Basics
Variable Universal Life Insurance is a form of Permanent Life Insurance with flexible terms and investment possibilities.
Capitalizing on life's opportunities can be just as important as preparing for life's uncertainties. MetLife's Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life insurance gives you the chance to do both—all in one policy.
Variable Universal Life Insurance has flexible terms that allow you to change, within limits, the death benefit and the timing and amount of your premiums. It also lets you invest your cash value in professionally-managed funding options that reflect the performance of underlying investments such as stocks and bonds.
Variable Universal Life Insurance can be the right choice if you want:
- Protection that can last a lifetime
- Flexibility to accommodate life changes
- Cash value with market growth potential
Some things to consider about Variable Universal Life Insurance:
- As with any investment, the value of the funding options will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. There is growth potential, but also risk of loss.
- Skipping or postponing premiums can affect your policy's cash value and death benefit, and may cause increased premium requirements later.
MetLife's Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life insurance is sold by prospectus only.
Need more help deciding?
Use our Life Insurance Selector to determine how much or what kind you need.
Understand the differences between Permanent and Term Life Insurance policies.You might also consider:
Term Life Insurance for temporary simplified coverage and no cash value.
Whole Life Insurance for permanent coverage, with guaranteed premiums, death benefit and cash value growth.
Universal Life Insurance for permanent coverage, flexibility and less emphasis on cash value growth.
Details
Discover the many benefits of Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life.
Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life offers a wide range of features and benefits that help you protect your loved ones while pursuing investment opportunities.
Premiums: you decide how you want to pay them. For example, pay equal yearly payments or vary them over time. Increase or decrease them, within limits, if you need to – even stop and restart them.1
Amount of Insurance: within limits, you can change it. Reduce it or, with renewed evidence of good health, increase it as your needs change.
Allocate your cash value among the available funding options—as many as 60 — including
- Options that reflect the performance of underlying investments such as stocks and bonds, ranging from relatively conservative to aggressive, and across many asset classes
- A Fixed Account that grows at periodically-declared fixed interest rates.
And you can change your investment allocation2 as your needs change, with no tax liability under current tax law.
Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life also offers a number of optional, automated ways to help keep your investment on track, such as regularly sweeping Fixed Account earnings to investment options, or rebalancing your funding options every quarter to help maintain the asset allocation you choose.
Your MetLife representative can help you choose the asset allocation and funding options that are right for you.
Read the prospectus carefully before investing. It contains detailed information about the policy's features, risks, charges and expenses, and about the objectives and risks of the funding options.
Your cash value is available to you to use for any reason at all. For example, use it to:
- Pay premiums
- Maintain an emergency fund
- Pay off your mortgage sooner
- Help fund a college education
- Supplement your retirement savings
Policy loans and cash withdrawals are usually tax-free. However, some tax liability can arise, depending on the circumstances, and surrender charges may also apply. And both will reduce your cash value and death benefit. See the prospectus for details.
Variable universal life offers you significant tax advantages, including:
- Tax-free death benefits. Beneficiaries will generally receive the death benefit free of federal and state income taxes. Benefits may also be free from estate tax with proper planning.
- Tax-deferred growth. Cash value growth is income tax-deferred; no income tax is due on investment earnings within your policy.
- Tax Favored Cash Value Access. When accessing your policy's cash value in the form of a loan during your lifetime, any gains you may realize will not be considered taxable income so long as your policy remains active.
You can enhance your coverage with the addition of these policy riders3 among others, for an additional cost:
Guaranteed Insurability Rider
Guarantees the right to increase coverage or buy additional policies on the life of the insured at specified future option dates, even if the insured's health has changed.
Guaranteed Survivor Income Benefit
This rider provides your beneficiaries with the option to receive guaranteed income they can't outlive – at higher rates than we would normally pay--in lieu of a lump-sum death benefit. Long-Term Care Guaranteed Purchase Option Guarantees the insured the option to purchase Long-Term Care insurance coverage for the insured person in the future, even if the insured’s health has changed.
