1. In the browsing experience, under “Financial Preferences,” you have three options: Dividend based, Index based, and insurance. Here’s what they are:

Dividends are cash values credited to a Whole life policy based on the performance of the issuing carrier. Cash Value dividends accumulate both on a 'Guaranteed basis and an Assumed basis' and may increase the Cash Value as well as the Death benefit.

Index Based returns are Cash values credited to the policy account based on the performance of an Index selected by the policy owner. Index returns mirror the performance of an underlying Index but are not directly invested in that market Index.

Life Insurance 'coverage' or 'protection' is the amount of Death Benefit in the life insurance policy promised to the beneficiary upon the insured's death. The Coverage or Death Benefit would be the primary reason for the Life Insurance irrespective of any Cash Values that may or may not accumulate.

2. What is the credit rating of a carrier? Why is it important?

The Credit rating of the carrier, or credit worthiness, is a reflection of the carrier's financial stability; the higher the credit rating the more stable the carrier is, less risky, and provides confidence that the carrier will be able to deliver the promise of the Death Benefit in that event.

3. In the Advanced Analytics feature, you see options for Risk Adjusted Return and Risk & Volatility History when set against either the S&P 500 or the Ten Year Treasury Bond. What do these terms mean?

Risk Adjusted returns is away of measuring returns or the value of returns with the consideration and incorporating the cost of Risk; Risk does have a real cost and that cost often reduces the value of a return, higher risk devalues the return in that there is a 'risk' that the returns may in fact not be achieved. Volatility is similar, the more Volatile an investment is, the higher the reduction in the 'real' return of an investment.

Index products are measured against the S&P500, a common Index.

Whole Life dividends are measured most often against bonds as bonds have a similar investment profile.

4. What is an Illustration?

An illustration is a manufacturer of a Life insurance products way of displaying and presenting the values in the policy over the Life of the contract to the client if given financial values take place, like premiums paid, crediting rates credit and given interest rates happen. Illustrations usually have guaranteed values and non-guaranteed values that are projected to happen if specific variables or inputs are assumed to happen. This 'Illustrates' to the client what the contract would look like if the stated values occur.