Resources

Most importantly, life insurance provides your heirs and/or business immediate cash at death – often when it is needed the most.  Tax-free dollars that can be used to pay final expenses, estate taxes, legal and administrative fees, or cover unpaid medical costs. The financial resources provided by life insurance can eliminate the need to sell your home or appreciated assets, or go into debt to cover these costs. In many cases, assets sold to meet financial obligations receive less than their market value.  

A Tax-Advantaged Savings Alternative

In addition to providing a tax-free death benefit for the protection of heirs or your business, life insurance can also provide you with a systematic way to accumulate assets. Permanent forms of insurance — whole life and  universal life — generate tax-deferred growth potential that can be excellent alternatives to other commonly used savings strategies. Probably the biggest benefit of using life insurance to accumulate assets is that it’s self-completing: if, because of your premature death, you aren’t around to achieve your accumulation objectives, your life insurance policy’s death benefit does it for you. 

Living Benefits for You

Once you’ve built up your policy’s cash value, you can borrow or withdraw from it to achieve various financial goals, be they personal or business-related.  One common personal use of accumulated cash values is additional retirement income. Because you can borrow from your cash value income tax-free, it makes an excellent supplement to social security or other savings you may have. Of course, any policy loans will reduce the ultimate death benefit payable to your beneficiary.* A second common use of cash values is as collateral to obtain credit. 

Living Benefits for Your Heirs

Most people don’t purchase life insurance for themselves - they purchase it to provide “living benefits” to their heirs or to help maintain their businesses. For example, life insurance proceeds are often used:

• to repay outstanding mortgages
• to create funds for college expenses
• to help enhance or ensure a surviving spouse’s standard of living.   
• to assist in effecting a smooth transition of a business to heirs or associates.

Flexibility

Competitive and market forces have brought about numerous and innovative changes to life insurance over the years. Today, whether you need term or permanent protection, fixed or adjustable premiums, or individual or joint coverage, you can rest assured there’s a policy available that is designed to fulfill your specific objectives.

The Advantages Are Clear

Life insurance can be an important element in your risk management program. Through both its final, and living, benefits, life insurance provides a foundation of financial security for you, your family, your associates, and your business. 

*Accessing cash values may result in surrender fees and charges, may require additional premium payments to maintain coverage, may reduce benefits, and will result in a reduction of policy value. (A7JC-1011-01) Financial Services Professional Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company