A pure term insurance plan is considered the best protection plan at the cheapest premium. Because of its simple structure, comparison of such plans can easily be performed using insurance comparison engines such as – https://www.comparepolicy.com and others. A plain vanilla plan pays a lump-sum benefit and terminates thereafter in case the life insured dies within the policy term but does not pay anything if the policyholder survives the policy term. The comparison of such plans can be done on the basis of premiums only.
The new age term insurance plan, on the other hand, is designed to offer periodic cash inflows over and above the lump-sum payout making the comparison more complex. Some life insurers have already launched staggered plans that offer benefits in parts of a lump sum amount immediately after the demise of the life insured in addition to regular monthly payments for certain years. Some of them even offer to increase monthly income by a certain percentage in a bid to beat inflation.
Experts believe that in some cases the nominee under the policy may not really be equipped to make effective use of a big amount received as the death benefit. In that sense, a term plan with staggering benefits that cater to immediate liabilities with the lump sum amount and help ensure living expenses and future goals with regular income is a good idea.
But the big questions are – how to compare these plans? What should be the parameters for a suitable comparison?
Through an example below, I’ll try to make you understand how a comparison of such plans can be performed-
Suppose, there are two plans- Plan (A), which offers to pay your nominee Rs. 100 every year for 10 years, and can be bought for Rs. 100; Plan (B), at the same premium Rs. 75 every year for 15 years. The total payout under Plan (A) is Rs. 1,000 while Plan (B) would pay Rs. 1,125. Most people may prefer to go with the second plan that pays a little higher amount. But they forgot to factor in inflation. Despite the higher payout the Plan (B) offers, it may not really be a better deal if you factor in inflation and the time value of money.
Net Present Value (NPV) is a factor that needs to be implemented while comparing such plans. Assuming the current inflation rate of 6 percent, the NPV of all future cash flows from Plan (A) comes to Rs.736 and Rs.728 from Plan (B). It means Plan (A) is a better option.
Table Content
Here are some online term insurance plans that ensure a regular income with a lump sum amount:
Lump-Sum + Monthly Income Plans
| Plan Name | Premium (in INR) | Lump sum payout (in INR Lac) | Monthly payout (in INR) | NPV (in INR Lac) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edelweiss Tokio My Life + Plan | 7,253 | 43.47 | 43,470(for 10 yrs, 10 months) | 79.31 |
| Reliance Life Online Income Protect Plan | 7,295 | 45.45 | 22,720 (for 20 yrs.) | 72.63 |
| PNB Met Life Mera Term Plan | 7,455 | 41.80 | 48,490 (for 10 yrs) | 89.84 |
| HDFC Life Click2Protect Plus-Income Option Plan | 8,641 | 10.00 | 50,000 (for 15 yrs) | 62.32 |
| Max Life OTP Plus Plan | 8,704 | 67.56 | 27,020 (for 10 yrs) | 89.84 |
Lump-Sum + Increasing Monthly Income Plans
| Plan Name | Premium (in INR) | Lump sum payout (in INR Lac) | Monthly payout (in INR) | NPV (in INR Lac) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNB Met Life Mera Term Plan | 7,323 | 40.95 | 31,940 (10 yrs@12% increase a year | 79.45 |
| Max Life Term Plan-Increasing Income | 8,200 | 58.96 | 23,580 (10 yrs@10% increase a year | 85.88 |
| HDFC Life Click2Protect-Income Plus Option-ll | 9,312 | 53.47 | 26,730 (10 yrs@10% increase a year | 83.99 |
Here we learned that inflation eats out the value of cash flow over time. NPV helps us determine the current value of the future inflows. So, NPV is the method that can be applied to compare premiums of the plans that offer periodic cash flows.