How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (2024)

Life insurance companies make money on life insurance policies in four main ways: charging premiums, investing those premiums, gaining interest from cash value investments, and benefiting from lapsed policies.

1. Charging premiums

Paying your policy premiums keeps your policy active, so that your beneficiaries get the death benefit.

Premiums are carefully calculated by your insurer to cover your death benefit and provide profits to the company. Based on the length of your policy’s coverage and your estimated life expectancy, your premiums fund:

  • Your policy’s death benefit

  • The cost of administering your policy

  • Profit for the insurance company

If too many customers die sooner than expected and the insurer needs to pay out more claims than planned, the insurer loses money.This is why the life insurance application process is so thorough, and why there are harsh penalties for concealing information on your application in an effort to lower your rates.

2. Investing premiums

As policyholders pay their premiums, the insurer invests a portion of those payments. The insurer sets aside enough cash to pay out claims in case of a market downturn and keeps any interest gained.

3. Gaining from cash value investing

Insurance companies have an additional investment stream that comes from servicing permanent life insurance policies. Premiums for these policies are many times more expensive than premiums for other types of coverage, such as term life insurance.

This is partially because permanent life insurance premiums fund both the death benefit and an investment-like cash value feature.

The cash value funds go into a larger pool of investments managed by the insurer, and some of the earnings stay with the company.

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4. Benefiting from policy lapses and expirations

Finally, there are some insurance policies that go unclaimed, which can happen especially with term life insurance, if the policyholder outlives the term. Term life insurance is only meant to last until the insured person no longer has dependents or debts to cover with their policy — usually between 10 and 30 years.

An expired term life policy is ideal for an insurance company because it means it has collected decades of premiums without paying out any claims.

On the other hand, 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.

→ Learn more about how to buy life insurance

How does the insurer’s profits affect your life insurance policy?

As long as your insurance company stays profitable, how the company 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 additional gains based on your insurer’s investments, while the guaranteed minimum interest should keep you from losing money.

Your insurance company turns a profit through premiums and investments, but it’s in an insurer’s interest to keep premiums affordable to keep your business. And if your insurance company has strong finances, it can ensure that your policy pays out to your loved ones when you’re gone.

→ Learn more about how to understand your life insurance policy

More about the life insurance application process

  • Questions to expect from a life insurance phone interview

  • What is evidence of insurability (EOI) for life insurance?

  • Why do life insurance companies need my Social Security number?

  • What are life insurance classifications?

  • Everything you need to know about the life insurance medical exam

  • What is the MIB?

  • Why does a life insurer need an attending physician statement (APS)?

  • Should you backdate your life insurance policy?

  • What do I do if my life insurance application is declined?

  • What is a modified life insurance offer or approved other than applied?

  • How to pay for life insurance

  • Does your credit score affect your life insurance premiums?

  • How to lower the cost of your life insurance premiums

  • What is the waiting period for life insurance?

  • What is the free look period?

  • What happens if you lie on your life insurance application

  • Buying life insurance and disability insurance at the same time

  • How to buy additional life insurance

  • What does a life insurance agent do?

Frequently asked questions

How do life insurance companies make a profit?

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (1)

Life insurance companies make a profit on the premiums they charge for policies. Companies invest part of those premium payments for additional gains.

Do companies ever lose money on life insurance policies?

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (2)

An insurer can lose money on a policy if a policy owner dies earlier than predicted or gives up their policy before the end of the term.

How does the way your insurance company makes money affect your policy?

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (3)

Your policy generally won’t be impacted by how your insurer makes money. Working with a financially stable insurance company can give you peace of mind that your policy’s death benefit will pay out.

Authors

Katherine Murbach

Editor & Licensed Life Insurance Agent

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (6)How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (7)

Katherine Murbach is an editor and a former licensed life insurance agent at Policygenius. Previously, she wrote about life and disability insurance for 1752 Financial, and advised over 1,500 clients on their life insurance policies as a sales associate.

Julia Kagan

Contributing Editor

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (10)

Julia Kagan is a contributing editor at Policygenius, where she specializes in life insurance. Previously, Julia was the senior personal finance editor at Investopedia for nearly a decade, a vice president and editorial director at Consumer Reports, the editor of Psychology Today, and the vice president of content at Zagat Surveys.

Editor

Antonio Ruiz-Camacho

Associate Content Director

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (13)How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (14)

Antonio helps lead our life insurance and disability insurance editorial team at Policygenius. Previously, he was a senior director of content at Bankrate and CreditCards.com, as well as a principal writer covering personal finance at CNET.

Expert reviewer

Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®

Certified Financial Planner

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (17)How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (18)

Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.

