Do You Need Life Insurance if You’re Wealthy?

Some Canadians believe that life insurance isn’t necessary for people with a high net worth. But having wealth and purchasing life insurance aren’t mutually exclusive. Instead, life insurance can be a key component in financial planning, helping them grow their wealth and assist with estate planning.

If you’re a high-net worth individual, you’re likely seeking strategies to grow and preserve your wealth or plan a legacy. Life insurance can be a strategic piece of estate planning by providing your beneficiaries with liquid, tax-free assets and preserving your estate after death.

Key takeaways

• Even wealthy individuals can benefit from life insurance to build wealth and help with estate planning.

• Life insurance provides your beneficiaries with a tax-free cash payout, which they can use to cover estate taxes and funeral costs.

• Life insurance policies with a buy-sell can help business partners simplify succession plans.

• A life insurance policy can support a charitable legacy and provide additional tax breaks.

• Cash value life insurance policies can act as a saving component and grow on a tax-deferred basis.

Understanding life insurance for wealthy individuals

Life insurance is an element of smart financial planning, even for Canadians with significant wealth. A policy can provide peace of mind, help protect your estate, and leave a tax-free benefit for loved ones after you die.

There are two main types of life insurance: term life and whole life. Term life policies provide coverage for a fixed period—often 10 to 40 years at a fixed cost.  A whole life policy continues without expiry throughout your life. Universal life insurance is a type of whole life policy that offers coverage and cash value growth. It’s more complex than other types of insurance policies as it comes with an investing component that grows on a tax-deferred basis.

Benefits of life insurance for wealthy individuals

Understanding the unique benefits of life insurance will help you clarify what is the best insurance option for your estate needs. This requires a 360-degree look at your assets, liabilities, and any expenses your family will need to cover after your passing.

Purchasing life insurance as part of your estate planning helps you preserve wealth, divide your assets, and diversify your portfolio.

Building wealth

Whole life insurance and universal life insurance policies build a cash value. Once a significant cash value has been accumulated, you could then borrow from the policy or use it as collateral for a loan. This allows you to borrow funds at a potentially lower interest rate than traditional loans or use the accumulated value in their policy as collateral.

Estate planning

Purchasing a life insurance policy is an efficient way to leave your beneficiaries with a lump sum that is tax-free. It can also make it easier to divide assets equally among beneficiaries by introducing liquid assets as part of your estate plan. This helps preserve your estate, rather than loved ones needing to sell or split up assets once you’ve passed away.

Tax efficiency

Unlike business holdings, rental or vacation properties, and registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), beneficiaries don’t pay tax on funds received from a life insurance payout.

Although the life insurance benefit isn’t taxable when it goes to beneficiaries, it could be taxed if left to your estate. For this reason, some wealthy individuals use life insurance policies to help loved ones cover the cost of estate taxes – giving you peace of mind knowing that more of your estate can be transferred intact.

Liquidity

High-net worth individuals usually have at least some of their wealth tied up in non-cash, illiquid assets. Some of these assets are more complicated to sell than others or are subject to lockup periods. This includes assets such as:

• Real estate (primary, rental, or vacation property)

• Businesses

• Private equity (or other investments with lockup periods)

• Vehicles

• Antiques, art collection, and collectables

However, purchasing life insurance ensures cash flow after your passing, which can go towards covering final tax expenses without having to wait for illiquid assets to be valued and potentially sold.

Legacy and philanthropy

Life insurance can be part of a wealth-preserving strategy. It helps ensure financial security for loved ones and future generations or gives you the option to leave a charitable legacy. There are several ways to leave your policy benefit to the charity of your choice. Directly naming a charity or transferring an existing policy to a charitable organization can mean additional tax benefits. If an existing whole life policy is donated, you’ll receive a donation tax receipt for the cash surrender value and any accumulated dividends or interest less any outstanding policy loans.

Alternatively, naming a charity as your beneficiary would make you eligible for a charitable donation tax credit upon death, which could be used as part of your final income tax return.

Business succession

A life insurance policy can help make business succession easier after your passing. One way to achieve this is by funding buy-sell agreements; this is where  business partners take life insurance out on each other, naming the other as beneficiaries. When one business partner passes away, the life insurance benefit is used to buy the other’s portion of the business from their estate. A buy-sell agreement can save unexpected battles for control or uncertainty of how to settle your business asset.

