Variable life insurance is a complicated product subject to investment, expense, and mortality risk. We often see policies illustrated at rates that cannot be substantiated. Request the rationale used to determine the policy-crediting rate illustrated.The most common problems we see are policies not performing as projected, which generally means that the policy will lapse prior to the insured’s death. Variable policies are often not allocated according to a diversified investment strategy, but are instead consistently invested in overly expensive funds. That combination can lead to poor policy performance, which can cause the policy to fail to meet the owner’s objectives.

The answers to the questions in this checklist will help you determine whether a variable policy will perform as projected and whether it will meet your needs.