Life insurance news we are watching

Indexed Universal Life: Tax-Free Promise or Costly Illusion?

A fair look at both sides of the IUL debate, including the criticism aimed at premium-financed designs. The structure holds up when the loan, the collateral and the exit are tested at conservative rates before the policy is placed.

Academy comment letter on IUL and premium financing to the NAIC

The Academy's illustration subcommittee told regulators that premium financing is mainly a sales-process and best-interest question, not an illustration problem. That is why we document suitability, collateral and exit on every financed case.

Also this month: LIMRA: Individual life sales continue growth trend in Q2, led by whole life and VUL

The next growth phase in life/annuities depends on modernization

Carriers are rebuilding underwriting and service on modern systems. Speed matters most on large cases, where a few weeks of underwriting delay can outlast a lender's term sheet.

U.S. Individual Life Insurance Sales Show Strong First-Quarter Growth

Individual life sales opened 2026 on a strong footing. Demand from business owners and affluent families continues to be the steadiest part of the market.

NAIC Readies Launch of New Illustration Requirements

New illustration rules change what a compliant IUL ledger can show. Financed cases should be modeled below the maximum illustrated rate, with the downside case shown alongside.

Peoples Bank Introduces Nationwide Business: Peoples Life Premium Finance

Another bank enters life premium finance on a national basis. More lenders bring more competitive terms, and more reason to compare loan structures rather than headline rates.

What Are the Benefits of a Section 125 Plan?

A clear primer on cafeteria plans and pre-tax payroll elections. Our Oak125 program builds a supplemental benefit layer on the same Section 125 mechanics.

Conn. regulators prep PHL Variable for liquidation after selloff fails

Carrier strength is part of plan design. We place permanent and financed coverage with highly rated carriers and keep watching ratings for the life of the loan.

Also this month: Different Kinds of Tax: Pre- and Post-Tax Deductions Explained (American Fidelity)

Workplace Life Insurance Sales Show Strong Growth in Third Quarter 2025

Workplace coverage keeps growing as employers compete on benefits. Supplemental coverage paid with pre-tax dollars is one of the most efficient ways to add value to a package.

Insurance Customers Skeptical About AI Processes and Benefits

Clients still want a person accountable for underwriting and claims decisions. Technology shortens our case work; the advisor relationship stays at the center.

Map Shows Highest Health Insurance Premium Rises by US State

Major medical premiums keep climbing, and employers are looking for ways to add value without adding cost. A Section 125 supplemental layer is built for that gap.

Five Key Changes to ACA Marketplaces Amid Uncertainty Over Premium Tax Credit Enhancements

Marketplace changes land hardest on business owners and early retirees who buy their own coverage. Health costs belong in the same planning conversation as life coverage.

4 Surprisingly Smart Ways To Use Life Insurance To Build Generational Wealth

Permanent life insurance remains one of the cleanest tools for moving wealth between generations. Ownership and beneficiary structure matter as much as the policy itself.

Suit claims ACA changes will result in mass coverage losses

Uncertainty at the major medical level makes indemnity and supplemental benefits more valuable to employees. It is a good moment for employers to review what their plans leave uncovered.

How to use IUL bonuses and multipliers

Bonuses and multipliers can lift illustrated values, and they carry their own charges. On a financed case we model performance without them first.

AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of CVS Health Corporation's Aetna Inc. Subsidiaries

Ratings affirmations rarely make headlines, but they are the first filter we apply. Financial strength decides which carriers we will put in front of a client.

Regulators tackle troubling illustration practices

Regulators are focused on how illustrations are presented, especially for leveraged designs. Conservative assumptions protect the client and the advisor alike.

American National to exit the life insurance business

A carrier's strategy can change long before its policies mature. Advisors should know who will be servicing a policy decades from now.

Krispy Kreme Owner Buying Life Insurer

Private capital continues to buy life insurers. Ownership changes deserve attention when a policy will serve as loan collateral.

Life insurance and annuity sales: What's ahead for 2025?

Forecasters expected steady life sales into 2025. For our clients the larger question was the federal estate tax exemption, which Congress addressed later in the year.

Trump 2.0: Planning around uncertainty

Election years reset estate and tax planning assumptions. Flexible policy designs give clients room to adjust as the law changes.

