Endowment Selling

For endowment selling to take place one has to be the owner of an endowment policy. An endowment policy is a policy taken out with an insurance company for over a specific period. The time frame can be anywhere from ten years to twenty years. It promises that upon maturity the holder will receive a guaranteed amount along with any bonuses or interests accumulated over the period. Should the policy holder die the beneficiary will receive the amount. Of course this is all subject to specific terms and conditions.

The holder of an endowment policy, traditionally called a with-profit endowment, basically expects that upon maturity the amount received from the insurance company is in excess of the sum assured. The holder usually has a plan for the monies; education for children and mortgage pay off may sit at the top of the list. The policy is usually taken out with an intent or purpose. The policy holder also has the option to partake in the act of endowment selling, which is interpreted as the sale of the policy to an external party outside of the insurance company. This allows the holder to sell the policy prior to maturity. The policy holder does have the option of surrendering the policy to the insurance company; however a third party sale would usually pay more than the insurance company would reimburse at any given time.

When endowment selling happens, an endowment policy is commonly referred to as a Traded Endowment Policy. A market has certainly developed over time for the purchasing of these with-profit policies as yet another form of investment. The sale can be initiated by the interested third party or the policy holder. Upon finalising the sale, all benefits, inclusive of that received upon death, passes to the new policy owner. The premium payments become the responsibility of the new policy holder until maturity.

Once the two parties involved have agreed to the endowment selling, the legal part of the transaction, involving documents will begin. The necessary paper work will be forwarded to the intended purchaser with a letter authorising access of information from the insurer. This allows for the obtaining of the surrender value of the policy and any other necessary information in order to arrive at the selling price.

When a policy holder is considering the process of endowment selling, it is advisable that some thought be given to the future before agreeing on a sale. Money may be required immediately which may leave no alternative but to sell. The policy holder should explore all possible options before proceeding with the sale. It is imperative that there is a level of comfort with the decision made to sell the policy prior to maturity. The flip side of this transaction is that the lump sum received from the sale can also be invested. The results of the investment being more than what would have been accumulated at the maturity date of the endowment policy.

When one has a keen interest to learn, research and share information, the sky is the limit!

Posted in: