Behind the Illustration

Learn to read a policy illustration the way an underwriter does — separating guaranteed numbers from projected ones, so you're never surprised by a cap, a spread, or a rising cost of insurance.

The Money Triumphs IUL Truth Test™

Put any IUL recommendation through a structured, 7-part test built to catch the sales statements that don't hold up — before you sign anything.

12 Tools You Keep

Walk away with a fillable toolkit — a premium tracker, loan-risk worksheet, illustration checklist, annual review form, and more — plus a certificate of completion.

What This Course Is — and Isn't

Indexed Universal Life insurance is often promoted as a way to protect your family, build cash value, access money in retirement, and create a tax-advantaged legacy. But an IUL is a complex financial contract, and its real performance depends on far more than a market index. IUL Uncovered takes you behind the sales presentation and into the actual mechanics of the policy: how premiums are allocated, how interest is credited, how caps and participation rates affect your returns, how insurance charges rise over time, and why a policy can underperform — or lapse — even when it looks successful at first. This course does not promote or condemn IUL insurance. It teaches you how to determine whether a policy is appropriate, affordable, properly designed, and built to last.

Dr. Bianca Adams

Dr. Bianca Adams is the founder of Money Triumphs Academy, where she builds financial literacy courses that put consumers back in control of complex financial decisions. IUL Uncovered was built the same way she builds every course at the Academy: independent of any insurance company or sales agenda, so you get a straight, contract-first answer — not a projection.

Curriculum

14 Chapters · 144 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      What is Indexed Universal Life insurance?

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      The three moving parts: premium, death benefit, and cash value

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      How universal life differs from whole life

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      IUL versus term insurance

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      IUL versus variable universal life

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Who assumes the investment and policy-performance risks?

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Why an IUL should not be described as a market investment

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Student Activity: IUL Expectations Inventory

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 1 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Premium paid versus cash value created

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Premium loads and administrative charges

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Cost of insurance

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Policy fees and expense charges

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Rider charges

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Surrender charges

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Why early cash value may be significantly lower than premiums paid

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Why increasing insurance costs matter as the insured ages

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      The IUL money flow

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Student Activity: Annual Statement Breakdown

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 2 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding the market index

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Point-to-point crediting

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Monthly averaging and other crediting methods

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Participation rates

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Interest-rate caps

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Spreads and asset fees

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      The zero-percent floor

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Why "zero is your hero" can be misleading

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Why index gains do not equal policy gains

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      The impact of changing caps and participation rates

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Essential Example: Calculating Credited Rates

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Student Activity: Crediting Strategy Challenge

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 3 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      What an illustration is—and what it is not

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Guaranteed versus nonguaranteed assumptions

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Current-scale projections

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding the illustrated crediting rate

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Premium outlay and premium duration

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Death-benefit options

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Cash value versus surrender value

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Distribution and loan projections

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Why an illustration can look successful while hiding future pressure

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      In-force illustrations for existing policies

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      The Four-Illustration Rule

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Illustration Red Flags

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 4 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Determining the genuine life-insurance need

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Choosing the death benefit

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Minimum-funded versus maximum-funded policies

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Death Benefit Option A and Option B

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Guideline Premium Test

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Cash Value Accumulation Test

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      The seven-pay test

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Avoiding accidental MEC classification

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Premium flexibility versus funding discipline

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Stress-testing affordability

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Student Activity: Three Funding Scenarios

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 5 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Federal definition of a life-insurance contract

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Internal Revenue Code Section 7702

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      The seven-pay test under Section 7702A

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Non-MEC versus MEC treatment

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding cost basis

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Withdrawals and recovery of basis

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Policy loans

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Tax consequences when a policy lapses or is surrendered

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Distributions from a MEC

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Potential additional tax before age 59½

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Death-benefit taxation

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Transfer-for-value concerns

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      When to involve a tax professional

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 6 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      What happens when a policyowner borrows

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Fixed, variable, and participating loans

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Direct recognition and non-direct recognition

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Loan interest

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Loan arbitrage

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Wash loans

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      The difference between access and income

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Loan balance growth

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Impact on cash value and death benefits

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Overloan protection riders

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Policy-lapse risk

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Creating a conservative loan strategy

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Case Study: The Retiree Loan Squeeze

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 7 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Accelerated death-benefit riders

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Chronic-illness riders

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Critical-illness riders

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Terminal-illness benefits

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Long-term-care riders

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Waiver-of-premium provisions

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Child and spouse riders

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Overloan protection

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Rider eligibility requirements

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Benefit triggers and exclusions

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Whether rider benefits reduce the death benefit

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Tax and eligibility considerations

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 8 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Is the consumer purchasing life insurance or chasing returns?

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Identifying the client's genuine financial need

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Emergency savings and debt considerations

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Income stability and premium affordability

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Replacing an existing life-insurance policy

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      New surrender-charge periods

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      New contestability and suicide-exclusion periods

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Changes in health and insurability

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Premium financing

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Borrowing against a home to fund an IUL

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Youth policies and college-funding claims

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Commission and conflict-of-interest questions

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Statements Students Must Challenge

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 9 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Determining whether an IUL fits the objective

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Comparing policy types

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Evaluating the issuing company

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding financial-strength ratings

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Verifying insurance licenses and complaint history

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Reviewing the policy after delivery

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Understanding the free-look period

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      Conducting annual policy reviews

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      Requesting an in-force illustration

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Developing a corrective action plan

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      Knowing when to obtain independent help

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      Making the final keep, modify, replace, or surrender decision

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      Annual Review Checklist Walkthrough

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      Module 10 Knowledge Check

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Purpose Test

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Protection Test

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Funding Test

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Cost Test

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Performance Test

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Access Test

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Exit Test

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 1: Insurance Needs Analysis

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 2: Illustration Investigation

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 3: IUL Expense Audit

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 4: Loan Stress Test

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 5: Sales Claim Fact Check

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Assignment 6: Final IUL Decision Report

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Capstone Introduction and Client Profile

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Capstone Deliverable Requirements

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Required Course Downloads

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Course Assessment and Certificate

Who This Course Is Built For

IUL Uncovered was designed for real decisions, not general interest.

”
You've sat through a presentation about tax-free retirement income and market-linked growth without market loss — and you want the mechanics behind the pitch before you sign anything.
Considering an IUL

 

You have an in-force IUL you haven't reviewed in years. This course gives you a 14-point annual review framework to catch problems early.
Already Own a Policy

 

”
You want a consumer-centered framework for explaining index crediting, loans, and MEC rules without relying on the insurer's own marketing materials.
Advisors & Educators

 

Understand the Policy Before You Fund the Policy

From Module 1 to the Capstone, IUL Uncovered walks you through 10 modules, 10 knowledge checks, the Money Triumphs IUL Truth Test™, 6 assignments, and a final capstone project — plus 12 tools you keep and a certificate of completion. Enroll today for lifetime access.

$697.00

Enroll now