Premium Finance Market to Reach $139.74 Billion, Globally, by 2032

Analysts project strong growth for premium finance over the next decade. Growth makes discipline in loan structure and collateral planning more important.

10 Best Life Insurance Companies of September 2024

Rankings are a starting point. On large and financed cases, carrier choice also turns on underwriting appetite, loan provisions and product stability.

Life Insurance and Annuities on the 2024 Rollercoaster

Rates and markets moved sharply in 2024. Interest-rate risk is the central variable in any premium finance plan, and we model it explicitly.

The Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index, July 2024

Term pricing stayed competitive through 2024. Convertible term can be a sound bridge while a permanent or financed strategy is designed.

U.S. Life Insurance New Premium Tops $3.7 Billion in First Quarter 2024

Life sales held strong into 2024, a sign that demand for permanent coverage among affluent buyers is durable.

Life insurance set to boom as interest rates surge, says Swiss Re Institute

Higher rates help carrier crediting and raise borrowing costs at the same time. In premium finance, the spread between the two is what decides the outcome.

Prudential Financial finalizes reinsurance transaction with Somerset Re

Large reinsurance deals reshape carrier balance sheets. Advisors should understand who ultimately stands behind the guarantees they sell.

Supreme Court takes on life insurance as a corporate asset

The Supreme Court's review of Connelly put company-owned life insurance in buy-sell agreements under scrutiny. Owners with redemption-style agreements should have them reviewed.

Democrats blast life insurance plans as tax breaks for rich

Private placement life insurance drew congressional criticism. Staying current on the tax treatment of life insurance is part of responsible planning.

US life insurance 2024 outlook: Rising interest rates to boost investment income

Higher investment income supports carrier crediting rates, which is good news for permanent policies funded today.

Best Life Insurance Companies for December 2023

Consumer rankings focus on simple coverage. Complex cases need a carrier with large-case underwriting experience and a deep reinsurance pool.

IMF raises alarm over 'contagion' from private capital in life insurance

The IMF flagged risk from private equity ownership of life insurers. Diligence on carrier ownership is part of protecting a long-dated plan.

Omaha insurance giant ordered to change procedures, pay life insurance benefits

Claims practices matter as much as pricing. Careful, complete application work at the start lowers the chance of a contested claim later.

Four Ways Life Insurance Can Grow and Protect Your Wealth

Cash value, tax treatment and estate liquidity are why affluent families own permanent coverage. Premium finance can add leverage to that, with the right collateral plan.

Adding alternative investments to your wealth practice with PPLI

PPLI pairs life insurance with alternative investments for qualified purchasers. It is a specialist structure that needs coordinated legal and tax advice.

What is dependent life insurance?

Dependent coverage is a small benefit families value. It is often available through workplace plans at low cost.

What Is the Seven-Pay Test For Life Insurance?

The seven-pay test decides whether a policy becomes a modified endowment contract. Funding schedules on financed cases have to be designed to stay inside it.

Expand your toolbox with cash value life insurance

Cash value life insurance blends protection, accumulation and liquidity. It works best as one part of a coordinated plan.

2 Ways to Safeguard Your Life Insurance Against Inflation

Inflation erodes a fixed death benefit over time. Increasing-benefit options and regular reviews keep coverage aligned with an estate's real value.

How Covid has changed the life insurance marketplace

Accelerated and digital underwriting expanded during the pandemic. Large face amounts still require full underwriting, and good preparation shortens the timeline.

A record $100 billion was paid out in life insurance benefits last year

Record benefit payments are a reminder of what the product is for. Death benefit protection is the foundation of every strategy we design.

Also this month: Using life insurance riders to pay for long term care (InsuranceNewsNet)

Best Life Insurance Companies of 2022

Brand rankings help consumers start a search. On large cases the right carrier is the one whose underwriting and contract fit the plan.

Americans think about death, but won't plan for it

Most families know they need a plan and keep putting it off. A clear first meeting with numbers on the table is often what gets an estate plan finished.

The Evolution of Insurance Agencies

Agencies are consolidating and specializing. Advisors increasingly rely on specialist partners for large and complex life cases.

Life insurance: Build and protect multigenerational wealth

Permanent coverage owned by a trust moves wealth to the next generation outside the taxable estate. Structure decides whether that promise holds.

