Making better choices
is not always this easy

 

Newsletter Archive

Can You Take Out Life Insurance on Someone Else?

Posted On: Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Can You Take Out Life Insurance on Someone Else?

Taking out insurance on someone else’s life might sound a bit macabre. But this is not about secretly taking a bet that someone is going to die soon. Insurers won’t let you take out a policy on a stranger.

In South Africa, it is possible to take out a life policy on someone else, provided you can show that you have what’s called an “insurable interest”. What that means, essentially, is that you must be able to show that you would suffer financial consequences, or loss, if they were to pass away.

An obvious example would be if you took out a policy on your spouse. If they were to pass away, you would lose access to their income, and that is an “insurable interest”. If you are dependent on an ex-partner for maintenance, that would also be relevant.

You may also want to take out a policy on the life of a parent if they are supporting you financially in some way. It may even be possible to make an argument that if your parent were to pass away you would be liable to pay estate duties for which they don’t have liquid assets. An insurer may also consider that an “insurable interest”.

Another example would be if you have a sibling that is looking after your elderly parents. You may also want to insure their life because if they passed away, somebody would have to be paid to be a caretaker.

Thinking ahead

Something that most people don’t want to think about, but may be worth considering, is taking out a life policy on your child. The main reason for doing this is not so much because of any financial implications if they were to pass away. It is more to ensure that if your child develops any health conditions at any later stage, they will always be covered. If they try to get insurance only after they are diagnosed, they may be excluded from claiming for that condition, or not be able to get insurance at all.

Another common practice is for someone to take out a life policy on a business partner or even a key employee. There would be a demonstrable financial implication if they passed away, and so that is insurable.

Deciding on what counts as an “insurable interest” may differ from one insurer to the next. So, it’s important to understand what different companies will accept.

Some, for example, may allow you to take out a policy on any close family member’s life just on the basis that there is a bond of love and trust between you, and you will suffer a loss if they were to pass away. Others, however, will insist on there being a financial interest.

Three things to consider

There are also a few crucial considerations when taking out a policy of this nature:

  1. You have to get the consent of the person whose life you are insuring. They will need to answer all the underwriting questions and undergo any medical tests required. You can’t even take out a policy on your spouse without them knowing about it.

  1. Both you and the person whose life is insured must follow the rules of the policy. If you are found to have been involved in criminal activity for instance, you probably won’t be paid out.

  1. With some policies, the person you have insured can still choose for themselves who the beneficiaries are. Even if you are paying the premiums, they could theoretically decide not to put you as a beneficiary. So be sure that you have a clear contractual understanding beforehand where everyone understands their responsibilities.

To discuss your life insurance needs, speak to a professional.

Please Register Below Or Login To Continue Reading.

