Life and Health Insurance Policies

What happens to the dividend option term rider on a whole life insurance policy?

If the cost of insurance on the dividend option term rider is higher then the monthly premium being paid. What happens to the term insurance portion of the whole life policy at that time? I have this rider now on my whole life policy to maximize my death benefit at the lowest cost but I'm thinking that either I will have to pay more premium if the cost goes up or I have to drop the rider.

Public Comments

1. The purpose of a dividend option is to purchase paid up additions or term insurance for a specified amount of time (5 years, 7 years, ect.). It sounds that you are doing the latter and are using your dividends to repurchase term insurance at your attained age. This would cause an increase in the premium cost. You might consider paid up additions. The amount of insurance would be less, but you would avoid the higher cost you mentioned.
2. This is a good question for your agent or customer service because dividends are not guaranteed and may have a significant impact on your policy if they change. If the term portion of your policy is dependent on dividends, then it is not guaranteed at your current premium. As you mentioned, you may have to pay more premium to keep the same amount or reduce your coverage if the insurance company's dividend changes. Also, I wouldn't use the phrase "lowest cost" because there may be a less expensive way for you to achieve the same goal. I always recommend someone who is looking for life insurance consider the opinion of more than just one source. Good luck