Cash value life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance policy that comes with an investment feature. Cash value is the portion of your policy that earns interest and may be available for you to withdraw or borrow against in case of an emergency*.
The following types of permanent life insurance policies may include the cash value feature:
Whole life insurance Universal life insurance Variable universal life insurance Indexed universal life insurance
____
Term life insurance does NOT offer the cash value feature. ___ HOW DOES CASH VALUE LIFE INSURANCE WORK? Some permanent life insurance policies offer two features: Death benefit, the amount that's paid out to beneficiaries when the insured person diesCash value, an additional feature that might make your policy more valuable while you're still alive
With a cash value life insurance policy, a portion of each premium you pay goes toward insuring your life (the face value), while the other portion goes to building up a cash value. Cash value can be a quick source of money in an emergency.
HOW CAN I WITHDRAW CASH VALUE FROM LIFE INSURANCE?
Here are some of the ways you may be able to access your policy's cash value: Make a withdrawal*.
You can usually make a tax-free withdrawal up to the amount you've already paid into the cash-value portion of your policy, according to personal finance publisher
Kiplinger. If your withdrawal exceeds that amount, it'll be taxed as income. In either case, the death benefit is reduced by the amount that you withdraw, Kiplinger says. Take out a loan*.
You can typically borrow up to the cash value on your policy (that would include the portion of your paid premiums that have been designated for the cash value account, along with any accrued interest on those funds). According to the American Institute of CPAs, the loan isn't considered taxable income. If you die before you repay the loan, however, the outstanding amount is subtracted from your death benefit. Regardless, until you pay the loan back, your debt is accruing interest, which can eat away at your policy's potential death benefit. Surrender the policy.
A surrender is essentially a cancellation of your policy (you'll no longer be covered by life insurance). According to Kiplinger, you'll receive the amount in the cash-value account, minus any loans or unpaid premiums.
Use cash value for premiums.
If you're short on cash, you may be able to stop paying the premiums and, instead, allocate the cash value of your policy to help cover them, the III says. But if you end up depleting the funds in the cash value account entirely, it can cause your policy to lapse, which would end your life insurance coverage altogether. Having emergency savings on a life insurance policy can be a source of comfort. But, since personal situations are unique, and the details of accessing cash value funds are complex, it's probably best to talk with an insurance agent to help you decide what option might be best for you.
Source: AllState