Email
First Name
Last Name

2024

September 4 - Market Update: Christmas in September if Rates Come Down as Expected
September 3 - Why You Should Keep Your Investment Strategy to Yourself
September 2 - Aligning Your “Wheel of Life” – A Beginner’s Guide
September 1 - The Big Question: Should You Buy a Home or Rent One?
August 4 - Market Update: Magnificent Seven Lose Their Magnificence in July
August 3 - Unsung Heroes of Insurance: Four Types That Could Save You Money
August 2 - Do You Recognise Yourself in Any of These Client Case Studies?
August 1 - Three Pot System 101: What You Need to Know Before 1 September
July 4 - Market Update: Financial Markets Welcome GNU 2.0 and New Cabinet
July 3 - Busting the Post-Retirement Jargon
July 2 - Safeguard Your Money: Look out for Phishing Scams
July 1 - Why the Marshmallow Effect Could Derail Your Retirement Plans
June 4 - Why Emotions and Investing Don’t Always Mix
June 3 - Demystifying Retirement Planning Lingo
June 2 - The Sandwich Generation: How Can You Deal with Family Always Asking You for Money?
June 1 - How the Elections May Impact Markets in the Months Ahead
May 4 - Market Update: Geopolitical and Economic Risks are on the Rise and Investors are Concerned
May 3 - Need to Know: Annualised Returns Versus Internal Rates of Return
May 2 - Investment Jargon 101: Your One-Stop Primer
May 1 - Do You and Your Partner Share the Same Money Values?
April 4 - Market Update : Will They, Won’t They? The Case for Lower Interest Rates Improved in March.
April 3 - Unpacking Diversification: What Really Counts?
April 2 - Zen and the Art of Financial Planning
April 1 - The Secret to Solving the Financial Rubik’s Cube? Consistency.
March 4 - Market Update: Initial Investor Vote of Confidence Dissipates in Wake of Budget
March 3 - The Most Important Part of a Financial Plan: Room for Error
March 2 - Diversification: Free Lunch or Fool’s Gold?
March 1 - Budget 2024: What it means for you
February 5 - Budget 2024: The Minister of Finance Wants to Hear from You!
February 4 - Market Update: US and SA Markets Diverge on Differing Investor Sentiment
February 3 - Tax Tip: Must-Do Top Ups in February
February 2 - Should Investing Be This Sexy?
February 1 - Is There Really Much Difference Between Investing and Gambling?
January 4 - Market Update: What Lies Ahead for 2024?
January 3 - Think You’re a Rational Investor? Think Again
January 2 - Did 2017 Change the Way You Invest?
January 1 - How to Avoid Getting Burnt by the Next Investment Bubble in 2024

2023

December 4 - Stock Markets Break Three-Month Losing Streak
December 3 - The Differences Between Life and Living Annuities
December 2 - Should you be an Optimist or a Pessimist With Your Money?
December 1 - How to Give Meaningful Gifts This Festive Season
November 4 - Market Update: The Effects of War, Higher Interest Rates and China on Equities
November 3 - Why do People Invest in Property?
November 2 - Retirement Planning: The ins and Outs of Nominating Beneficiaries
November 1 - Retiring Well is About More Than Money
October 4 - Why Your Marital Contract Really Matters
October 3 - How to Avoid Being Scammed by Email Fraudsters
October 2 - The Stock Market Indices to Watch When Monitoring Equity Performance
October 1 - Why do Some People Have a Problem Spending Money?
September 4 - The Difference Between Being Rich and Being Wealthy
September 3 - The Ins and Outs of Buying Offshore Property
September 2 - A Good Budget Doesn’t Limit Spending, it Prioritises it
September 1 - Should you pay off your home loan?
August 4 - How to Take Advantage of the Donations Tax Allowance
August 3 - Five Reasons why a Financial Windfall Must be Managed Carefully
August 2 - What’s Cooking with the Three-Pot System?
August 1 - Make Sure Your Family is Financially Prepared for When You Pass Away
July 4 - A Must-Have for Couples who Choose not to Tie the Knot
July 3 - Can Gratitude Make you Feel Better About Your Money?
July 2 - Four Ways to Make the Most of Retirement
July 1 - How to Invest When There’s So Much Bad News
June 4 - The Ins and Outs of Compulsory Annuities
June 3 - Who is Influencing Your Financial Decisions?
June 2 - R is for Rebalancing
June 1 - Don’t let Money Ruin Your Relationship
May 4 - Five Ways to Teach Kids About Money
May 3 - Much Ado About Risk
May 2 - Living Wills: A Must Have, Despite the Grey Areas
May 1 - What is True Wealth?
April 4 - How the 2023 Budget Will Impact Your Pocket
April 3 - Three Financial Imperatives for Women in Divorce
April 2 - Should You Ask ChatGPT for Financial Advice?
April 1 - Compound Interest: The Eighth Wonder of the World
March 4 - How a ‘Safe’ Fixed Deposit Might Still be Risky
March 3 - Thinking of moving to Australia? Bear these numbers in mind
March 2 - Avoid These 6 Barriers to Wealth Creation
March 1 - How Good do You Think You Are at Investing?
February 4 - Is Money Stress Taking a Toll on You?
February 3 - Why an Endowment is One of the Best Ways to Invest Offshore
February 2 - Why too Much of a Good Thing Can be a Bad Thing
February 1 - Invest With FIRE and Never Look Back
January 4 - Why Lottery Winners End up Broke: The Importance of Your Financial Context
January 3 - Discover the Freedom of a Tidy Portfolio
January 2 - Why You Absolutely Should be Investing in Education
January 1 - Four Simple Steps to Start the Year on the Right Financial Foot

