A whole life insurance investment is a relatively simple concept. You will be presented with a product that has a set premium and you will be paid the agreed upon amount of the death benefit at the end of the policy holder’s life. You will also have an investment component included in the policy. All money you contribute over and above the premium will be placed into a cash value account which is then invested on your behalf by the insurer.

Apart from providing you with cash value account and a guaranteed death benefit to leave to your heirs a whole life investment has some other features as well. You have the option to borrow against the cash value your policy or fully withdraw an amount if you have an emergency need for the funds available during the life of the policy.

The theory behind a whole life policy is that it will pay out set death benefit and a cash value to your beneficiaries all while you are guaranteed a set, unchanging premium for the life of the policy. It does more than this, though, when you consider the fact that all the money is tax free and/or tax deferred.

Because of this tax free feature you will have the ability to make a portfolio that can achieve a number of goals that you otherwise may not be able to. You can actually use the whole life policy to secure a smooth succession in the case of a family owned business or to protect your other assets.

You may be met with derision about your interest in a whole life insurance investment by detractors who say that it isn’t a real investment because it isn’t run like one’s stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. While it may not grow that fast, it has the potential to a much safer long term investment since it is done in a safer manner that is designed to ensure your money keeps growing despite market ups and downs.

A whole life insurance investment policy is generally seen as a "savings asset" as opposed to an "investment asset" because your money is saved and grown in a much less aggressive fashion than regular stocks and bonds. With a whole life insurance policy your additional money will be placed into a savings account where it will accrue interest. You don’t have to invest the money within this savings account, but you can do so if you wish to. The savings account on its own, though, will become a huge asset over time.