Inflation: The good outweighs the bad for life insurers, Moody's reports

Rising rates help carrier investment income and crediting. They also raise borrowing costs, which is why financed plans are modeled at higher rates.

Record $2.7 Billion IPO by India's Life Insurance Corp. Is Oversubscribed

Global investor appetite for life insurers stayed strong. Capital flowing into the industry shapes product pricing everywhere.

Also this month: Life insurance companies record 37% rise in new business premium in March (Moneycontrol)

Ohio National Completes Strategic Transaction with Constellation Insurance Holdings

Another mutual carrier changed hands. Ownership changes matter for long-dated policies, and for any policy used as loan collateral.

Missouri nurse's life insurance policy canceled after company stops paying premiums

Employer-paid coverage can end without the employee knowing. Owning coverage personally, or confirming it is in force, avoids a gap like this.

Indiana life insurance CEO says deaths are up 40% among people ages 18-64

Pandemic-era mortality hit working-age adults hard. It was a sharp reminder that coverage is easiest to get while you are healthy.

Life insurance payouts see highest increase in over 100 years

Carriers paid record claims and stayed solvent. The industry's capital strength is why life insurance works as long-term collateral.

Savvy Senior: How to track down an unclaimed life insurance policy

Billions in benefits go unclaimed. A simple policy inventory kept with the estate documents prevents that.

US Life Insurers Remain On Strong Financial Footing, ACLI Speaker Says

Carriers came through the pandemic well capitalized. Financial strength is the first filter we apply to any placement.

Buying Life Insurance? The Industry Is Being Transformed. What You Need to Know.

Faster underwriting and new products are changing the buying process. Large cases still benefit from experienced case design.

Policygenius Releases August 2021 Life Insurance Price Index

Term pricing stayed competitive through the pandemic. Convertible term can protect insurability while a permanent plan is designed.

Windsor life insurer sold for $1.75B

Private capital kept buying blocks of life and annuity business. We watch who owns the carrier behind every policy we place.

American Financial closes $3.5bn annuity business sale to MassMutual

Consolidation continued across life and annuity carriers. Scale and ratings matter when a policy must last for decades.

Insurance Trusts Will Be Very Different If Proposed Tax Legislation Passes

Proposed tax changes threatened how irrevocable life insurance trusts are funded. Families with large estates moved to put structures in place while the rules allowed.

Private equity is buying up annuity and life insurance policies. That may be bad for consumers

Private equity ownership of insurers raised fair questions. Diligence on carrier ownership protects a long-dated plan.

Covid-19 survivors may not get life insurance policy immediately

Carriers added postponement periods after COVID-19 infections. Applying while healthy keeps the best rate classes available.

Life Insurance Underwriting Amid a Pandemic

Underwriting adapted with fewer exams and more data. Preparing a large case well still shortens the timeline.

Also this month: What Is MIB Group And How Does It Affect Life Insurance Applications? (Forbes Advisor)

2021 Outlook For Life Insurance Buyers

Demand rose after the pandemic year. Low rates made premium finance especially attractive for qualified buyers.

U.S. Life Insurance 2021 Outlook Remains Negative

Low rates and pandemic claims pressured carrier earnings. Strong ratings and conservative illustrations mattered more than ever.

Life insurance interest rises during pandemic

The pandemic pushed families to act on coverage they had postponed. Many first conversations that year led to lasting plans.

Life Insurance And COVID-19: All You Need To Know

Existing policies paid COVID-19 claims as written. New applications faced added questions for a time.

Types Of Life Insurance Policies

A good primer on term, whole, universal and indexed life. The right product depends on the goal and how the premium will be paid.

Young Consumers Have Noticed Life Insurance: MIB

Application activity among younger buyers jumped. Locking in insurability early pays off later in larger plans.

Indexed Universal Life Illustration Fight Continues to Boil

The debate over IUL illustrations shaped today's rules. Financed designs should never rely on the maximum illustrated rate.

Magic Johnson's Life Insurance Company Reportedly Funding $100 Million In Small Business Loans

Life insurers are major lenders as well as protectors. Their balance sheets reach well beyond policies.

Prudential suspends applications for some life insurance policies

Carriers pulled back on some products early in the pandemic. Access to many carriers keeps cases moving when one closes a door.

Also this month: Can creditors take my life insurance after my husband died? (NJ.com)

Insurers impacted by coronavirus twice over

Insurers faced both claims and market losses. Diversified, highly rated carriers were built for exactly this test.

Here's What Happens When You Borrow From Your Life Insurance

Policy loans give owners liquidity without a sale. In financed plans they are often part of the exit strategy.

I bought a $1 million life insurance policy at 34 after watching my father and brother suffer from heart problems

Family health history is a strong reason to buy early. Insurability can change quickly.

What can breathe new life into the waning life insurance industry?

Ownership rates had drifted down for years. Clear advice and better buying experiences bring people back.

Also this month: Life Insurance: There's Something For Everyone (Forbes)

Here's why you should buy life insurance when you are young

Premiums are lowest and underwriting easiest when you are young. Coverage bought early can be converted later.

DOI Helps Illinois Life Insurance Consumers Collect More than $15 Million in 2019

Unclaimed benefits are more common than people think. Families should know what coverage exists and where.

8 Facts About Life Insurance You 100% Need To Know

A plain-language refresher on how coverage works. Good fundamentals make advanced planning easier to explain.

Also this month: I took out $200,000 of life insurance in my early 20s (Business Insider)

Is Life Insurance An Investment?

Permanent life insurance is an asset with tax advantages, not a substitute for a portfolio. Used well, it complements both.

The Surprising Way Startups Are Disrupting the Life-Insurance Business

Insurtechs sped up simple term sales. Complex and large cases still call for specialist design.

Also this month: Some insurance agents breaking law with 401(k) rollovers (InvestmentNews)

Collateral Assignment of Life Insurance Policy Proceeds

A collateral assignment is the legal backbone of every premium-financed policy. It lets a lender be repaid without taking ownership of the policy.

Also this month: 6 Reasons Americans Don't Have Life Insurance, and Why They're All Bogus (The Motley Fool)

Here's exactly why experts recommend one type of life insurance over the other

Term versus permanent is the first question in any plan. The answer depends on how long the need lasts.

Also this month: Philip Morris starts life insurance firm that offers discounts to smokers who quit (CNBC)

New York Life Surpasses $1 Trillion Of Individual Life Insurance In U.S.

A milestone for one of the largest mutual carriers. Scale and stability are what families buy when they buy permanent coverage.

Also this month: NAIC moves to plug insurance 'loophole' (Insurance Business)

Why the future of life insurance may depend on your online presence

Regulators began setting rules on data-driven underwriting. Accurate, complete applications remain the best protection.

Also this month: Can AI Democratize Life Insurance? (insideBIGDATA)

Borrowing From a Life Insurance Policy: What You Need To Know

Policy loans offer flexible liquidity. Unmanaged loans can also lapse a policy, which is why we monitor them.

Also this month: Life Insurance For The Living? (Forbes)

After death of loved one, this free tool finds insurance policies, annuities

The NAIC policy locator helps families find lost coverage. Better still is a current inventory kept with the estate plan.

U.S. life expectancy declines again, a dismal trend not seen since World War I

Mortality trends flow into carrier pricing. Locking in coverage while healthy protects against future repricing.

Don't Be Too Quick To Drop Life Insurance At Retirement

Coverage that once replaced income often becomes estate liquidity in retirement. Review it before letting it go.

Also this month: The Jay-Z-backed life insurance startup, Ethos, has raised $35 million (TechCrunch); 5 key questions to ask about your life insurance (Fox Business)

John Hancock wants to turn life insurance into a wellness game

John Hancock moved all new policies to its Vitality program. Carrier product changes can reshape options for new buyers.

Do you have enough life insurance? Pete the Planner now thinks he needs more

Coverage needs grow with income, family and estate. Most people are underinsured and do not know it.

Also this month: Finding a lost life insurance policy: 3 ways to get started (Detroit Free Press)

Should mom sell her life insurance policy?

A life settlement can unlock value from coverage no longer needed. Compare it with keeping, reducing or exchanging the policy first.

The All-Inclusive Guide to Modified Endowment Contracts

Overfunding a policy can turn it into a MEC and change its tax treatment. Financed funding schedules are built to avoid that.

