In an industry first, The Hartford has developed a new life insurance rider that provides eight years or more of income to someone covered by its policy who lives to age 90 and beyond. Consumers who want death benefit protection can purchase a universal life insurance policy with the company's new LongevityAccess Rider SM. If the consumer then lives to the age of 90, they can begin receiving guaranteed monthly income with total benefits up to the full amount of their death benefit, which can range in value from $100,000 to $2 million.
Recent national surveys show that Americans are very concerned about running out of income in retirement. Dr. Robert Pokorski, The Hartford's chief medical strategist, says they have good reason to be concerned.
"People who develop a financial plan often assume they will not live beyond their early 80s, when, in fact, the fastest growing demographic in the nation is people over the age of 85," Dr. Pokorski said. "Add to that the fact that nearly three-quarters of 65-year-olds will need to cover the cost of chronic care sometime during their lifetime and you can see how even the best-laid financial plan can be compromised."
How LongevityAccess Works
When purchasing a Hartford Bicentennial UL Freedom® policy from The Hartford, applicants will have the option to pay extra to add the LongevityAccess Rider. Should they then live to age 90 and meet the rider's eligibility requirements, they will be able to withdraw an amount equal to as much as 1 percent of their death benefit per month. For someone with a $500,000 policy, that means they could receive up to $5,000 a month for 100 months, or eight years. And, should they eventually withdraw the full benefit during their lifetime, their policy's beneficiaries will still receive a guaranteed residual death benefit.
Living Benefits
The new rider is part of The Hartford's suite of "living-benefit" riders designed to provide protection against events that may impact or deplete a person's income. The company's LifeAccess Accelerated Benefits Rider®, for example, helps protect against the cost of becoming chronically ill. It is extremely popular with baby boomers, who were responsible for a 68 percent surge in sales in 2010. The company has patents pending on both the LongevityAccess and LifeAccess riders.
"Take care of yourself, make it to 90 in good physical condition, and you will have more than just another birthday to celebrate." Dr. Pokorski said.