2022

December 4 - What is This Volatility Risk People are Always Talking About?
December 3 - Why You Need to Watch Out for The Butterfly Effect
December 2 - 6 Ways to Achieve Financial Freedom
December 1 - Three Books for the Holidays
November 4 - The Question of Loyalty
November 3 - Why do we Even Have Bull and Bear Markets?
November 2 - Should I Buy a Holiday House?
November 1 - Put Stocks, Rather Than Socks, Under the Tree This Christmas
October 4 - Can You Take Out Life Insurance on Someone Else?
October 3 - Loss Aversion and Lifestyle Creep – How Behaviour Influences Saving
October 2 - Why Timing Might be Everything in Retirement – Especially in a Bear Market
October 1 - Get Rich - Stay Rich Eight Mistakes Wealthy People Never Make
September 4 - Capital Gains Tax: 10 Common Questions Answered
September 3 - The Risk That Many Investors Don’t Think About
September 2 - Much Ado About Regulation 28 and the Private Investor
September 1 - The “Two Bucket” Retirement Savings System: What is it and Why is it Important?
August 4 - Retirement Planning for Age-Gap Couples
August 3 - A Simple “50-15-5” Budget Hack for Women (and Men!)
August 2 - Does Your Family Need a Constitution?
August 1 - Women’s Month: Three Ways You Can Improve Your Money Health
July 4 - Five Things to Check When a Loved One Passes Away
July 3 - Rules of Financial Planning For a Special-Needs Child
July 2 - Why Your Financial Plan Should Cater For Possible Dementia
July 1 - Why Inflation is the Most Important Investment Benchmark
June 4 - How Relevant Is The 4% Rule of Thumb These Days?
June 3 - Why You Should Treat Your Finances Like Your Health
June 2 - Is Your Business Good Retirement Capital?
June 1 - With the Limits Raised, How Much Should You Invest Offshore?
May 5 - Quote of the Month: Challenging the Rejection of an Insurance Claim
May 4 - Financial Products: The Less You Understand, the More You Pay
May 3 - The Miracle of Investment Debit Orders
May 2 - Five Things to Think About as Interest Rates Rise
May 1 - Stay Calm When the Bear Prowls
April 5 - Quotes of the Month – The War in Ukraine
April 4 - Smart Ways to Give: During and After Your Lifetime
April 3 - Take These Three Steps to Break the Money Shame Spiral
April 2 - When Things Don’t Go According To (The Financial) Plan
April 1 - What Amazon and Ford Can Tell Us About Diversification
March 4 - Quotes of the month – What the NFT?
March 3 - How to Avoid Losing Your Life’s Savings to a “Tinder Swindler”
March 2 - The Different Ways to Invest: What Does It All Mean?
March 1 - Three Reasons You Shouldn’t Wait to Talk to Your Kids About Money
February 6 - Quote of the Month – Don’t Cash In Your Retirement Savings
February 5 - Should You Top Up Your Retirement Annuities Now?
February 4 - Don’t Let Delays in the Master’s Office Leave Your Family in Financial Distress
February 3 - Don’t Let Delays in the Master’s Office Leave Your Family in Financial Distress
February 2 - Three Reasons an Insurer Could Cancel Your Policy
February 1 - Investing: Men and Women See Things Differently
January 4 - Quote of the month – Stay invested!
January 3 - What SARS Says About Crypto Assets and Tax
January 2 - Three Ways to Leave a Legacy, And Not Just an Estate
January 1 - Red-Carding the Myth of The Rational Investor