Strictly speaking, IUL is insurance, not an investment. It doesn't offer the growth potential of direct market investing, and it isn't meant to. What it offers is a death benefit combined with tax-deferred growth that has downside protection built in. Whether that combination fits your goals is worth discussing with an advisor.

The criticism is usually fair when it's aimed at specific things: illustrations that oversold growth without showing the guaranteed-minimum scenario, fees and cost-of-insurance charges that erode returns over time, or a policy sold to someone who really just needed simple term coverage. Those are valid concerns, which is why Team Thrive shows both projected and guaranteed numbers upfront. The criticism is less fair when it compares IUL directly to stock market returns, since that's not what the product is designed to do.

IUL is a type of permanent life insurance that builds cash value alongside your death benefit. That cash value grows based on the performance of a market index, with a floor that limits losses and a cap that limits gains.

Part of your premium builds cash value, credited based on index performance. You can access that value later through policy loans, generally without triggering income tax as long as the policy stays in force. Meanwhile, your death benefit remains in place for your family.

It depends on your goals. For people who want life insurance protection and tax-deferred growth potential in one policy, and who understand the tradeoffs (caps, fees, complexity), many find it worthwhile. For those who only want the lowest-cost death benefit, term life insurance is typically a better fit.

Yes. Indexed Universal Life is the core policy type Team Thrive builds, with living benefits and cash value growth included as standard features, not optional add-ons.