Steady and Secure, or Aggressive for Big Gains? Top 3 Savings Insurance Plans | 10Life

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Whole life savings insurance is designed for wealth accumulation, harnessing the power of compound interest and dividend accumulation to turn time into money, helping policyholders achieve long-term financial goals. Insurance advisors may tell you that (relative to contributions) the returns on savings insurance can multiply several times over. Is it really that miraculous? The total return of savings insurance comprises guaranteed and non-guaranteed returns. Additionally, one must also consider the time value of money. This article provides an overview of the top three whole life savings insurance products currently on the market in terms of guaranteed and expected returns for your comparison!

When evaluating the returns of savings insurance, what should you pay attention to? Assuming the same amount of capital is invested and the same total return is achieved, Product A takes 30 years to accumulate while Product B takes 20 years. Clearly, Product B, which only takes 20 years, is the better choice. Therefore, when assessing product returns, 10Life places emphasis on the entire cash flow of the product, calculating the annualised internal rate of return (IRR, Internal Rate of Return).

Unlimited QE and Falling Interest Rates Put Pressure on Guaranteed Returns

Guaranteed returns are the amounts that insurance companies are obligated to pay to policyholders, unaffected by economic conditions or dividend policies. If a product offers relatively high guaranteed returns, the insurance company must adopt a more conservative investment strategy to ensure it can fulfil the commitments of the policy contract. However, the expected total return of such products is usually not very high, with limited potential for significant growth. That said, a guarantee is a guarantee, and insurance companies cannot default on it.

This year, the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus triggered a worldwide economic downturn, prompting the Federal Reserve to implement unlimited quantitative easing (QE). Since March, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds has dropped significantly, standing at just 0.67% as of 7 July. As the U.S. Treasury yield serves as a benchmark for conservative investment returns, its record lows have placed considerable pressure on the guaranteed returns of savings insurance. It is expected that insurance companies may lower the guaranteed returns of their products. However, the guaranteed returns for existing policyholders are locked in at the time of policy signing, and any future reductions in guaranteed returns for the product will not affect them.

Based on the guaranteed internal rate of return (Guaranteed IRR), the following are the top three products for different contribution periods (see Note 1):

The chart above shows that AIA's "易達終身保" and China Taiping's "太平優樂終身保" rank among the top three in guaranteed returns across multiple contribution periods. For the latter, with a 5-year contribution period, the guaranteed break-even point is 9 years, and the 30-year annual guaranteed IRR reaches 2.7%. This return rate is significantly higher than the current U.S. Treasury yield, placing considerable pressure on insurance companies.

30-Year Expected Total Return Rate as High as 6.1%

While guaranteed returns are stable, the figures may not be particularly impressive. Therefore, insurance advisors often focus on the total return (i.e., expected return) of savings insurance when marketing to clients. Expected returns include dividends, bonuses, and both guaranteed and non-guaranteed components. Whether insurance companies can achieve the expected returns depends on various factors, such as investment performance, dividend policies, claims, surrenders, and expense costs.

Based on the expected internal rate of return (Expected IRR), the following are the top three products for different contribution periods (see Notes 1 and 2):

As shown in the chart above, Fubon Life's "享富 · 傳家寶" Life Insurance Plan (Premium Version) and "盛世 · 傳家寶" Life Insurance Plan 2 (Superior Version) achieve the highest expected returns for contribution periods of 4-8 years and 15-30 years, respectively, with the former reaching a 30-year expected IRR of up to 6.1%. For the 9-12 year contribution period, the 30-year expected IRR of the 安進儲蓄系列 II－躍進 is also 5.8%.

Due to space constraints, we are unable to list the rankings of all products. In fact, we have analysed over 200 savings life insurance products currently available in the market. You can explore the returns of various insurance companies and their products in the "Product Decoder".

Compare Guaranteed Returns of Savings Insurance (1-3 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Guaranteed Returns of Savings Insurance (4-8 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Guaranteed Returns of Savings Insurance (9-12 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Guaranteed Returns of Savings Insurance (15-30 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Expected Returns of Savings Insurance (1-3 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Expected Returns of Savings Insurance (4-8 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Expected Returns of Savings Insurance (9-12 Year Contribution Period)

Compare Expected Returns of Savings Insurance (15-30 Year Contribution Period)

If you have any questions, feel free to use the "Enquiry" or "Ask Anonymously" features on our website to get immediate advice from licensed advisors.

Notes:

1. Assumptions: The insured is a 35-year-old male, non-smoker; premium payment periods are 1-3 years, 4-8 years, 9-12 years, or 15-30 years; premiums are paid annually on time, with a total premium of USD 100,000; during the policy term, no policy loans are taken, and no cash value and/or interest (if any) is withdrawn midway.

2. We calculate the expected internal rate of return of the product based on the "current" projected returns in the policy proposal, not under pessimistic or optimistic scenarios.

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Last updated: 9 Apr 2026

10Life Editorial Team

Our team of professional content researchers focussing on insurance

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10Life Editorial Team

Our team of professional content researchers focussing on insurance

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10Life Product Comparison and 10Life Insurance Ratings are developed by 10Life Financial Limited, an authorised insurance broker company licensed with the Insurance Authority under License Number FB1526. 10Life Product Comparison and 10Life Insurance Ratings are developed for generic customer segments using mathematical calculations based on product information, facts and data, and are not influenced by any partnerships with or fees received from insurance companies. Any information on 10Life Platform ("10Life Information"), including but not limited to Product Comparison, Product Ratings, Blog Articles are intended for general education purpose and reference only. None of the 10Life Information is intended, nor should they be considered or relied upon, as regulated advice, insurance, financial, investment or professional advice, recommendation, approval, endorsement, invitation or solicitation in respect of any insurance, financial or investment products. 10Life Information does not take into account your individual needs. Reading 10Life Information should not be considered as conducting a suitability assessment, and is not sufficient to form the basis of any decisions to purchase any insurance products. You should rely on information authorised by insurance companies, carry out your own research and/or seek independent advice from licensed intermediaries before purchasing any insurance products or making any insurance decisions. While reasonable effort is used when collecting, validating and updating 10Life Information from various channels, none of 10Life Group and its subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees will be responsible for any liability, claim or loss arising from or associated with you using 10Life Information. No warranty, representation or guarantee is given by 10Life Group and its subsidiaries on the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the information. If you have any questions on 10Life Product Comparison and 10Life Insurance Ratings, please email us at enquiries@10life.com

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