Questions about this page? Email us ateditorial@policygenius.com.

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius (2024)

FAQs

How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money? – Policygenius? ›

We're an independent insurance broker, so we get paid a commission by insurance companies for each sale. Insurance commissions are already built into the price of an insurance policy, so you're not paying any extra for working with us to buy a policy.

How do companies make money buying life insurance policies? ›

The essential insurance model involves pooling risk from individual payers and redistributing it across a larger portfolio. Most insurance companies generate revenue in two ways: Charging premiums in exchange for insurance coverage, then reinvesting those premiums into other interest-generating assets.

Is Policygenius an insurance broker? ›

Policygenius' platform lets users buy homeowner's insurance, life insurance, car insurance, and other products. Policygenius acts as an independent insurance broker and, as such, is paid a commission by insurance companies upon each sale.

Who owns Policygenius? ›

In 2023, Policygenius was acquired by Zinnia, an insurance technology and digital services company.

How much does Policygenius cost? ›

There's no fee to use Policygenius. Rather, Policygenius makes its money by being paid a commission for each insurance policy that it sells. The commission is included in the policy prices that you're quoted by Policygenius agents, and its amount may vary by insurer and policy type.

Why millionaires are buying life insurance? ›

Wealthy individuals with a net worth over $1 million can use life insurance to provide for their loved ones in the event of their death, as an investment vehicle, or as protection against estate taxes.

Why do people who sell life insurance make so much money? ›

One of the primary reasons insurance agents can accumulate wealth is their commission-based income structure. Unlike salaried employees, agents earn a percentage of the premiums they sell to clients. As they build a client base and generate more sales, their income potential increases.

Is Policygenius worth it? ›

Policygenius is one of our favorite places to shop for insurance online because of their commitment to making the process easier and more transparent. Policygenius is not an insurance provider, rather a marketplace for shopping dozens of leading insurance companies to get the best coverage for your needs.

Is Policygenius safe to use? ›

Policygenius is not an actual insurance company. Thus, you get safe, unbiased help from start to finish. In addition, they're available to explain the pros and cons of different policies and options in simple terms. Their goal is to help you find a policy that best meets your needs at the lowest price.

Does Policygenius sell my information? ›

Policygenius does not engage in any sharing of personal information that you can limit. Questions? Call 1-855-695-2255 or email privacy@policygenius.com. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/about/privacy/.

How many customers does Policygenius have? ›

Since 2014, we've helped over 30 million people shop for insurance and placed over $150 billion in coverage.

Who is the richest insurance company? ›

By net premiums written
RankCompanyNet premiums written (US$ Billion)
1UnitedHealth Group201.5
2Ping An Insurance118.8
3China Life Insurance111.2
4Centene Corporation107.4
21 more rows

What is the best company to get life insurance from? ›

Best life insurance companies: Pros and cons
  • MassMutual: Best overall.
  • Guardian: Best for applicants with a history of HIV.
  • Northwestern Mutual: Best for consumer experience.
  • New York Life: Best for high coverage amounts.
  • Pacific Life: Best range of permanent life insurance.
  • State Farm: Best for customer satisfaction.

Is Policygenius good for home insurance? ›

Policygenius is worth it for people looking to compare offers from multiple home insurers at once. Users can also conveniently shop for other types of insurance — like auto insurance and life insurance — and save by bundling policies.

How many employees does Policygenius have? ›

Policygenius Inc. Information
Websitehttp://www.policygenius.com
Revenue$205 million
Funding$151.7 million
Employees480 (480 on RocketReach)
Founded2014
11 more rows

Where is Policygenius based? ›

Policygenius was founded in 2014 and has headquarters in New York, New York and Durham, North Carolina, United States.

Why would a company buy a life insurance policy? ›

Companies pay the premiums and receive the death benefit if the employee dies. The insured employee's heirs or family do not receive any benefits. A major reason that companies purchase COLI is to profit from the tax advantages of life insurance.

Why do businesses purchase life insurance? ›

While they may not be as applicable to small business owners, they make for a crucial backstop for larger operations. Businesses usually pay for key employee policies because they're put in place to keep the company afloat if a key employee's death or disability threatens company revenue.

Why are companies willing to pay for life insurance? ›

Relatively small amounts of coverage (up to one year's salary) cost the employer very little, but greatly enhance the compensation package. Like all group benefits, this then allows the employee to increase coverage at cost effective rates. At least some basic level of life insurance is a common employee benefit.

Do companies pay for life insurance? ›

Many employers offer life insurance as a benefit to their employees by covering at least a large portion of their premium payments. This provides you with life insurance coverage at little or no cost typically for the duration of your time working for that employer.

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