Term
There were three methods organizations used over the years to fund life ins.- one is the Mutual Benefit Method - define: |
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Definition
This is a funding method that mutual benefit societies used in obtaining money to pay death claims; they collected money after the death of the person who was insured. |
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Term
Three major problems were associated with the mutual benefit method: |
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Definition
1. Collecting the money to pay the death benefits. 2. As members died and resigned, the group got smaller and smaller. This affected the $ collected and the amt. of the benefit was upon death. 3. As members grew older, the number of deaths increased each year, causing the cost to increase. |
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Term
The second funding method was Assessment Method - define: |
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Definition
The organization that offered insurance coverage estimated its operating costs for a given period, usually one year. The operating costs included anticipated death claims and the administrative expenses. |
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Term
The most modern method used to price life insurance is the Legal Reserve System - define: |
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Definition
This method is based on laws requiring the insurance company to establish policy reserves which are liabilities that represent the amount the insurer estimates it needs to pay policy benefits as they come due. |
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Term
The Legal Reserve System is based on several premises - what are they? |
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Definition
1. The amt. of the benefit payable should be specific or calculable before the insured's death. 2. The money needed to pay benefits should be collected in advance. 3. The premium an individuals pays for an insurance policy should be directly related to the amt. of risk the ins. co. assumes for that policy. |
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Term
Ins. Co. Actuaries establish premium rates. A premium rate is a charge per unit of insurance coverage. There are three factors included in the calculation of life insurance premium rates - what are they? |
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Definition
1. cost of benefits 2. investment earnings 3. expenses |
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Term
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Definition
Equals all of the insurer's potential payments of benefit obligations to customers multiplied by the expected probability that each benefit will be payable. |
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Term
The probability that policy proceeds will be payable in a given year is measured by mortality statistics - what is Mortality and what is Mortality rate? |
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Definition
Mortality is the incidence of death among a specified group of people. Mortality rate is the rate at which death occurs among a specified group of people during a specified period, typically one year. |
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Term
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Definition
It equals all of the insurer's potential payments of benefit obligations to customers multiplied by the expected probability that each benefit will be payable |
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Term
The probability that policy proceeds will be payable in a given year is measured by Mortality statistics - what is Mortality and What is Mortality rates? |
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Definition
Mortality is the incidence of death among a specified group of people and Mortality rate is the rate at which death occurs among a specified group of people during a specified period. |
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Term
How is Mortality rates used by insurance company's to price policies? |
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Definition
Actuaries in an insurance company are concerned with estimating the number of deaths that will occur in a given group of insureds. This is known as Block of Insureds. They use this information to rate policies. |
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Term
Do women or men live longer according to Mortality Table Statistics |
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Definition
Women live longer; therefore, women's insurance is rated lower than mens at the same age. |
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Term
The second factor that insurance companies consider when establishing life insurance premium rates is their investiment earnings - what is this? |
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Definition
This is money insurers earn by investing permium dollars. Premium dollars are the primary source of funds used to pay life insurance claims. Insurance companies invest these dollars in a variety of ways. |
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Term
What is the difference between simple interest and compound interest? |
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Definition
Simple interest is interest paid on the original sum. Compound interest is paid on the original sum plus the accrued interest. Ex of compound: Original Loan is $1000 x 10% interest - first year interest is $100. Then for second year, take $1100 x 10% = $110. Compund the two for a total of $1210.00. |
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Term
Explain how Net Premiums, Loading and Gorss Premium are tied together: |
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Definition
Net premium is the amount of money the insurer needs to provide the policy benefits. Loading is the insurer's cost of doing business. The Gross Premium are those two combined. |
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Term
What is Level Premium Pricing Systems |
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Definition
This is a life insurance pricing system that allows the purchaser to pay the same premium amount each year the policy is in force. Premium rates for Level Premiums policies are higher |
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Term
Insurance Co. primarily use two methods of changing the price of a policy after it has been issued - what are they? |
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Definition
1. Reduce the price by returning to policyowners a portion of the prem. that was paid for the coverage. This refund is called a policy dividend. 2. Changing the values of pricing factors while the policy is in force thus changing the amount charged to the policyowner for the coverage. |
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Term
Life Insurance can either be issued on either a Participating or Nonparticipating basis - what is the difference? |
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Definition
Participating is one which the policowner shares in the insurance company's divisible surplus. A Nonparticipating policy os one in which the policyowner does not share in the insurer's surplus. |
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Term
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Definition
Surplus is the amount by which the company's assets exceed its liabilities and capital. The amt. of that surplus is available for distribution - which is called Divisible Surplus. The policyowner's share of this surplus is called Policy Dividend. Policy dividend amounts are known in advance so they are guaranteed to be paid. |
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Term
Are the rates higher or lower for Participating or Nonparticipating policies? |
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Definition
The premium rates for nonparticipating policies are lower because insurers issuing nonparticipating policies often use less cautious assumptions regarding mortality, investment earnings, expenses and contingencies. |
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Term
What is meant by the term RESERVES? |
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Definition
Reserves are liabilities representing the amounts of money an insurer estimates it will need to pay its future obligations. There are two types: Policy Reserves and Contingency Reserves. |
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Term
What is the difference between POLICY and CONTINGENCY RESERVES? |
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Definition
The Difference between the face amount of a policy and the policy reserve at the end of any given policy year is the Net Amt. of Risk. Ex: Net Amt. of Risk = Face Amount - Policy Reserve. Contingency Reserve provides a safety margin in the case an unusual condition occurs and causes costs to rise. This way there is more set aside if this happens. |
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