Survivorship life insurance ("second-to-die" or survivor insurance) provides one policy that insures the lives of two people, usually spouses. No proceeds are paid when the first spouse dies. The policy remains in effect and premiums may need to be paid. The death benefit is not paid to the beneficiary until the death of the second insured.

An Estate-Planning Tool

For couples who expect that substantial estate taxes will be assessed on the death of the second spouse, survivorship life insurance is an attractive estate planning vehicle. By providing a death benefit upon the death of the surviving insured, survivorship policies can be used to pay sizeable estate taxes and other expenses at the death of the second spouse.

Your financial, legal and tax advisors can assist you and help you decide if survivorship insurance is right for your estate planning needs.

Health Considerations

Survivorship insurance may be a good strategy in cases where one member of a couple is in less than good health, making other types of insurance extremely expensive. Since two lives are insured, premiums for survivorship life policies are relatively low compared to individual policies on each spouse’s life. Therefore, if the other spouse is in reasonably good health, the couple can usually obtain survivorship life insurance.

Life insurance and annuities are issued by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable) and by various unaffiliated carriers through AXA Network, LLC and its subsidiaries. Co-distributed by AXA Distributors, LLC and AXA Advisors, LLC, members FINRA, SIPC. AXA Equitable, AXA Network, AXA Distributors and AXA Advisors are affiliated companies. All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of AXA Equitable. The guarantees do not apply to the investment portfolios.

AXA Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not provide tax or legal advice. This material is provided for informational purposes only. Please consult your tax and/or legal advisors regarding your particular circumstances.

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