Categories: Insurance

SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan-ULIP Review (2024): Is it Good or Bad?

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Table of Content:

1.) Introduction

2.) What is SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan?

3.) Plan Options in SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan

4.) Fund Details of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

5.) Features of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

6.) Benefits of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

7.) Who is eligible for the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan?

8.) Who Should Consider the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan?

9.) Charges of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

10.) Research Methodology of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

11.) SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan: Example with Illustration

12.) IRR of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

13.) The SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan vs. PPF + Term Insurance

14.) SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan vs. ELSS + Term Insurance

15.) Advantages of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

16.) Disadvantages of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

17.) Exit Load, Switching Rules, and Liquidity — What You Should Know

18.) Surrender/Cancel during the free look period

19.) Surrender/Cancel during the lock-in period

20.) Surrender/Cancel after the lock-in period

21.) Final Verdict of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan

Introduction:

The SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan is a ULIP that promises to enhance your wealth in a simple manner.

It gives us life protection and the freedom to manage investments.

Apart from insurance cum investment combination, it claims to offer security, affordability, flexibility, simplicity, and liquidity.

Even though the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan seems to be a genuine investment option, do you think it can help you create long-term wealth?

Here is the review of the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan, which can help you to decide whether it is suitable for your investment portfolio or not.

What is SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan?

SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan is a ULIP that offers twin benefits of insurance coverage and investment. It offers market-linked returns and AAA (Automatic Asset Allocation) feature. 

As the Policy Term advances, the Automatic Asset Allocation function reduces equity allocations while increasing debt/money market instrument allocations. The units are allotted based on the unit price for the funds. The Fund Value is the total value of units held in all Unit-linked Funds.

There are two options available under the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan. 

  • Growth Plan
  • Balanced Plan

Plan Options in SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan:

Growth plan:

Balanced Plan:

Fund Details of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

Features of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

  • It gives life coverage and market-related returns.
  • Worry-free investment through Automatic Asset Allocation.
  • Based on your risk profile, you can choose between a Growth plan and Balanced Plan.
  • Premium starts from Rs. 2, 000 onwards.
  • There is no premium allocation charge. So, it can help you to increase your fund value.
  • There is no liquidity till the end of the lock-in period of five years.
  • Tax benefits.

Many investors compare this product with other SBI ULIP plan options such as SBI eWealth Plus or SBI Life Smart Wealth Builder ULIP to understand whether the automatic allocation strategy truly adds value over 10–15 years.

Benefits of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

Death Benefit:

If the policyholder died in an unfortunate event, then the nominee or the legal heir will get the highest of the following as death benefit.

  • The fund value
  • Sum assured exclude the partial withdrawal if any
  • 105% of the premium paid

Maturity Benefit:

At the end of the policy term, the policyholder will get the fund value as Lumpsum.

Before choosing this plan, many policyholders check projected ULIP returns in 10 years using the SBI Life eWealth Insurance maturity calculator to understand the realistic long-term wealth potential.

Who is eligible for the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan?

Who Should Consider the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan?

The SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan is best suited for individuals who want the combined benefit of long-term wealth creation and life insurance protection—without active involvement in managing market-linked investments.

It is ideal for salaried professionals, young earners, and first-time investors who prefer a disciplined, automated way to build a financial corpus through small but consistent premiums.

If you’re someone with medium-to-high risk tolerance and want exposure to equity markets through a trusted insurer, this plan offers a convenient entry point.

At the same time, it fits the needs of people who want tax-efficient financial planning under a single product—covering protection, investment, and maturity benefits.

People saving for major future milestones such as their child’s education, marriage, retirement, or a dream purchase may find this plan especially useful due to its long-term wealth accumulation structure.

It also suits individuals who prefer a digital, hassle-free, no-medical process when buying insurance.

Overall, the plan is ideal for anyone who wants the peace of mind that comes from life cover, combined with the potential for market-linked growth, without actively managing a complex investment portfolio.

Charges of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

Premium Allocation Charge:

There is no Premium Allocation Charge in the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan.

Policy Administration Charge:

Rs. 45 will be deducted every month till the end of the policy term.

Fund Management Charges:

This charge will be deducted from the relevant fund before calculating NAV daily.

This charge will be a fixed percentage of the fund.

When comparing SBI Life ULIP charges with other SBI Life Unit Linked Insurance Plans, many investors notice that the absence of premium allocation charges is a unique benefit of the eWealth variant.

Discontinuance Charge:

A fixed percentage will be deducted from your annual premium or fund value.

