Life Insurance FundamentalsQuestion 319 of 716

Which statement best describes term life insurance?

a.It pays an endowment benefit only if the insured is still living when the stated term has expired
b.It provides death benefit protection for a specified period and normally builds no cash value
c.It provides lifetime protection to attained age 121 and builds a guaranteed cash value each year
d.It lets the policyowner skip premiums by drawing on the policy's savings element

Explanation

Term insurance provides pure death benefit protection for a stated period (for example, 10 or 20 years) and, because there is no savings element, it generally builds no cash value, which makes it the lowest-cost way to buy a large death benefit. Lifetime protection to attained age 121 with a guaranteed cash value each year describes permanent (whole) life. Skipping premiums by drawing on a savings element is a cash-value feature term does not have. Paying an endowment benefit because the insured is still living when the term expires is backwards: term pays if the insured dies during the term, not if the insured survives it.

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Reviewed by John Zihao Zhang — California-Licensed Life Insurance Agent (CA Dept. of Insurance License #4396095 — verify)
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