Co-Founder, Coastal Financial Partners Group, California
It is an unfortunate term sometimes used in connection with sales strategies utilizing life insurance to develop cash value accumulation on a tax deferred basis for its potential to turn it into tax free retirement income via policy loans. It is unfortunate because it minimizes the value of life insurance death benefit as if it should be discarded in favor of buying life insurance simply for its favorable cash value tax characteristics.
Owner, Alma L Hesterberg & Associates, Baltimore, MD
A life insurance wrapper for all intent and purposes is a structured investment tool which combines investments in funds and life insurance. The insurance wrapper allows the policy holder a choice of which funds they wish to invest in. In lieu of paying premiums the policyholder would pay the assets or funds that he chooses. Since the assets or funds are already paid to the insurance company they would not be attachable by creditors since they would not be considered the policy holders assets and therefor the policy holder would be 100% protected.
The is life insurance slang that agents and registered representatives use to promote the tax advantages of a non-modified endowment contract life insurance policies to savers and investors for supplemental retirement income. The metaphor, “wrapper”, may be a poor one, perhaps tax favored treatment would be better.
If designed correctly, these tax favored policies can generate tax free withdrawals of basis and policy loans of gain, which will not be included in the provision income test for Social Security benefit taxation. But one major proviso: these contracts must be kept in force for the life of the insured. Any termination or lapse could trigger an ordinary income tax event on the constructive receipt of policy loans and any internal policy loans used to pay annual interest due.
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If designed correctly, these tax favored policies can generate tax free withdrawals of basis and policy loans of gain, which will not be included in the provision income test for Social Security benefit taxation. But one major proviso: these contracts must be kept in force for the life of the insured. Any termination or lapse could trigger an ordinary income tax event on the constructive receipt of policy loans and any internal policy loans used to pay annual interest due.