The Bank of East Asia

Insurance, MPF & Trust

Life Insurance - Life Protection

Underwritten by AIA International Limited (Incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability)

 

Pass on your exceptional legacy and make it last

 

Sustainable legacy for generations of prosperity

Years of hard work have rewarded you with the achievements and status you enjoy now. To protect this hard-earned wealth, you need a meticulously designed legacy planning. Make the smart decision to give future generations a head start towards success. To secure a carefree future for your family, Wealth Elite 2 provides flexible and comprehensive life protection that helps safeguard and allocate your wealth while realising long-term asset growth potential so that your legacy will last over generations.

 

Flexible options to keep pace with changing needs

AIA realises that your life planning and needs will evolve over time. To prepare yourself and your loved ones thoroughly for an unpredictable future is especially important. Wealth Elite 2 offers 2 independent options with different levels of life protection to satisfy your needs.

As a key support for the family, assuming more financial obligations and responsibilities is inevitable. To accommodate your needs, Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby is designed to provide substantial life protection1 against unforeseen changes, ensuring a carefree, prosperous life with sustainable financial security for your loved ones.

Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire can help you achieve a balanced life planning by providing opportunities for potential wealth accumulation while enjoying holistic life protection1, which maximises your financial flexibility to pass on a greater legacy to the future generations.

1Please refer to the “Death Benefit” section under “Cover at a glance” for details.

 

Long-term potential return to grow your wealth

Wealth Elite 2 offers guaranteed cash value and non-guaranteed bonuses along with the flexibility to withdraw cash depending on your financial plans and a further opportunity to accumulate your wealth, so your future generations will be financially secure.

 

Allocating your inheritance to the next generations

With Wealth Elite 2, you can allocate the death benefit to designated beneficiaries, ensuring that your wealth will be passed on to your loved ones and safeguard their quality of life in accordance with your wishes.

 

Their success stories are catalysed through your legacy

For the protection you need and a legacy that will provide for generations to come, Wealth Elite 2 grows your wealth in the following ways:

 

(I) Preserve your legacy with life protection

Wealth Elite 2 evolves with your changing needs from one life stage to the next.

At the prime of your career, you may take on more financial commitments for your family. Wealth Elite 2 puts greater focus on life protection. The death benefit can become an immediate source of funds for your designated beneficiary so your loved ones can enjoy their life to the fullest in the face of the unknown. As you grow older, your financial obligations along with the need for life protection will usually decrease. The focus of the plan will then shift from life protection to wealth accumulation, so you can plan for your legacy to pass on to subsequent generations.

 

Options

Wealth Elite 2 offers 2 independent options to satisfy your needs. Please refer to “Cover at a glance” of this brochure for details of life coverage of respective plans.

 Options                                   Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby 
                                Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire

 

Death Benefit

If the insured passes away, we will pay the death benefit to the person whom you select in your policy as the beneficiary.

 

Death Benefit Settlement Option

Apart from a lump sum payment, you can customise the Death Benefit Settlement Option while the insured is still alive and allow your beneficiary to receive the death benefit in regular instalments. You can select not only the benefit amounts to be paid, but also the date of the first instalment payment of death benefit.

 


(II) Receive potential returns through bonuses

Wealth Elite 2 is a participating whole-life insurance plan that covers the entire lifespan of the insured (who is being protected under the policy). We will distribute the profit generated from this product group by declaring a non-guaranteed Reversionary Bonus and a non-guaranteed Terminal Bonus to you at least once per year starting from the end of the 3rd policy year.

 


(III) Withdraw cash flexibly to satisfy your changing needs

Flexibly withdraw cash of your choice

With Wealth Elite 2, you can withdraw your policy values to facilitate your financial planning. To address your changing needs in the future, upon request, you can withdraw part of the guaranteed cash value and/or the non-guaranteed cash values of the Reversionary Bonus and associated Terminal Bonus. However, this will reduce the future values of your policy. After withdrawal of guaranteed cash value, the sum assured of the policy and the one-time premium paid for the basic plan under the death benefit may also be reduced.

Alternatively, you may choose to withdraw all cash values in the policy. Upon such withdrawal, you will receive the sum of the guaranteed cash value and the non-guaranteed cash values of the Reversionary Bonus and Terminal Bonus, and your policy will be terminated.

 

Protect your family with Mental Incapacity Option

Wealth Elite 2 provides Mental Incapacity Option in case you are suffering from a mental issue and unable to withdraw the policy values. You may designate a family member as a recipient in advance, such that he/she can request withdrawal when you are diagnosed as a permanent mentally incapacitated person, up to designated percentage of policy value. That way, your family can obtain financial support in the event of an emergency. Your remaining policy value may continue growing even after the cash values has been withdrawn under this option.

We will deduct all outstanding debt (if any) under the policy before we make any payments for cash withdrawal.

This plan also provides you with the option of taking out a policy loan to ease unexpected financial difficulties.


