Is Life Insurance Profitable?

Life insurance companies make profits in various ways, including charging premiums, investing premiums, cash value investments, and lapsed policies. The premium you pay funds your policy’s death benefit, the cost of administering your policy, and profit for the insurance company.

Investing a portion of premium payments is another way for insurance companies to make a profit. The insurer sets aside enough cash to pay out claims in the event of a market downturn and keeps any interest gained. In addition, permanent life insurance customers’ premiums fund both the death benefit and an investment-like cash value feature. The funds go into a larger pool of investments managed by the provider, and some of the earnings stay with the company.

Finally, some insurance policies go unclaimed. This can occur with term life insurance, which ideally expires when the policyholder has saved enough money to self-insure. Permanent policies, which come with high premiums, are often surrendered or lapse when owners can’t keep up with the payments. While a policy lapse or surrender means the insurer is no longer liable for the payout on the policy, it also loses premiums that could have been invested. Most insurers charge surrender fees to recoup some of that lost revenue.

As long as the insurance company stays profitable, how it makes a profit is unlikely to have a noticeable effect on your life insurance policy. If you own a policy with cash value, you may see gains based on your provider’s investments, while the guaranteed minimum interest should keep you from losing money. It’s in an insurer’s interest to keep premiums affordable to keep your business. If your provider has strong finances, it can ensure that your policy pays out to your loved ones when you’re gone.