The basics
How a variable universal life policy works
Variable universal life insurance is permanent life insurance. As long as the policy stays in force, it pays a death benefit to your beneficiaries. Part of each premium, after charges, goes into a cash value account that you direct among investment options.
That investment choice is what gives a VUL its growth potential, and also its risk: cash value can rise or fall with the markets, unlike whole life or traditional universal life, where the insurer credits interest.
The “universal” part is flexibility. Within policy limits you can adjust how much you pay and when, change your allocations, and access available cash value as your needs change.