• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Seminars
  • Areas We Serve
    • Ballwin
    • Chesterfield
    • Clayton
    • Creve Couer
    • Des Peres
    • Edwardsville
    • Fenton
    • Glen Carbon
    • Glendale
    • Kirkwood
    • Maryland Heights
    • Oakland
    • Sappington
    • St. Louis
    • Sunset Hills
    • Valley Park
    • Webster Groves
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Chesterfield Elder Law
      • Fenton Elder Law
      • Kirkwood Elder Law
      • Sunset Hills Elder Law
      • St. Louis Elder Law
      • St. Peters Elder Law
      • Webster Groves Elder Law
    • FREE Estate Planning Seminars
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Estate Planning
      • Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Medicaid Resources
    • Multimedia
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Checklist
    • Probate Resources
    • Retirement Planning Checklist
    • Special Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning For Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.

St. Louis Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

Logo
CONNECT WITH US TODAY (314) 966-8077
ATTEND A FREE WEBINAR
Home / Insurance / Universal Life Insurance Explained

Universal Life Insurance Explained

April 27, 2012

Insurance Tagged With: life insurance, Universal life insurance

Purchasing life insurance is often a critical part of estate planning. Although many other factors that impact your estate can change, life insurance is often purchased predominantly because the policy holder believes its value is fixed. By knowing ahead of time how much your life insurance policy is worth, and what it will cost you in premiums, you can adjust the remainder of your estate accordingly. While it is true that many forms of life insurance do provide fixed values, universal life insurance does not.

Universal life insurance is in the class of permanent life insurance along with whole life. This simply means that, unlike term insurance, the policy is guaranteed to remain in force until the maturity date of the policy, usually round age 95 to 100. Term insurance, on the other hand, only remains in effect for a specified period, such as a 10 year term. Unlike whole life, however, universal life insurance premiums are not fixed at the beginning of the contract. The policy holder of a universal life insurance policy may pay as little, or as much, as he or she wishes in premiums as long as the cost of the policy is covered. With a universal life policy, the insurer bills the policy for costs on a regular basis. The policy holder must maintain enough funds through payment of premiums to cover the costs. Additional funds paid as premiums then go toward the cash reserve and death benefit value of the policy.

With a universal life insurance policy, the death benefit and current cash value are constantly fluctuating, unlike a whole life or term life policy. With a whole life policy, the cash value growth rate is fixed at the beginning of the policy as is the death benefit value. With a term policy, there is no cash value, but the death benefit value is fixed. Because the premiums are not fixed in a universal policy, the cash value growth as well as the death benefit are subject to change

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Paul Gantner
Paul Gantner
I am an owner of Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. I have been able to bring my business and legal education and experience into a firm that has for many years provided comprehensive estate plans that meet clients’ needs and expectations.My passion has been creating and constantly pushing AGC’s mission of “Helping Families Secure their Legacies by Embracing them into the Law Firm Family through Long-term, Personal Advisory Relationships.”
Paul Gantner
Latest posts by Paul Gantner (see all)
  • Show Your Love by Creating an Estate Plan - March 21, 2023
  • What You Need to Know About SECURE Act 2.0 - March 14, 2023
  • The Lessons from Lisa Marie - March 7, 2023

Filed Under: Insurance Tagged With: life insurance, Universal life insurance

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What Is the Medicare 3 Day Hospital Stay Rule?
Life insurance
National Life Insurance Month Is a Great Time to Review Your Estate Plan
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
Understanding Life Insurance
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What Is the Difference between SSDI and SSI?
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What You May Not Know about Life Insurance and Estate Taxes
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What Happens When Estate Planning Documents Conflict?

About Paul Gantner

I am an owner of Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. I have been able to bring my business and legal education and experience into a firm that has for many years provided comprehensive estate plans that meet clients’ needs and expectations. My passion has been creating and constantly pushing AGC’s mission of “Helping Families Secure their Legacies by Embracing them into the Law Firm Family through Long-term, Personal Advisory Relationships.”

Primary Sidebar

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where We Are

Amen, Gantner & Capriano
10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 425
St. Louis, MO 63127

See Larger MapGet directions

Office Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Map

map for Amen, Gantner & Capriano Your Estate Matters office
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Footer

Connect to us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
footer-logo

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Amen, Gantner & Capriano,
Your Estate Matters, LLC

Attorney Advertisement