I. Insurance Overview
Most people equate wealth management with investment. In fact, investment is only part of wealth management, which involves a wide range of financial plans. This partial perception ignores insurance and may incur high risks.
More than investment
What is wealth management? A complete financial plan should address numerous financial issues relating to birth, aging, illness, and death. If suitably designed to generate and sustain wealth, retain and increase capital value and prevent risk, the plan should cover the following aspects: investment, insurance, tax, retirement, and inheritance. As a method of capital appreciation, investment forms only part of a wealth management plan. Insurance and retirement plans are designed to assure you of basic living conditions. Tax and inheritance plans help you cut tax cost and build sustainable wealth. Full wealth management covers a series of financial plans with equal emphasis on investment and insurance.
Insurant against risks
Insurance and investment represent the first and final stages of wealth management respectively. As investment is risky, we should position investment as a way of managing our finances without affecting our daily lives if losses occur. Insurance serves as the first step towards personal wealth management and lays the foundation. Medical and life insurance coverage is also essential for individuals.
Seeking advice from financial specialists
The aim of wealth management is to optimally balance risks and yields, aggressive and prudent strategies, revenue generation and savings to secure financial freedom. Importantly, financial freedom is founded on the most basic insurance coverage, which outweighs value increases. We can achieve financial freedom only after we fully address various financial issues throughout our lives.
II. Major Insurance Products
Differences between bank insurance and other financial products
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Name
|
Features
|
|
Insurance
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A higher interest
rate than time deposits; exempt from income tax; insured against risks
|
|
Time deposit
|
The most widely used deposit; subject
to income tax
|
|
Demand deposit
|
Can be withdrawn anytime;
the lowest interest rate
|
|
Fund
|
Its value varies
with the performance of the stock market and fund management company.
|
|
Financial product
|
Its value varies
based on a bank’s investment performance; higher yields than time deposits
|
|
National bonds
|
A higher yield than
time deposits; exempt from income tax; long duration
|
Major Bank Insurance Products
Currently, bank insurance products are mostly life insurance in the following categories:
Fixed-term life insurance
This product insures the life of the insurant within a given term and pays insurance benefits only to insurants that die within the insurance period. The insurer is under no obligation to pay insurance benefits or return paid-up premiums to an insurant who outlives the insurance period.
Endowment assurance
This product insures the life of the insurant within a given term and pays insurance benefits to insurants that outlive the insurance period.
Annuity insurance
Annuity insurance is designed to pay a given sum to the insurant within a given term during his/her life. Fixed annuity offers insurance benefits to the insurant in a number of installments under a contract whether he/she still is still living on the due date.
Health insurance
The insurer is required to pay insurance benefits to the insurant during the insurance period to cover medical expenses incurred by accidents or illnesses.
Accidental injury insurance
This product entitles the insurant to part or all of the insurance premium under a contract for death or disability, or medical expenses incurred by accidental injuries.
Participating insurance
This life insurance product requires the insurer to distribute the surplus that exceeds a preset value to the policy holder on a pro rata basis.
Universal life insurance
This insurance product provides assurance by carrying the asset value in at least one investment account. In addition to life assurance, the product enables the policy holder to participate in investment activities using the funds in an account established by the insurer. As such, the value of the insurance policy varies based on yields from the funds invested by the insurer.
Investment-linked insurance
As a combination of life insurance and investment, this insurance product covers at least one area of liability and comprises a number of investment accounts that vary in risk profile. The policy holder can determine the percentage of investment funds under each account based on his/her risk appetite.
3. More About Investment-Linked Insurance
In addition to providing life assurance, the insurance policy carries a value that varies based on the performance of the related investment fund. As a new type of insurance that combines insurance and investment activities, the product offers the following benefits:
-
1)
A combination of assurance and investment. The insurance premium is used to partly pay for shares of the investment fund in the investment account and partly for life assurance.
-
2)
Flexible investment options and low-cost switching between accounts. This insurance product can provide different types of investment accounts for different investors.
-
3)
Specialist financial management to save your time and energy. The insurer’s investment specialists manage the funds in your investment accounts. You take all the returns and bear the related risks.
Target Customers
1)
Customers that lack time and experience in investment
Investment-linked insurance specialists help you invest in a portfolio of high-quality funds. In addition, this type of insurance provides several accounts for you to diversify risks and yield desirable returns.
2)
Customers wishing to obtain mid- and long-term steady returns
Investment-linked insurance provides a highly competitive mid- and long-term investment option thanks to easy and low-cost switching between different accounts.
3)
Customers wishing to balance assurance and returns
Personal wealth management should balance assurance and investment. Investment-linked insurance serves both needs.
III. About CMB’s All-in-One Insurance Network
The financial supermarket is an inevitable trend for modern banks based on the growing popularity of one-stop financial services. In tandem with this trend, CMB launched an All-in-One Insurance Network in 2007 as part of its ‘change for you’ service strategy.
