ABSLI Akshaya Plan: Review (2024) – Is it Good or Bad?

Do you want to create a secure future & comfortable lifestyle? With the rising expense & life uncertainties, it is important to have insurance coverage & an investment plan to achieve future milestones.

ABSLI Akshaya Plan provides comprehensive health coverage along with a regular source of income.

Will this plan help to meet the rising expense or your growing needs?

Let us analyse the features & the working of this policy.

Table of Contents:

1.) An overview of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

2.) Feature of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

3.) Eligibility Criteria of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

4.) Benefits under ABSLI Akshaya Plan

5.) How to Cancel/Surrender ABSLI Akshaya Plan?

6.) Advantages of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

7.) Disadvantages of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

8.) Research Methodology on ABSLI Akshaya Plan

9.) Benefit Illustration Analysis of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

10.) ABSLI Akshaya Plan vs. Other Investments

11.) Final Verdict on ABSLI Akshaya Plan

An overview of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

ABSLI Akshaya Plan is a non-linked participating, savings life insurance plan which offers life protection up to the age of 100 years. It provides the benefit of a comprehensive life insurance cover along with a regular source of income to ensure the fulfilment of your family’s growing needs. The cash bonus (if declared) can be received as pay-outs or allowed to accumulate. 

Feature of ABSLI Akshaya Plan

• Comprehensive life cover is available till the age of 100.
• Premium paying terms & policy terms can be chosen as per requirement.
• Two benefit options to choose from: Long Term income or Whole life income (till 100 or 85)
• The cash bonus can be received annually or allowed to accumulate till the maturity of the policy.
• Rider options will enhance the life cover at an extra cost.

Eligibility Criteria of ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

Benefit Option	1. Long-Term Income 2. Whole Life Income
	Once chosen at inception can’t be changed.
Premium Paying term	6 /8 /10 /12 / 15 Years
Policy term	Lifelong income option: 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 Years
	Whole Life income: Till the age of 100 or 85 years
Premium paying Mode	Annual / Semi-Annual / Quarterly / Monthly
	Minimum	Maximum
Age at Entry	30 days	55 Years
Maturity Age	18	Lifelong income: 84 years
		Whole life income: 100 or 85 years
Annualised premium	24,000	No Limit
Sum Assured	1,54,560	No Limit
Premium Band	Premium Bands	Annualised premium
	Band 1	24,000 – 49,999
	Band 2	50,000 – 99,999
	Band 3	1,00,000 – 1,99,999
	Band 4	2,00,000 – 2,99,999
	Band 5	3,00,000 – 4,99,000
	Band 6	5,00,000 +

Benefits under ABSLI Akshaya Plan

Bonus:

Cash Bonus:

The cash bonus rate is declared as per 1000 sum assured on 1st July every year. It is payable at the end of the policy year starting from the first year till maturity provided all premiums have been paid. It is received at chosen frequency – Annual, Semi-annual, Quarterly or Monthly. There is flexibility to defer the declared Cash Bonus and accrue them. The deferred cash bonus can be withdrawn at the time of termination of the policy or it can be withdrawn at any time during the policy term.

Interim Bonus:

Interim Bonus (if declared) may be payable, in case of death of the Life Insured, surrender, survival or maturity happens before the latest declared bonus rates would have come into effect.

Terminal Bonus:

If declared, the terminal bonus may be paid out before the life insured’s death, surrender, or maturity.

Death Benefit:

In the event of the death of the Life Insured during the Policy Term, provided that the Policy is in force the following benefits are given to your nominee(s):

• Sum Assured on Death; and,
• Accumulated Cash Bonus (if declared); and, 
• Terminal Bonus (if declared)

Sum Assured on Death shall be defined as higher of the following: 

• Sum Assured 
• 11 times the Annualized Premium 
• 105% of Total Premiums paid till the date of death

Maturity Benefit:

On survival of the Life Insured till the end of the Policy Term provided the Policy is in force the following will be payable: 

• Sum Assured on Death; and,
• Accumulated Cash Bonus (if declared); and, 
• Terminal Bonus (if declared)

Other Benefits

Riders:

ABSLI Accidental Death Benefit Rider Plus (UIN: 109B023V02)

ABSLI Critical Illness Rider (UIN: 109B019V03)

ABSLI Surgical Care Rider (UIN: 109B015V03)

ABSLI Hospital Care Rider (UIN: 109B016V03)

ABSLI Waiver of Premium Rider (UIN:109B017V03)

Policy Loan:

A loan against the policy is allowed once it has acquired a Surrender Value. The minimum loan amount is Rs. 5,000 and the maximum is 80% of the then applicable Surrender Value less any outstanding policy loan plus all accrued but unpaid loan interest as of that date.

Benefits for higher premium bands:

For higher premium bands, an additional cash bonus (% of Annualized Premium) shall be provided. 

The grace period, Revival, Discontinuance

Grace period:

A Grace Period of 30 (thirty) days from the premium due date & 15 (fifteen) days in case of Monthly mode) for payment of each premium will be allowed.

Revival:

Revival of policy is allowed within a revival period of five years from the due date of the first unpaid premium. 

Discontinuance:

Discontinuance of Payment of Premium before the policy has acquired Surrender Value:

On the expiry of the grace period, the Policy shall lapse w.e.f. the due date of unpaid premium and all benefits under the policy, including the insurance cover, shall cease and no benefits shall be payable. There is an option to revive within the revival period of 5 Years.

Discontinuance of Payment of Premium after the policy has acquired Surrender Value -On the expiry of the grace period, the policy shall become a Reduced Paid-Up (RPU) policy. 

How to Cancel/Surrender ABSLI Akshaya Plan?

