"For anyone who needs to understand different types of life insurance, as well as considerations for purchasing and managing policies, this book should be on your nearby reference shelf. If you've frequently found yourself fumbling around with terminology, such as the differences between variable, universal, and variable universal life (VUL) policies, you'll finally see some light through the haze." - MorningstarAdvisor.com

Life insurance doesn't have to be complex or intimidating. Ben Baldwin's completely revised and updated guidebook makes it clear and logical, discussing how to analyze insurance products based on their investment merits and best overall financial returns. This clear, authoritative resource for consumer insurance information covers the pros and cons of Internet purchases, techniques to use capital within a policy, the fixed premium feature, insurance for different stages of life, and the new emergence of "immediate annuities."

Indispensible Classic (5.0)

Thank goodness there is such an authoritative source for life insurance information.

"For anyone who needs to understand different types of life insurance, as well as considerations for purchasing and managing policies, this book should be on your nearby reference shelf. If you?ve frequently found yourself fumbling around with terminology, such as the differences between variable, universal, and variable universal life (VUL) policies, you?ll finally see some light through the haze." - [...]


Life insurance doesn't have to be complex or intimidating. Ben Baldwin's completely revised and updated guidebook makes it clear and logical, discussing how to analyze insurance products based on their investment merits and best overall financial returns. This clear, authoritative resource for consumer insurance information covers the pros and cons of Internet purchases, techniques to use capital within a policy, the fixed premium feature, insurance for different stages of life, and the new emergence of immediate annuities.

My only addition is to suggest a companion volume, John Girouard's The Ten Truths of Wealth Creation which has develped quite a buzz in the advisor universe.

detailed information on every kind of life insurance there is. (5.0)

this book is very informative about the investment pros and cons of life insurance policies and the tax implications associated with cash value policies.

Insurance Primer (5.0)

This is a great introductory book to a difficult topic. Must read for any first year advisor or life insurance agent.

An excellent resource (5.0)

This is the best source I have come across for dissecting and analyzing VUL. Most insurance professionals shy away from this product because of its risks. My feeling has been that this reaction is born out of a lack of understanding. This book is very clear about the risks and the rewards, teaching both with depth and candor. Knowledge is power and this book provides both.

good info, but too biased towards VUL (2.0)

The book is very informative, entertaining, and instructive. It gives the benefits and drawbacks of each type of life insurance. It's a good reference book. It's easy to read and understand.

However, it is very biased towards variable universal life (VUL). In fact, the author states that this type of policy is the reason why the book exists. He even goes so far as to say that VUL is one of the best investment vehicles of the century! He's a good cheerleader for VUL and even though he is honest and does point out the pitfalls of VUL, he sort of skims over the probability of problems with these policies in later years.

This book inspired me to check VUL policies and get some illustrations. I was shocked at the high probability of lapse in these policies if the expected return in the investments was average, say expected 8% return. You really need to get over 10% annualized return in the policies to be assured that the policy will not lapse. Anything less than that and you are running a grave risk of having to fund the policy dramatically or see it lapse just at a time when you need it most, after age 70. The trick is to adequately fund the policy from the start, and the funding can be quite expensive. And even after all of that, the insurance company makes YOU assume the risk of generating enough return to keep the policy in force. Even if you don't take any loans, the policy can lapse if the returns are just a little bit less than expected. That's very high risk to me. There are no affordable guarantees of minimum death benefit or cash values in a VUL, regardless of loans or premiums paid on time. I was shocked to learn this in reality.

So don't fall for the hype in this book about VUL. The author greatly under-estimates the risk inherent in VUL policies.

Ultimately, I'd say there are better books on insurance if you just want to learn about the basics.