VU Resources

Many years ago, insurers created a “double indemnity” rider where death from an accident would result in double the face amount being paid. Now most insurers have a better solution.

Life insurance is purchased with consideration for others. An insured is not going to receive the policy proceeds. Family members are usually the designated recipients. Selecting the way to protect these benefits requires a great deal of consideration.

E&O classes always stress the need to use checklists. P&C exposures change over time and policy coverages must change with them. This is also true with life insurance. The needs that were present at application time probably have changed. A policy that was sold years ago may now require modifications due to changes in the…

It may surprise a client to find that the company’s most valuable asset was not insured. This would be especially upsetting for an insured who felt that there was always needed coverage in effect. Property, liability and business income insurance were purchased to eliminate serious losses. What went wrong? Why wasn’t this possible major loss…

Many insurance agencies have found it easy to increase revenue and services offered by adding life and health insurance to the agency portfolio. Numerous prospects already in the agency client list have been overlooked for many years. Here’s how you can improve retention and the agency’s bottom line.

Many insurance agencies have found it easy to increase revenue and services offered by adding life and health insurance to the agency portfolio. Numerous prospects already in the agency client list have been overlooked for many years. This short series of articles shows you how you can improve retention and the agency’s bottom line. The…

Many insurance agencies have found it easy to increase revenue and services offered by adding life and health insurance to the agency portfolio. Numerous prospects already in the agency client list have been overlooked for many years. This short series of articles shows you how you can improve retention and the agency’s bottom line. The…

Viatical settlements, or accelerated death benefits, were controversial products developed in the 1980s following publicity for the AIDS epidemic. There were touted as a means for terminally ill patients to get money from life insurance policies to pay for medical treatment or other “bucket list” activities. Others viewed them as opportunistic and unethical.

Term insurance policies have always been a popular product. The premiums involved seem to make people feel that it is the ideal solution to their insurance needs. The belief is that needed coverage is given at affordable prices. There is little thought given to “initial premiums” versus “future premiums.” That is one of the major…

Any general discussion of life insurance should begin with the observation that the life insurance industry in the United States has been transformed over the past 30 years or so. The climate of extremely high interest rates in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s made the “savings” or “investment” element of many existing forms of…