Different Types of Life Insurance Policies in India

What are the different types of life insurance policies in India and which one should I get? The decision to buy is entirely based on the solution, you  are looking for. You should definitely buy a term insurance and avoid endowment, money back and whole life policies(my personal suggestion). You can buy ULIPs after scanning the charges in it.

Different Types of Life Insurance Policies in India – Explained

Let us see the different types of life insurance policies in India. Each policy would be explained one by one in this article

• Term Insurance Policy – Pure Risk Cover – Best Policy to Buy
• Whole Life Policy – Whole Life Insurance Cover – No need to take cover for whole life
• Endowment Policy – More of a saving product with bad returns
• Money Back Policy – Worst of all if you go for this
• Unilt Linked Insurance Policy (ULIP) – Market Related Returns, MFs are better

Term Insurance Policy

An insurance policy where the insured amount is payable only in case of death of the policy holder during the term of the policy is Term Insurance.

Let us imagine that Mr. X aged 40 years now is taking a 20 year Term insurance policy for 1 Crore. What is the benefit payable under this policy?

His nominee will get 1 Crore in case of his death anytime in the next 20 years. But if he survives to the age of 60, there will not be any payouts from the policy. So, he will loose the premiums paid under this policy.

Yes, the Term insurance policy is like your car insurance where the claim is payable only in case of accidents or theft. Otherwise you lose the premium paid. But how much is the premium for a Term insurance. LIC is charging 26,000 per annum for Mr. X aged 40 for a 20 year term policy. Some private companies are charging lower premium for this. You also get discounts online Term policies, where the premiums are almost  half for Mr. X. e.g Aegon Life`s premium is Rs. 13000 for the same cover.

Also Read : How much term insurance do in need

Whole Life Policy

An insurance policy where the insured amount is payable only in case of death of the policy holder. There is no definite term in these type of policies. In some policies, the insurance company caps the upper age.

Endowment Policy

Endowment policies are the most popular policies in India. In this case you will get policy amount in case of death during the term of the policy or on maturity of the policy.

In the above example of Mr. X going for a 10 Lakhs endowment policy for 20 years, he will get 10 Lakhs along with the bonus at the age of 60. At the current bonus rates of LIC, he will get around 20 Lakhs on maturity including bonus. But in case of his death anytime during this 20 year period, his nominee will get the sum insured of 10 Lakhs and the bonus accrued till the death. So, in this policy, there is a sure payment of either death benefit or maturity benefit.

Also Read : Endowment Policy Returns and Features

But how much is the premium?

In the case of Mr. X. the annual premium in LIC endowment policy comes to Rs.51, 398. You can see that the premium is very high, if you compare it with  Term insurance policy. This is because these are investment linked policies.

How an Endowment Policy Works?

From the 51,398 collected under endowment policy, the insurance company will allot a certain amount for covering the risk cover like in Term insurance policy. The company will also allot a good part in the first year to cover the expenses of the company like agent’s commission, office administration etc. The balance amount is invested as per the guidelines prescribed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development authority (IRDA). These regulations are very strict to ensure safety of amount. Most of the investments will be in government securities and other approved securities which offer low returns but ensures high degree of safety.  Because of threes strict investment conditions, your money will be safe, but offer only average returns.

Money Back Policy

If Mr. X wants to get some amount in between, then the insurance company will charge some higher premium and offers this facility. This is money back policy. In the case of a 20 year money back policy, LIC will charge 67, 694 as annual premium from Mr. X and he will get 20% of the sum insured after 5^th, 10^th and 15^th Year. He will get the balance 40% of the sum insured and the bonus for the 20 years on maturity.  In the 10 lakhs policy, he will get 2 lakhs each after 5^th year, 10^th year and 15^th year. These payouts are  survival benefits. At the end of 20 years he will get 4 Lakhs and bonus of around 9.6 Lakhs as per the current LIC rates.

In case of his death anytime during these 20 years, his nominee will get 10 Lakhs along with bonus amount till date of death. Company will not deduct the survival benefits already paid. This is one reason the premium is high in money back policies.

Also Read: Money Back Policy -Bad Returns

Unit Linked Insurance Policy (ULIP)

In the case of an endowment policy, the insurance company will invest the amount in traditional instruments like governments bonds. But if the company invest the amount in different instruments of markets like equities and debt  such policies are called ULIPs. Also in ULIPs, the investment risks are borne by the customer.

Also Read: ULIP Vs Mutual Funds after LTCG

Life Insurance Types Wikipedia

Which is better? ULIPs or Traditional Policies?

There are lots of charges under ULIPs, but these policies can give better returns to the policy holder in the long-term. Go in for such policies, if you can pay for 15 years or more. Otherwise, you will not gain much. Traditional policies offer very low returns, may be in the range of 5-6% on a long-term basis.

But, if you have invested in ULIPs with a short-term view of say 3 years, there is a chance that you may not get back even what you paid.

What is your view of different types of life insurance policies in India? Also,Which one according to you is the best?