06/11/2021
Many readers were asking about VUL so I’ve made this page to share about VUL insurance vs Bank Savings Account. Which is better among the two? Here’s a useful guide.
1. Bank Account is Deposit – Withdraw – Deposit – Withdraw while VUL is Deposit – Deposit -Deposit – Deposit – Budget is difficult to balance because ATM is used as a wallet while in VUL, fund values grow in the medium to long term and making a withdrawal is not as accessible as ATM.
2. Long-term savings – are hard to achieve because periodic deposit in a bank account is not compulsory while in VUL, long-term savings may be successful because of periodic premium.
3. Interest Rate – on a bank savings account is guaranteed. However, this usually provides modest return. Interest rates may range from 0.5% to 1.125%. The higher the amount and the longer the terms of placement, the higher the interest rate. In a VUL, since the underlying assets are linked to stocks and bonds, the returns of the VUL plan may exceed that of other types of insurance policies. However, returns are not guaranteed. Fund value may fluctuate depending on market conditions. Returns depend on the type of fund and investment period (the higher the risk and the longer you stay invested in VUL, the higher the potential returns). The average returns for an equity and bond fund are 17.21% and 7.6% respectively* according to the Historical Investment Performance of Investment Funds of Pru Life UK‘s Variable Life Insurance Products.
4. Inflation Rate – if a bank savings account/time deposit gives 1% annual interest and the inflation rate is 3%* this means that the real value of money actually shrinks by 2%. Investment-linked insurance beats inflation in the medium to long term savings.
5. Choice of Account – Bank choice of account: savings, current or time. VUL Choice of account: bond, equity, or combination.
6. If diagnosed of critical illness – balance in a bank account is used for medical treatment and is depleted while in VUL, the