Whole-of-life: A market of two halves

Inheritance tax is a key issue

clock • 9 min read

Fiona Murphy finds a vibrant and growing whole-of-life market compared with its term assurance sister

Over the past few years, whole of life insurance has seemed to become the much more interesting product compared to its term assurance counterpart. However, it is worth noting that whole of life is a market of two halves - the medically underwritten whole of life plans and the guaranteed acceptance whole of life policies or the over-50s market. The medically underwritten plans typically use higher premiums but have higher payouts while the opposite is true of the over-50s market, which has often been marketed to older people with less disposable income who wish to leave behind a small l...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Protection

Aviva in high value protection proposition launch

Aviva in high value protection proposition launch

Rising demand for IHT planning

Cameron Roberts
clock 25 August 2026 • 2 min read
Advisers are changing their views on joint life cover

Advisers are changing their views on joint life cover

What represents true value for the client?

Alan Lakey
clock 11 August 2026 • 3 min read
Let's talk 'triple shock': Why the protection gap starts with three dangerous assumptions

Let's talk 'triple shock': Why the protection gap starts with three dangerous assumptions

Three assumptions keeping the protection gap alive

Graham Singleton
clock 28 July 2026 • 5 min read