Life insurance policy evaluation method

• US 7,698,158 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Theinsuranceadvisor Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Theinsuranceadvisor Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Flagg, Barry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan; C. Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Porter; Rachel L
• Application Number:
  US10/163,293
• Time in Patent Office: 2,869 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A method of evaluating a permanent life insurance policy including the steps of accessing a policy illustration, establishing an effective life span of the policy illustration, identifying a first amount attributed to death benefit claims, identifying a second amount attributed to premium loads, identifying a third amount attributed to policy expenses, calculating a sum of the first, second and third amounts for a plurality of policy years, averaging the sum for each year throughout the effective life span, calculating a cash value of the policy illustration for the plurality of policy years, identifying a projected investment earnings forecast in the policy illustration, normalizing the projected investment earnings forecast, adding the project investment earnings to the cash value, and recalculating the current cash value of the policy illustration for the plurality of policy years.

Claims

1. A computer program product that enables a computer to benchmark the pricing of a permanent life insurance policy comprising:

software instructions enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations; and

a computer readable medium bearing the software instruction, the predetermined operations including;

accessing a policy illustration analyzing the future performance of the permanent life insurance policy,

selecting a value point of the policy,

identifying an array of aggregate expenses assessed by the insurance carrier to maintain the policy, wherein the array of aggregate expenses includes at least two selected from the group consisting of;

costs illustrated by the insurance carrier to pay out death benefit claims, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for policy charges less costs related to the payment of death claims exacted by the insurance carrier, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for premium loads exacted by the insurance carrier as a percentage of premiums paid, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for taxes paid to at least one governmental agency by the insurance carrier, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for cash-value-based expenses exacted by the insurance carrier as a percentage of policy cash values, and costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for fixed expenses exacted by the insurance carrier in an amount calculated at the inception of the policy,

calculating a sum of the array,

establishing a benchmark value for the policy illustration based on industry published data, and

comparing the sum relative to the value point with the benchmark value, whereby the cost competitiveness and pricing adequacy of the policy illustrations'"'"' representation are determined,

wherein the computer benchmarks the pricing of a permanent life insurance policy.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said value point selected from the group consisting of a face amount value of the policy, a cash value of the policy, and a fixed value of the policy by policy year.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected mortality rate for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected policy expense charge value for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected premium load for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected tax for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected cash-value-based expense value for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

said benchmark value including an expected fixed expense value for the policy illustration based on industry published data.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, said predetermined operations further comprising:

normalizing the array of aggregate expenses in terms of present value.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, said predetermined operations further comprising:

comparing the array of expected aggregate expenses to the array of policy expenses assessed each year by the insurance carrier to maintain the policy.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, said predetermined operations further comprising:

comparing the timing and weighting of the array of expected aggregate expenses to the timing and weighting of the array of policy expenses assessed by the insurance carrier to maintain the policy.

12. A computer system adapted to benchmark the pricing of a permanent life insurance policy, comprising:

a processor, and

a memory including software instructions that cause the computer system to;

access a policy illustration analyzing the future performance of the permanent life insurance policy,

select a value point of the policy,

identify an array of aggregate expenses assessed by the insurance carrier to maintain the policy, wherein the array of aggregate expenses includes at least two selected from the group consisting of;

costs illustrated by the insurance carrier to pay out death benefit claims, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for policy charges less costs related to the payment of death claims exacted by the insurance carrier, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for premium loads exacted by the insurance carrier as a percentage of premiums paid, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for taxes paid to at least one governmental agency by the insurance carrier, costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for cash-value-based expenses exacted by the insurance carrier as a percentage of policy cash values, and costs illustrated by the insurance carrier for fixed expenses exacted by the insurance carrier in an amount calculated at the inception of the policy,

calculate a sum of the array,

establish a benchmark value for the policy illustration based on industry published data, and

compare the sum relative to the value point with the benchmark value whereby the cost competitiveness and pricing adequacy of the policy illustrations'"'"' representation are determined,

wherein the computer benchmarks the pricing of a permanent life insurance policy.

13. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

said value point selected from the group consisting of a face amount value of the policy, a cash value of the policy, and a fixed value of the policy by policy year.

14. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising:

said memory further including software instructions that cause the computer system to compare the array of expected aggregate expenses to the array of policy expenses assessed each year by the insurance carrier to maintain the policy.