Once a qualifying health event has occurred on an active policy, a Living Benefits policy will allow the insured party to accelerate the death benefit, essentially allowing early access to the policy’s death benefit at a discounted rate. That discount will vary depending on the severity of the illness or injury. The more impact the health condition had on the insured’s life expectancy going forward, the more money they will be offered per given amount of death benefit.

For example, a client with a $500,000 Term policy who suffers a major, life-threatening cancer diagnosis may be offered $400,000 in exchange for accelerating their full $500,000 policy. On the other hand, a client who suffers a minor heart attack and whose prognosis is very positive may only be offered $100,000 in exchange for the full $500,000 acceleration. In all cases, it is the client’s decision of whether to accept the offer and take the money or leave the full death benefit in place. In many cases, it’s even possible for the client to accept a partial offer and get some money in their hands while leaving a portion of death benefit in place for the future.

ABRs and triggers can vary widely between insurance carriers and products, so it’s important to be educated on what riders are included any Living Benefits policy you may be considering and know what conditions would qualify for a Living Benefits claim. The top Living Benefits products out there will offer all of the following ABRs and associated triggers at no extra premium cost:

‍Terminal Illness: 1-2 years expected to live

‍Chronic Illness: Unable to perform 2 of 6 activities of daily living OR severe cognitive impairment

‍Critical Illness: Cancer, heart attack, stroke, major organ transplant, kidney failure

‍Critical Injury: Paralysis, coma, major burns, severe brain injury

In this day and age, it always makes sense to have Living Benefits included as part of your life insurance policy. Compared to traditional life insurance, which only pays out the death benefit if you die, Living Benefits provide you with more options and more access to your policy’s benefits in more scenarios. Any Living Benefits claim offer can always be declined if you wish, but having options is always better than not having options, especially after a major unexpected health event.

Living Benefits is a specialty of mine. I can audit any current coverage you have and make sure your family has the most modern and up-to-date coverage available.