Free Look Period

In case you are not satisfied with the terms & conditions of your policy, you have the right to return your policy within 15 days from the date of policy purchase and it will be 30 days in the case of electronic policies.

Surrender

The policy will acquire a Surrender Value after all due premiums for at least the first two full policy years are paid. The policy can be surrendered at any time during the Policy Term once the policy has acquired a Surrender Value.

Advantages of ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

• The policy term & life cover can be chosen based on the requirement.
• The cash bonus accrual option helps to reap the benefit of compounding.
• A loan facility ensures liquidity.
• Flexibility in choosing the frequency of premium payment & cash bonus receipt.

The disadvantage of the ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

• The benefit option & cash bonus option chosen at the inception can’t be altered.
• All bonuses – Cash, Interim & Terminal are not guaranteed.
• The lock-in period is 2 years for loan & surrender.

Research Methodology on ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

From the beginning, we have seen all the key points that we need to know about ABSLI Akshaya Plan. Yet, these details are not enough for us to decide whether this plan is suitable for us or not. 

So now, we are going to take this analysis to the next level to see how much IRR we can get from this plan.

At this level, first, we are going to use ABSLI Akshaya Plan online calculator to calculate the IRR.

Then, we are going to use the same value to calculate how much IRR we can get from other investments.

Later, we can simply compare the results to see whether ABSLI Akshaya Plan gives us a better result or not.

Benefit Illustration Analysis of ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

Let us understand the cash flow of the policy with the following benefit illustration.

Male	35 years
Benefit option	Long term Income
Policy term	30 years
Premium Paying term	10 Years
Sum Assured	11,04,000
Annualised premium	Rs. 1 Lakh
Cash bonus frequency	Annal

		At 4% p.a.		At 8% p.a.
Age	Year	Annualised premium / Maturity benefit	Death benefit	Annualised premium / Maturity benefit	Death benefit
35	1	-1,00,000	11,04,000	-1,00,000	11,04,000
36	2	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
37	3	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
38	4	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
39	5	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
40	6	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
41	7	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
42	8	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
43	9	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
44	10	-82,446	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
45	11	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
46	12	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
47	13	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
48	14	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
49	15	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
50	16	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
51	17	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
52	18	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
53	19	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
54	20	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
55	21	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
56	22	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
57	23	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
58	24	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
59	25	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
60	26	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
61	27	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
62	28	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
63	29	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
64	30	17,554	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
65	31	11,87,794		14,17,315
	IRR	2.67%		5.73%

Assumed investment return rates: 4% p.a. and 8% p.a. Here the investment returns are not guaranteed. They do not represent the maximum or minimum amount you could be reimbursed because the value of your policy is based on a variety of variables, including future investment performance.

With the given cash bonus rate, the IRR works out to be 2.67 (for 4%) & 5.73% (for 8%). These are not guaranteed. The policy term is 30 years. There is a cash payout during this period. The policyholder might tend to spend the cash bonus for discretionary expenses as this amount may not suffice to meet the short-term goals. The IRR of the ABSLI Akshaya plan is not an inflation-beating return.

ABSLI Akshaya Plan vs. Other Investments:

One of the best ways to beat inflation is to invest in asset classes whose return outpace the rate of inflation. In the above illustration, the IRR is below the inflation rate. There are better investment options which have a risk-adjusted return in the market. These investments will help to achieve your goals.

ABSLI Akshaya Plan Vs. ELSS 

Investors can protect their savings from the threat of inflation by investing in high-yielding instruments. Investing in an ELSS mutual fund earns better returns and also has tax benefits. Similar to the illustration above let us assume an annual cash flow of Rs. 1 lakh. This amount is split & invested in Term insurance for life cover & ELSS for investment.

Pure-term insurance:
Sum Assured	11 lakhs
Tenure	30 years
Premium paying term	10 Years
Annual premium	15000
ELSS investment	85000
Total Annual cash outflow	Rs. 1 lakh

 

		ABSLI Akshaya plan – At 8% p.a.		Term insurance + ELSS
Age	Year	Annualised premium / Maturity benefit	Death benefit	Term Insurance premium + ELSS	Death benefit
35	1	-1,00,000	11,04,000	-1,00,000	11,04,000
36	2	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
37	3	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
38	4	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
39	5	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
40	6	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
41	7	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
42	8	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
43	9	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
44	10	-62,685	11,04,000	-62,685	11,04,000
45	11	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
46	12	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
47	13	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
48	14	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
49	15	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
50	16	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
51	17	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
52	18	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
53	19	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
54	20	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
55	21	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
56	22	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
57	23	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
58	24	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
59	25	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
60	26	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
61	27	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
62	28	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
63	29	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
64	30	37,315	11,04,000	37,315	11,04,000
65	31	14,17,315		71,47,465
	IRR	5.73%		10.79%

After paying a premium of Rs.15 K for a pure term, the balance amount of Rs. 85K is invested in ELSS in the first 10 years. In the ABSLI Akshaya plan, a Cash bonus is receivable at the end of every policy year. 

Similarly, under ELSS also annual withdrawal is assumed. The IRR for the ELSS investment works out to be 10.79%. This shows that investing in an Equity mutual fund can beat inflation in the long run. 

Final Verdict on ABSLI Akshaya Plan:

ABSLI Akshaya plan has a cash bonus in the form of payouts. This will help to meet only short-term goals or any big-shot annual expenses. They are not guaranteed. It is payable only based on the year-on-year declaration. This will not help to meet any important life goals. And the IRR is also not high yielding.

An investment should allow your savings to grow faster or at least at the same rate of inflation. Otherwise, savings will not be enough to fulfil your dreams.