Unit-linked Insurance Plans (Ulips) are back. Insurance companies are busy presentation new versions of the products which had earned a bad name for the whole industry in their earlier avatar due to rampant mis-selling. According to financial experts, the new Ulips, which meet the latest strategy issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda), are definitely more transparent and investor-friendly.
For example, the charges are now consistently spread across the tenure of the policy, there is a longer lock-in period and surrender charges are capped. But is the new version a better product now or is it just old wine in a new bottle? “The new guidelines lay great stress on promoting Ulips, primarily as insurance products. The insurance component in the new Ulip will be significantly higher than earlier. Further, higher initial allocation could result in better returns,” says G Murlidhar, chief operating officer, Kotak Life Insurance.
Evenly spread allocation charges, or the insurer’s fee for managing a policyholder’s money, through the policy term will allow the customer to see a gradual build-up of his funds over time, encouraging him to pay premiums regularly and staying invested for the entire period of the policy, he adds.
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