Fixed Period Option
The fixed period option is a settlement option under which the insurance company agrees to pay policy proceeds in equal installments to the payee for a specified period of time. Each payment will consist partly of the policy proceeds being held by the company and partly of the interest earned on the proceeds. As with the interest option, the policy-states the minimum guaranteed interest rate that will be earned on the proceeds and states that the rate may be higher if the insurer’s investment returns are better than expected.
The amount of each installment paid under the fixed period option depends primarily on the amount of the policy proceeds, the interest rate, and the length of the payment period that the policyowner or beneficiary chooses. Installments may be paid annually or more frequently—even monthly if the amount of each install¬ment is large enough to meet the company’s minimum requirements. For example, the policyowner might elect for the insurer to pay the policy proceeds in equal monthly installments for a five-year period.
If the policyowner has not designated the fixed period option as irrevocable, many policies permit the payee to cancel the option at any time and to collect all of the remaining policy proceeds and unpaid interest in a lump sum. The payee, however, usually does not have the right to withdraw only a part of the funds dur¬ing the payment period. Such a partial withdrawal would reduce the amount of the remaining funds and would require the insurer to recalculate the entire schedule of benefit payments.