In short, it's life insurance you don't have to die to use.
Living Benefits life insurance represents a modern twist on life insurance coverage. A policy featuring living benefits riders (also known as accelerated benefit riders, or ABRs) will grant “early access” to the policy’s death benefit while the insured party is still alive if they are to suffer any of the triggering conditions contained in that policy’s living benefits riders.
Once a qualifying health event has occurred on an active policy, a Living Benefits policy will allow the insured party to accelerate the death benefit, essentially allowing early access to the policy’s death benefit at a discounted rate. That discount will vary depending on the severity of the illness or injury. The more impact the health condition had on the insured’s life expectancy going forward, the more money they will be offered per given amount of death benefit.
For example, a client with a $500,000 Term policy who suffers a major, life-threatening cancer diagnosis may be offered $400,000 in exchange for accelerating their full $500,000 policy. On the other hand, a client who suffers a minor heart attack and whose prognosis is very positive may only be offered $100,000 in exchange for the full $500,000 acceleration. In all cases, it is the client’s decision of whether to accept the offer and take the money or leave the full death benefit in place. In many cases, it’s even possible for the client to accept a partial offer and get some money in their hands while leaving a portion of death benefit in place for the future.
In this day and age, it always makes sense to have Living Benefits included as part of your life insurance policy.
Compared to traditional life insurance, which only pays out the death benefit if you die, Living Benefits provide you with more options and more access to your policy’s benefits in more scenarios. Any Living Benefits claim offer can always be declined if you wish, but having options is always better than not having options, especially after a major unexpected health event.
ABRs and triggers can vary widely between insurance carriers and products, so it’s important to be educated on what riders are included any Living Benefits policy you may be considering and know what conditions would qualify for a Living Benefits claim. The top Living Benefits products out there will offer all of the following ABRs and associated triggers at no extra premium cost:
Terminal Illness
1-2 years expected to live
Chronic Illness
Unable to perform 2 of 6 activities of daily living OR severe cognitive impairment
Critical Illness
Cancer, heart attack, stroke, and more!
Critical Injury
Paralysis, coma, major burns, severe brain injury
Living Benefits riders are typically included at no extra cost to the consumer. This is a key reason to make sure they are included on any coverage you may own.
At Alliance Group, Living Benefits are kind of our thing. Reach out to us – we can connect you with our network of licensed Living Benefits experts who can audit any current coverage you have and make sure your family has the most modern and up-to-date coverage available.
Watch the real life stories and testimonials from our REAL Living Benefits clients. The clients and families in this Living Benefits testimonial video alone received a combined $1,300,000 of Living Benefits money when they needed it most. Living benefits have been around for over 30 years, yet most people still don't know about them. It's a no-brainer. They cost the same as the "old kind" of life insurance, but Living Benefits do so much more!