Guaranteed Minimum Death Benefit Rider
Provides a guaranteed death benefit based on the premiums paid, regardless of investment performance, to age 85 or 121.
Waiver of Specified Premium Rider**
Pays a specified amount of premium if the insured becomes disabled, so that coverage continues.
Waiver of Monthly Deduction Rider**
Waives the monthly policy charges, such as for the cost of insurance protection, if the insured becomes disabled.
Click below to download the brochure, performance report and prospectus for Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life, as well as separate prospectuses for the various funding options. Or, call 1-800-MET-5000 or email lifeinfo@metlifeservice.com to have the prospectuses mailed to you.
- Product Brochure
- Current Performance
- Product Prospectus
- Prospectus Supplement
- Policies issued in New York
- Policies in all states other than New York
- Metropolitan Series Fund, Inc. Prospectus
- Met Investors Series Trust Prospectus
- American Funds Insurance Series Prospectus
Statement of Additional Information
- Product Statement of Additional Information
- Metropolitan Series Fund, Inc. Statement of Additional Information
- American Funds Insurance Series Statement of Additional Information
If you would like a copy of the Met Investors Series Trust's Statement of Additional Information, contact:
Met Investors Series Trust
5 Park Plaza Suite 1900
Irvine, CA 92614
1-800-848-3854
1 Reducing or stopping premium payments can affect your cash value and death benefit, and may cause certain benefits to be lost. See the prospectus for details.
2 Transfers between funding options, including to and from the Fixed Account, are currently free and unlimited. However, MetLife reserves the right to limit transfers to four per year and charge up to $25 per transfer. Transfers between the Fixed Account and other investment options may be subject to additional limitations. See the prospectus for details.
3 Not all riders are available in every state. Optional riders are available for an additional fee and are subject to contractual terms, conditions and limitations as outlined in the prospectus.Most riders can be selected only when you apply for your policy.
** A policy can not have both riders.
Guarantees apply to certain insurance and annuity products (not securities, variable or investment advisory products) and are subject to the insurer's claims-paying ability and financial strength.
Like most insurance policies, MetLife's policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions of benefits and terms for keeping them in force. For complete costs and details, see your MetLife Representative.
Pursuant to IRS Circular 230, MetLife is providing you with the following notification: The information contained in this website is not intended to (and cannot) be used by anyone to avoid IRS penalties. This website supports the promotion and marketing of insurance products. You should seek advice based on your particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.
Neither MetLife nor its representatives or agents are permitted to give legal or tax advice. Any discussion of legal or tax issues is for general informational purposes only and does not purport to either be complete or cover every situation. Current tax law is subject to interpretation and legislative change. Tax results vary depending on facts and circumstances. You should consult with and rely on your own legal and tax advisors.
Increases in amounts of coverage require you to submit satisfactory health information to MetLife. If funding option performance is poor and you have not maintained target premium payments, your death benefit could decrease depending on the death benefit option chosen, which could leave your beneficiaries inadequately protected or require you to pay additional premium to keep the policy in force.
Variable insurance products, including variable annuities and variable life insurance, are offered by prospectus only. The prospectus contains information about the product's features, risks, charges and expenses, and the investment objectives, risks and policies of the underlying portfolios, as well as other information about the underlying funding choices. Read the and consider this information carefully before you invest or send money. Product availability and features may vary by state. All product guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. The amounts allocated to the variable investment options of your account balance are subject to market fluctuations so that, when withdrawn or annuitized it may be worth more or less than its original value.
Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life is issued in all jurisdictions except New York by MetLife Investors USA Insurance Company (MLI), 5 Park Plaza, Suite 1900, Irvine, CA 92614 on policy form 5E-46-06 and in New York only by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), 200 Park Ave., New York, NY 10166 on policy form 1E-46-06-NY-1, and distributed by MetLife Investors Distribution Company (MLIDC)(member FINRA), Irvine, CA 92614. MLI, MLIC and MLIDC are MetLife companies.