The network offers a complete lineup of insurance products focusing on life insurance and complemented by health and accident insurance. To access the network, log into CMB's All-in-One Net and click Insurance on the Home page or visit http://ins.cmbchina.com/. In addition to extensive information about insurance, the network offers integrated insurance service solutions geared to different stages of your life in plain language and in the form of case studies. The Experience column helps you identify your potential insurance needs. The network also allows you to make inquiries and purchase accident insurance and car insurance products online.
IV. Case Studies
Annuity Insurance
The Lin’s are planning to raise funds for the education of their daughter and for their own future retirement. After comparison, Mrs. Lin thinks that the ‘Love All Life’plan, a product of MetLife, provides a stable and reliable financial tool without having to pay a large initial sum. Therefore, she purchased 10 plans for herself with her daughter as the beneficiary. With a total insurance amount of RMB100,000, these plans require Mrs. Lin to pay RMB38,800 annually over a period of six years. Insurance benefits:
1.
After the insurance policy becomes effective, Mrs. Lin is entitled to a pure endowment of RMB10,000 every two years throughout her life. She will be paid a bonus of RMB200,000 if she lives to 100.
2.
Before her daughter’s graduation from college, Mrs. Lin can use the funds to finance her daughter’s education.
3.
After her daughter’s graduation, Mrs. Lin can use the funds to supplement the couple's pension or finance their travel plans after retirement.
Mrs. Lin can leave an indemnity of RMB200,000 to her daughter after death as a continuity of her commitment to her daughter.
Participating Insurance
Ms. Wang, age 30, has purchased 10 ‘Swift Horse C’ plans from Taikang at a lump sum of RMB10,000, which offers the following insurance benefits:
1.
She is entitled to RMB11,760 plus cumulative bonus after expiry of the 10-year term.
2.
Ms. Wang’s beneficiary is entitled to RMB11,760 plus cumulative bonus from the insurer if she dies of illness one year after buying the policy.
3.
Ms. Wang’s beneficiary is entitled to RMB23,520 (RMB11,760 x 2) plus cumulative bonus from the insurer if she dies from an accident during the insurance period.
Universal Insurance
Mr. Wang, age 55, has purchased ‘Wealth & Life Insurance (Universal)' from Taikang at a lump sum of RMB100,000. Deducting an initial payment of RMB9,000 (most of which will be later reimbursed in the form of bonuses), the remaining RMB91,000 is recorded in the policy account in Mr. Wang’s name. The account value increases as follows if no part of the value has been withdrawn during the insurance period:
|
End of the Year
|
Low Crediting Rate
|
Medium Crediting
Rate
|
High Crediting Rate
|
|
Policy Value
|
Payment for
Accidental Death
|
Policy Value
|
Payment for
Accidental Death
|
Policy Value
|
Payment for
Accidental Death
|
|
2
|
94669
|
194669
|
97239
|
197239
|
98513
|
198513
|
|
4
|
98487
|
198487
|
104509
|
209018
|
107056
|
214112
|
|
6
|
102458
|
204916
|
112486
|
224972
|
116788
|
233576
|
|
8
|
106589
|
213178
|
121072
|
242144
|
127892
|
255784
|
|
10
|
113083
|
226166
|
132893
|
265786
|
143372
|
286744
|
|
-
1.
Mr. Wang is entitled to 1 percent of the policy value as bonus on the first value date after the expiration of the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th policy years.
-
2.
Mr. Wang is entitled to 3 percent of the policy value as bonus on the first value date after the expiration of the 10th policy year.
-
3.
If Mr. Wang dies during the insurance period, his beneficiary is entitled to the policy value or the paid premium on the date of his death, whichever is larger.
-
4.
If Mr. Wang dies in an accident before 65, his beneficiary is entitled to the policy value on the date of his death in addition to insurance benefits for those who die of illness. (Note: The maximum payment is RMB1.5 million, or RMB5,000 if the insurant dies over 65. For details, see terms of the insurance contract.)
Investment-linked insurance
Mr. Gao, now age 30, has purchased a ‘Wise Wealth’ plan from CIGNA & CMC as his source of pension for a lump sum of RMB100,000. In addition to a large insurance payment upon his death, he is entitled to the following benefits:
When Mr. Gao reaches 60, the net income of his insurance account will be: RMB233,017 at a low level; RMB414,906 at a medium level; and RMB730,776 at a high level.
In addition to the above account value, his beneficiary is entitled to an endowment of RMB100,000 if he dies in an accident by 60 and has not claimed any part of the account value during the insurance period.
Note:
All the contents stated above are for your reference only. Please consult the local branch of China Merchants Bank for further information. China Merchants Bank reserves the ultimate right of interpretation for the contents in this page.