How do rich people use life insurance to avoid taxes?

Asked by: Cleveland Hessel  |  Last update: January 21, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (22 votes)

Whole life insurance can avoid taxes by building cash value. Your cash value savings grow tax-deferred, so you don't owe income tax as long as you leave the money in your account.

How do the rich avoid taxes with life insurance?

For the wealthy, life insurance is an unsexy yet powerful tactic for avoiding taxes. By putting the policy inside a trust, the death benefit is excluded from estate taxes. The payout goes to the trust, which pays Uncle Sam and protects the remaining assets from lawsuits.

How do the wealthy use life insurance?

Life insurance is a popular way for the wealthy to maximize their after-tax estate and have more money to pass on to heirs. Life insurance can also be used as an investment tool with tax benefits when you're still alive.

How much is a $100,000 life insurance policy worth to sell?

The death benefit value typically varies between 10 and 25 percent. This means a $100,000 policy will provide you with up to $25,000. Factors affecting how much you will get for selling your life insurance policy include life expectancy, its cash value, and the premium amount.

How to use life insurance to avoid estate taxes?

There are key ways to limit taxes upon your death by using life insurance death benefits. Estates can limit taxes (and in some cases avoid taxation) in one key way—transferring the ownership of life insurance policies—usually to an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT).

5 Ways Millionaires Build TAX FREE Wealth Using Life Insurance

33 related questions found

How do I avoid taxes on my whole life insurance policy?

If you borrow your whole life insurance cash value through a loan, you can take the money out without owing taxes.

What is not considered appropriate use of life insurance for business purposes?

However, protecting the business by covering entry level employees with life insurance is not typically considered an appropriate use of life insurance for business purposes.

How much can you sell a 1 million dollar life insurance policy for?

This means that an average life settlement offer on a $100,000 policy may be around $20,000 and an average offer on a $1,000,000 policy may be around $200,000. There are a number of factors that affect the amount that a policyholder could be offered, including: Age of the Insured. Health of the Insured.

What is the most expensive life insurance ever sold?

The most valuable life insurance policy is US$ 250 million (£197,825,000; €229,825,000) and was achieved by HSBC Life (International) Limited (China) in Hong Kong SAR, China, as verified on 22 February 2024.

How much would a 500k life insurance policy cost?

A $500,000 whole life insurance policy costs an average of $451 per month for a 30-year-old non-smoker in good health. If you get whole life insurance, the premiums you'll pay may vary based on factors like your age, health, gender, and the type of policy you get.

How did the Rockefellers use life insurance?

Trusts as beneficiaries

They also established trusts2, a legal mechanism that outlined how their assets should be managed and distributed. Instead of directly naming their children as beneficiaries of the life insurance policies, they designated trusts as the recipient of the funds.

Why are millionaires buying life insurance?

Life insurance purchased by wealthy people and businesses is often used as a vehicle for providing liquidity, reducing financial liabilities, and reducing their tax profile.

How to use life insurance to generate income?

How to Use Life Insurance While Alive to Get Cash When You Need It
  1. Surrender Your Policy for its Cash Value. ...
  2. Sell Your Life Insurance Policy for Cash. ...
  3. Withdraw Your Cash Value of a Whole Life Insurance Policy. ...
  4. Borrow Against the Cash Value on Whole Life Insurance. ...
  5. Borrow Against Your Death Benefit.

How the rich get richer using life insurance?

Tax-Free Transfer of Wealth: Life insurance proceeds are generally tax-free, which makes them an ideal way to transfer wealth from one generation to the next. This can help to minimize the impact of taxes on the family's financial situation and ensure that more of the wealth is passed down to future generations.

What are the tax loopholes for the rich?

Policymakers have adopted the principle that capital income should be taxed at lower rates than labor income. So if at all possible, top earners will find ways to disguise their labor income as “capital” income. And one way to do that is by changing the corporate form of the businesses they own and operate themselves.

How do millionaires live off interest?

In fact, many wealthy people can and do "live off the interest." That is, they put a chunk of their fortune in a relatively safe collection of income-generating assets and live off of that—allowing them to be more adventurous with the rest.

What life insurance do billionaires use?

An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) is a popular strategy for wealthy individuals seeking to remove life insurance proceeds from their taxable estate. When the policy is owned by the ILIT, the death benefit is not included in the individual's estate for tax purposes, which can help reduce estate taxes.

What is the cash value of $100000 life insurance policy?

A typical life settlement is worth around 20% of your policy value, but can range from 10-25%. So for a 100,000 dollar policy, you would be looking at anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 dollars.

Who is the #1 life insurance company in the USA?

Based on the latest 2023 data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), New York Life leads the pack with a 6.86 percent market share. Close on its heels is Northwestern Mutual, holding a 6.74 percent share.

Can I borrow from my life insurance?

You can only borrow against a whole life insurance policy or a universal life insurance policy. Policy loans reduce the death benefit if not paid off. Life insurance companies add interest to the loan balance, which if unpaid can cause the policy to lapse. Only permanent life insurance builds cash value.

Why do companies buy people's life insurance?

Companies buy life insurance policies as an investment. They estimate how long you will live and then give you a payment that's less than your policy death benefit. The company looks to make a profit by collecting the death benefit after you pass away.

Can selling life insurance make you a millionaire?

If you have a great work ethic and are willing to place yourself out there to establish relationships with clients, you will get more opportunities to earn a higher income. Selling insurance may even make you a millionaire.

What does GI mean in life insurance?

Guaranteed Issue (GI) Term insurance is an employer-paid benefit plan that provides Standard or Preferred coverage for an entire employee group with virtually no medical underwriting.

Can life insurance be used as an asset?

Some types of permanent life insurance have an additional living benefit, called cash value. If your life insurance policy accumulates cash value, the cash value is considered an asset, because you can access it.

Can you write off life insurance as a business expense?

While a qualified tax adviser can provide further information, the IRS normally treats life insurance as a personal expense rather than an eligible business deduction. It prevents self-employed professionals from claiming this as a cost of running their business.