Child Insurance Plan

There are three major rider benefits provided with child insurance plans.

Any parent with a child between 0-15 years should opt for a child insurance plan. It helps you deliver inflation-beating returns for the various needs of the child while he/she grows up. As a child grows up, his/her financial needs increase substantially.

Child plans are meant to build a financial buffer for your child’s future needs, so, it is important to have a fail-proof plan. A few things to consider while buying child plans are:

• Goal: It is pertinent to have a clear goal in mind as it determines the type and tenure of the policy. You should invest in a child plan as soon as the child is born. Starting early gives your investment to grow and helps you prepare better for your child’s needs. Similarly, selecting a long-term policy protects your child for a longer-term.
• Premium waiver: While buying a child plan, it is mandatory to check if the premium waiver facility is available or not. Not having a premium waiver option can leave your child vulnerable in your absence.
• Inflation: When you are investing for the long term, external factors like inflation cannot be ignored. Invest in ULIPs to generate inflation-beating returns. Invest 4G plan offers customers an option to choose from seven different funds with varying degrees of exposure to equity.
• Bonus component: Along with the basic benefits of a child plan, insurance companies also offer additional benefits. Even though these benefits are small, they could add value considerably in the long run. For instance, Invest 4G plan provides benefits such as wealth boosters, loyalty additions and return of mortality charges.

The eligibility to open a child education plan is similar to a child insurance plan. The entry age is generally between 18 and 65 years. The maturity age is between 23 years and 80 years. You can start investing in a child education plan with Rs 5,000 per month or Rs 50,000 per year. The policy tenure varies between 5 years and 30 years.

The right time to buy child plans depends on the financial goal and the type of policy. Child insurance policies are long-term instruments and to generate decent returns it is advisable to invest as early as possible. You can invest in child insurance policies even before the child is born. Child education policies are relatively short-term policies. Child education policies can be chosen according to the financial goal. You can invest in child education policy as soon as the child is born if you plan to fund his/her primary and secondary education through the policy. If the aim is to accumulate funds for the higher education of the child, then you can invest at a later stage. In any case, it is not advisable to invest after the child has turned 15.

While the cost of insurance depends on a host of factors such as tenure, coverage and the mode of payment. With Invest 4G plan, you can start investing for the financial future of your child with just Rs 5,000 every month. However, if you are not clear about the cost of insurance for your child, you can use the ‘life insurance calculator’ in the ‘tools and calculator’ section of www.canarahsbclife.com. Similarly, you can use the ‘child education planning calculator’ to get an idea of the cost of child education plans.

To choose the ideal child insurance plan, you will have to start with planning the various stages of the plan and your child-specific milestone payments.

• Paying capability: Just investing in a child insurance plan is not enough, you will have to pay the premiums regularly and timely to keep the policy active. Make a correct estimate of your paying capability and decide the premium payment frequency.
• External factors: While buying a child insurance plan, consider the external factors such as inflation and interest rates before finalising the maturity benefit.
• Premium waiver: The premium funding facility is a crucial feature for the success of the child insurance plan. Not having the premium waiver facility can leave a costly chink in your child insurance armour.

There is no universal minimum instalment for a child education plan. Every insurer has its own minimum limit, even different plans have a different minimum limit. Invest 4G plan has a minimum limit of Rs 5000 if you choose to pay monthly premiums. The minimum premiums for quarterly and half-yearly payment tenures are Rs 15,000 and RS 30,000, respectively. In the annual mode, the minimum premium is Rs 50,000.

One of the defining features of child education policies is the partial withdrawal facility. Most insurance companies allow partial withdrawal from child education plans to take care of liquidity needs. Invest 4G plan allows partial withdrawal after the 5th policy year.

Child education plan can either be unit-linked or non-linked. The interest rate of ULIPs is determined by the fund chosen by the policyholder and the performance of the market. The interest rate for non-linked child education plan is decided by the insurance company.

The policy for premature closure of child education plan deposit differs from insurer to insurer. Some insurers allow premature closure of child education plan deposit. If the account is closed before the lock-in period expires, the fund’s value minus the surrender charges id deposited in the discontinued policy fund. The amount earns a minimum of 4% interest and will be paid to you after the lock-in period gets over. It the policy is surrendered after the lock-in period, the total fund value minus the surrender charges will be given to you. But premature closure of child education plan can be fraught with risks and you may not achieve the stated aim. Invest 4G plan allows you partial withdrawals without surrendering the policy, which essentially disincentivises premature closure of the policy.

You can avail a secured loan against a child education plan. The loan can be used to fund the higher education of the child.

When you buy life insurance, the insurance company asks for the nominee details. Only the person named as the nominee in the policy can cash out a life insurance policy in case of death of life insured.

While there are several child plans in the market, the Invest 4G plan is the best of the lot. Invest 4G with its unique proposition provides all-round protection to your child. With the online ULIP plan , you can decide the premium payment tenure and also the settlement option.

Getting insurance required a visit to the bank or the insurer’s branch earlier. But with the popularity of online ULIP plans, getting an insurance plan has become extremely easy. You can buy a host of insurance products directly from www.canarahsbclife.com and get discounts on the premium from the company.