Also this month: John Hancock's Accumulation IUL Hits The Market (InsuranceNewsNet)

Pimco Sees U.S. 10-Year Treasury Yields Topping Out at 3.5%

Rate forecasts drive premium finance planning. Loan costs and policy crediting both move with the rate cycle.

Also this month: The Fed is about to deliver a 'punch in the face' that markets aren't prepared for (CNBC)

New York Fed launches U.S. Libor contender, slow takeup seen

SOFR's launch began the move away from LIBOR, the benchmark behind most premium finance loans. Every loan document eventually had to address it.

Also this month: U.S. Libor Replacement, Two Weeks After Debut, Has Some Issues (Bloomberg); Will Medicaid consider my life insurance to be an asset? (NJ.com)

America's Libor Replacement Is Ready for Its Debut

A new benchmark meant new loan terms for floating-rate premium finance. We tracked the transition for every financed client.

Also this month: What's a flattening yield curve and why it may be scary (CNN Money); How to Choose the Right Amount of Life Insurance (Consumer Reports)

For Millennials, life insurance can be a bargain not to miss

Younger buyers get the lowest prices and the easiest underwriting. Buying early protects future insurability.

IUL the Life Insurance Star of 2017 Sales

Indexed universal life led 2017 sales growth. Its flexibility made it the leading chassis for financed designs.

Investor Group Agrees to Acquire Hartford Annuity Business

Blocks of in-force business kept changing hands. Policyholders should know who services their contracts.

Also this month: Expect Fed to Raise Interest Rate (New York Times)

Eight Best Practices for Financed Life Insurance

A sound checklist for financed cases: suitability, stress tests, collateral and exit. These are the standards we still design to.

Also this month: Financed Life Insurance: the Emperor Has No Clothes (WealthManagement.com); What Happens With Premium-Financed Life Insurance Without A Federal Estate Tax (Forbes); When the IRS Wants Your Life Insurance Policy (ThinkAdvisor); GOP Tax Plan Increases Need for Estate Planning Flexibility (ThinkAdvisor)

Unlocking the next horizon of growth in the life insurance industry

McKinsey pointed to underserved affluent and business markets as the next growth area. That is where Oak focuses.

Also this month: The Truth Behind Whole Life Premiums (WealthManagement.com); 15 Most Expensive States for Long-Term Care: 2017 (ThinkAdvisor); 4 Facts About New York's New Life And Annuity Premium Rules (ThinkAdvisor)

Premium Financing For Life Insurance: The Who, What And Why

A clear introduction to who premium finance fits and why. The strategy works best for clients with strong balance sheets and a lasting need.

Also this month: The Basics of Establishing an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ThinkAdvisor); Indexed Life Sales Rise 10%: Wink (ThinkAdvisor); 7 Things to Know About Life Insurance as a Retirement Strategy (ThinkAdvisor)

Indexed Universal Life: It's Just a Great Investment

IUL can be a strong accumulation tool, but it is insurance first. We present it with its floors, caps and costs in plain view.

Also this month: Life Expectancy for a 65-Year-Old Increases 1.6 years (ThinkAdvisor); Annuity Rules Should Apply to Investment-Type Life Products: Consumer Reps (ThinkAdvisor)

Prudential to Realign Its U.S. Businesses

Large carriers reorganized around protection and retirement. Strategy shifts at the top affect products in the field.

Also this month: SEC Clears MetLife to Complete Brighthouse Spinoff (ThinkAdvisor)

Why Life Insurance Is Essential For Retirement Planning

Life insurance protects a surviving spouse and can supplement retirement income. It belongs in the retirement plan, not beside it.

Also this month: New Florida Law Affects Life Policyholders Who Want to Change Policies (ThinkAdvisor); IRS Offers Temporary Portability Election Crisis Fix (ThinkAdvisor)

Distributions Out of a Cash Value Life Insurance Policy

Withdrawals and loans are taxed differently, and the order matters. Getting it right is central to any income or exit plan.

Also this month: U.S. Firm Agrees to Acquire Fidelity & Guaranty Life (ThinkAdvisor); Aetna Is Latest Health Insurer to Quit ACA Public Exchange System (ThinkAdvisor); Include Longevity Planning in Your Retirement Strategy (U.S. News)