Partial Withdrawal Charge:

Every policy year, you can avail of one free partial withdrawal after the lock-in period. But, if you want to withdraw more than one time in the same policy year, then you have to pay Rs. 100 for every partial withdrawal.

Mortality Charge:

It will be deducted on the first day of every policy month from the fund value.

Medical expenses on revival:

If there are any medical expenses, they will be borne by the policyholder.

Research Methodology of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

Till now, we have come across all the important details of the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan.

These details can help us to draw an outlook of the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan.

But, they did not help us to decide whether we have this insurance plan in our investment portfolio or not.

So, now, let’s see how this plan works and compare it to other investments, whether it can help us to achieve our financial goals or not.

Many people also verify long-term projections using tools like the SBI Life eWealth Plus calculator or independent ULIP return simulators before forming a final opinion on suitability.

SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan: Example with Illustration:

IRR of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

Now, let’s calculate the IRR of the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan, by using the online return calculator provided by them.

Here let’s take,

Annual contribution: Rs. 1, 00, 000

Policy Term: 20 years

In the worst-case scenario, let’s take the assumed gross return as 4%.

Then, 

As you can see in the above return calculator illustration, in the worst-case scenario, the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan gives us an IRR of 2.54%. At the end of the policy term, it gives us a maturity benefit of Rs. 26, 28, 874 and in an unfortunate death, the nominee will get the death benefit of Rs. 10, 00, 000.

Now, let’s see the IRR for the best-case scenario.

Here let’s take the assumed gross return as 8%.

Then, 

As you can see in the above illustration, in the best-case scenario, the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan gives us an IRR of 6.48%. At the end of the policy term, it gives us Rs. 41, 23, 248 as Maturity Benefit. If the policyholder passes away in an unfortunate event, then the nominee will get Rs. 10, 00, 000 as a death benefit.

Here for 20 years, it creates an illusion that makes you think that it gives you a double return. But, here you must remember one thing. This SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan is a ULIP which means it has risk in its portfolio.

So, after taking a risk, it gives you a return that is lower than risk-free investments.

Let me explain.

This gap becomes more visible when investors compare these results with ULIP returns in 10 years offered by alternatives such as SBI Life ULIP or SBI eWealth Plus, which sometimes show marginally different projections depending on fund choice.

Now, let’s take PPF as a risk-free investment and compare it with SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan.

The SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan vs. PPF + Term Insurance:

Let’s take the annual contribution as Rs. 1, 00, 000

Annual Premium for Term Insurance: Rs. 5, 500

Tenure: 20 years

Sum Assured: Rs. 1, 00, 00, 000

Investment in PPF: Rs. 94, 500

Investment return: 7.10% without risk

So, here PPF gives us an IRR of 6.62%. This is higher than the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan without taking a risk. After 20 years, it gives us Rs. 41, 94, 722 as investment return.

Now, let’s compare the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan with other investment that has risk in its portfolio.

SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan vs. ELSS + Term Insurance:

Let’s take the annual contribution as Rs. 1, 00, 000

Annual Premium for Term Insurance: Rs. 5, 500

Tenure: 20 years

Sum Assured: Rs. 1, 00, 00, 000

Investment in PPF: Rs. 94, 500

The assumed rate of return: 12% with risk

As you can see in the above illustration, compare to the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan, ELSS gives us an IRR of 10.93% after taking the risk.

At the end of the 20 years, it gives us Rs. 70, 62, 427 as investment return.

Many investors conduct this comparison because the eWealth plan competes directly with market-linked products like ELSS funds and other SBI Life Unit Linked Insurance Plans, making performance evaluation essential.

Advantages of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

  • This SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan does not offer bonuses but instead provides market-linked returns.
  • The SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan includes Automatic Asset Allocation, which manages the policy holder’s investments automatically to optimize profits.
  • Partial withdrawals are permitted from the 6th policy year onwards.
  • The minimum partial withdrawal amount is Rs. 5,000, and the maximum is 15% of the Fund Value as of the withdrawal request date.
  • There are no premium allocation charges, which increases the value of your fund.
  • The Automatic Asset Allocation (AAA) function minimizes equity exposure as it approaches maturity, so helping to safeguard gains created by market volatility in later years.
  • Affordability – with monthly premiums beginning at Rs. 2000

Some policyholders prefer this product because, unlike a few other SBI Life ULIP options, it simplifies investing through fewer fund choices and automated management.