How to find the right insurance for wealthy individuals

With a variety of life insurance products available to Canadians, how do you find the right product for high-net worth people? Here are a few things to consider:

Financial goals

It’s important to assess your personal financial and estate planning goals as a first step to finding the right life insurance policy. Factors include the amount of estate taxes you expect to owe, or whether you’re concerned you may outlive a significant portion of your wealth.

Life insurance and any cash value or dividends earned with a whole life insurance policy can also be a way to diversify your portfolio and offer additional income.

Identify your needs

Understanding your life insurance needs requires taking inventory of what you have, what you owe, and what your dependents will need now and in the future. The simplest place to start is considering the following three categories:

Assets

This includes financial holdings such as savings, stocks, real estate, businesses, even art and collectables. It is important to distinguish between liquid assets like cash or non-cash items like stocks, which are easy to liquidate, and illiquid assets like businesses or artworks, which can be more complex to value and sell.

Liabilities

This is anything you expect will be owed in your name at the time of your death. Debts from an estate get paid back in a particular order, depending on the creditor. Federal and provincial taxes get paid back first, followed by secured debts like a mortgage or car loan. Finally, unsecured debts, including credit cards, get paid.

Dependent needs

This includes leaving money for family members who may require extra financial support, to help pay for post-secondary education, or as a downpayment on a property. Examples of charitable giving may include an amount to endow a new initiative, such as a scholarship.

Assessing all three areas provides a clearer idea of what type of life insurance policy will best help you reach your estate goals.

Life insurance trusts

For holders of whole life insurance policies, a third-party trust can assist with distributing your benefit after you pass on. This could include making provisions for a staggered distribution of funds at certain ages or life milestones like a graduation or wedding.

Life insurance trusts can also help when the person benefitting is under the age of majority or is vulnerable and would benefit from ensuring their inheritance doesn’t deplete quickly. Trusts could also support family members with special health needs without affecting their eligibility for government-sponsored programs they otherwise qualify for.

Consult with an accredited advisor

You may not feel comfortable navigating life insurance on your own or have questions about how you can maximize your estate. Getting professional advice helps you evaluate the unique needs of your estate, so you can make an informed decision.

Protect your assets and your loved ones with life insurance

Depending on your unique needs and goals, private life insurance options are also available and can be a valuable tool to protect assets and secure a legacy.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s helpful to speak with an accredited advisor with expertise in insurance for high-net worth individuals as you determine how life insurance can help support your estate plans.

FAQs about life insurance for wealthy individuals

Do I need life insurance if I’m rich?

People with significant wealth can still benefit from a life insurance policy. Wealthy individuals with large estate tax bills, who want to divide their assets among multiple heirs, or have an illiquid assets might could all benefit from life insurance. A life insurance policy can also assist in supporting a charitable organization as part of a legacy plan.

How much life insurance do I need for a high income?

Experts typically recommend a benefit equivalent to ten times your annual income. Wealthy individuals may also wish to consider other factors like debt levels—including any mortgages on a home or vacation property— as well as leaving a legacy for loved ones or planned charitable giving.

At what point is life insurance not worth it?

Individuals with significant liquid assets, few debts and little to no dependents may find it less advantageous to purchase life insurance, however there could still benefits in doing so.

How do the wealthy use life insurance?

Wealthy individuals can use life insurance to make their estate more tax efficient and plan their legacies. Benefits of life insurance include:

• Peace of mind knowing beneficiaries have funds to help cover estate taxes from the insurance benefit.

• Supporting their unique legacy and charitable goals with a tax-free gift.

• Accumulating cash value or dividends, depending on the policy type and length of time held.

• Using a policy with accumulated value as collateral for a loan or borrowing from the policy’s value.

• Taking advantage of accelerated benefits to provide extra liquidity (if the policy allows) in the event of a terminal or chronic illness.

What is the best life insurance to build wealth?

Only whole life and universal life insurance policies build tax-free cash value, making them the best type of life insurance to build wealth. Term life insurance policies do not have a cash value component. Accumulated growth left in a whole life policy is not taxed, and you could be withdrawn or borrowed against.

Do wealthy people invest in life insurance?

Yes, some wealthy Canadians consider their life insurance policy a low-risk investment in addition to an estate planning tool. By purchasing a whole life or universal life insurance policy it can accumulate cash value over time, through savings or dividends. It is a long-term strategy to build additional wealth while setting up a tax-free cash benefit for their beneficiaries.

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