Disadvantages of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

  • Option (Growth or Balanced) selected at policy initiation cannot be modified later during the policy duration.
  • Partial withdrawals are not permitted if the Fund Value is decreased to less than 50% of the total premiums paid as a result of the withdrawal.
  • During the first five years of the policy term, the Unit Linked Insurance Products do not provide any liquidity.
  • Policyholders will not be able to renounce or withdraw funds invested in Unit Linked Insurance Products in full or in part until the end of the fifth year.
  • The SBI Life eWealth plan advertises the dual benefits of life insurance coverage and wealth creation, yet neither is completely useful.
  • The product does not permit top-up premiums.

This lack of flexibility often becomes a deciding factor when comparing it with alternatives like the SBI Life Smart Wealth Builder ULIP, which may offer more customisation in fund switching and top-ups.

Now, let’s see how to surrender/cancel the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan.

Exit Load, Switching Rules, and Liquidity — What You Should Know

Before investing in a ULIP like the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan, it is important to understand the restrictions and conditions around accessing your funds and managing your investments.

These features are part of the plan design and can affect how the policy performs relative to other investment options.

Exit Load:
ULIPs generally impose an exit load if you surrender or partially withdraw during the initial lock-in period, typically five years.

For the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan, surrendering early moves the fund value to a discontinued policy fund, where it earns a conservative return until the lock-in period ends.

This means early exit may reduce potential returns and should be considered before investing.

Switching Rules:
ULIPs offer the option to switch money between different fund types, such as equity, debt, or balanced funds, up to a certain number of free switches per policy year.

Beyond the free limit, charges may apply.

While switching can adjust exposure to market risk, frequent switches may not always improve long-term outcomes, and it is important to understand how these rules work.

Liquidity:
ULIPs are designed as long-term products.

The SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan has a mandatory five-year lock-in period during which fund access is limited.

Partial withdrawals are allowed only after the lock-in, with restrictions on frequency and amounts.

This structure emphasizes long-term investment rather than short-term liquidity.

In summary, the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan includes features like exit load, switching options, and lock-in periods that affect access to funds and risk management.

Understanding these rules is crucial to evaluating the plan objectively and comparing it with other investment avenues, especially for those seeking flexibility and liquidity.

Surrender/Cancel during the free look period:

If you are not satisfied with the terms and conditions of the SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan, then you can return the policy by stating your reason during the free look period. You will be refunded after deducting the charges.

This free look period is 30 days from the date of purchasing the policy.

For more details, you can read the SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan brochure here!

Surrender/Cancel during the lock-in period:

If you want to surrender the policy during the lock-in period, then you will get a 4% interest rate per annum as per the regulations.

The fund value will be payable on the 1st day of the 6th policy term, after deducting the charges.

Surrender/Cancel after the lock-in period:

You will be refunded the fund value immediately after deducting the relevant charges.

People often compare these surrender outcomes with projections shown in the SBI Life eWealth Plus calculator to understand the impact of early exit on overall returns.

Final Verdict of SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan:

“Investment is an asset or item that is purchased with the hope that it will generate income or appreciate in the future.”

The SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan is creating an illusion that seems to be increasing your wealth.

But, in reality, it is not.

On the investment side, after taking the risk, this SBI Life eWealth Insurance plan gives us a return that is lower than risk-free investments.

On the other hand, on the insurance side, it also provides less life coverage compare to pure term insurance.

So, after analyzing all the factors, it is not worth investing your money in SBI Life eWealth Insurance Plan for the long term.

A closer look at projected ULIP returns in 10 years across multiple SBI Life ULIP products shows that eWealth is positioned more as a simplified, low-touch option rather than a high-return or high-coverage solution.

If you have any comments or questions, write them in the comment box below.

Or are you interested in creating a Comprehensive Financial Plan for your financial goals?

Skip the queue by registering for your 30 Minute FREE Financial Plan Consultation. Click the ‘Register Now!’ button below. 

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View Comments

  • Why are you assuming SBI rate of return at 8% and ELSS rate of return at 12% ?. Both have to assume market risk at par. Can you also please do a comparison at equal returns?

    • SBI Life Insurance policies usually project lower returns (~8%) because of higher fees and conservative growth strategies. In contrast, ELSS funds often target higher returns (~12%) due to their aggressive market exposure and lower expenses. Comparing them at equal returns can be misleading; ULIP NAVs are pre-expense and don't reflect actual net gains. Mutual Funds provide better transparency and net returns by way of post-expenses NAV, making them more attractive for growth-focused investors.

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