(IV) Prepare in advance by pre-underwriting

If you expect the additional need of life coverage in future, you can apply for the Pre-underwriting Option when you apply for your Wealth Elite 2 to benefit from a medical underwriting in advance, based on the total life coverage amount determined by you. Subject to our prevailing rules and regulations, in a specific period of time, you can apply for new policies of Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and/or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire with a simplified medical underwriting regardless of whether you have purchased Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire at the policy inception, as long as the total sum assured does not exceed the total life coverage amount that has been approved in the previous medical underwriting process. The option allows you to have high flexibility on financial planning, so you can plan for your legacy to suit your needs. Please refer to the “Note for Pre-underwriting Option” on page 14 of this brochure for details.

 

(V) One-time premium payment for peace of mind

To allow for greater control over your finances, Wealth Elite 2 only requires one premium payment, so you won’t have to worry about any future premium payments.



Cover at a glance

Insured's Age at Application  Age 18-75 (subject to our prevailing underwriting rules)
Benefit Term  Whole life   
Policy Currency US$
Minimum Sum Assured  US$1,000,000
Premium Payment Mode  Single premium
Non-Guaranteed Reversionary Bonus and Non-Guaranteed Terminal Bonus

The following non-guaranteed bonuses will be declared to your policy at least once per year starting from the end of the 3rd policy year:

Reversionary Bonus

  • Non-guaranteed bonus that may be cashed out or left to accumulate in the policy.
  • Face value forms a permanent addition to your policy once declared, and it is payable as part of the death benefit, according to the death benefit calculation.
  • Cash value is non-guaranteed and payable upon withdrawal, policy surrender or termination.

 Terminal Bonus

  • Non-cumulative, non-guaranteed bonus.
  • Amount valid until next declaration.
  • Amount in each declaration may be greater or less than the previous amount based on a number of factors, including but not limited to investment returns and general market volatility.
  • Face value is non-guaranteed and payable as part of the death benefit, according to the death benefit calculation.
  • Cash value is non-guaranteed and payable upon withdrawal, policy surrender, or termination.
Surrender Benefit

The surrender benefit will include:

  • guaranteed cash value; plus
  • non-guaranteed cash value of the Reversionary Bonus (if any); plus
  • non-guaranteed cash value of the Terminal Bonus (if any).

We will deduct all outstanding debt (if any) under the policy before we make the payment.
   

Death Benefit

The death benefit will be payable as follows:

  • If the insured passes away on or before the age of 65, or within the first 15 policy years (whichever is later)

100% of the sum assured, plus the face value of Reversionary Bonus (if any) and the face value of Terminal Bonus (if any) in the policy.

  •  If the insured passes away after the above period

 The higher of:

  1. the one-time premiums paid; and
  2. 100% of the sum assured, which will be reduced by an amount equivalent to 5% of the sum assured immediately after the end of each policy year until it reaches:
    Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby :  70% of the sum assured
    Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire :  50% of the sum assured
         

plus the face value of Reversionary Bonus (if any) and the face value of Terminal Bonus (if any) in the policy.

We will deduct all outstanding debt (if any) under the policy before we make the payment to the beneficiary.

Death Benefit Settlement Option

During the lifetime of the insured, you can select specific benefit amounts to be paid to your beneficiary at regular intervals chosen by you, starting from your designated date*, provided that the total annual payment is equal to at least 2% of the sum of the death benefit.


The remaining amount of benefit will be left with our company to accumulate interest at a non-guaranteed interest rate determined by us, until the full amount of benefit has been paid to the beneficiary.


The death benefit settlement option is not available if the death benefit payable is less than US$50,000.

* The designated date is subject to our prevailing rules and regulations. If the Insured passes away after the designated date, the first instalment payment of death benefit will be paid immediately after the claim is approved.The remaining payment of death benefit will be paid at regular intervals thereafter.

Pre-underwriting Option
 
Subject to our prevailing rules and regulations, you can plan your future desired additional life coverage amount by applying for the Pre-underwriting Option during the policy application, provided that the insured is aged 60 or below.
  • Under Pre-underwriting Option, the medical underwriting will be performed with a specific total life coverage amount determined by you in advance, up to aggregate limit of US$20,000,000 for each insured.
  • The eligibility of Pre-underwriting Option and the pre-approved sum assured for subsequent Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and/or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire policies are subject to our underwriting result.
  • Once approved, within 36 months, you can apply for the new policies of Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and/or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire for the same insured with a simplified medical underwriting regardless of whether you have purchased Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire at the policy inception, as long as the total sum assured does not exceed the total life coverage amount that has been approved in the previous medical underwriting process.
Mental Incapacity Option

After the end of the 3rd policy year, if you are the insured, you may designate an aged 18 or above family member in advance. The designated family member can withdraw the policy value on your behalf, up to the designated percentage of total cash value on the date of withdrawal approval when you are diagnosed as a permanent mentally incapacitated person.

  • The designated family member must be your spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or any other relationship as approved by us.
  • The designated percentages chosen by you cannot be less than 10% or more than 100% of the total cash value (minimum and maximum percentages are subject to our prevailing rules and regulations).
  • Mentally incapacitated person means a person who is incapable, by reason of mental incapacity, of managing and administering his/her property and affairs. The diagnosis of mental incapacity must be given by 2 registered medical practitioners who are psychiatrists or neurologists.
  • You may apply to change the designated person and designated percentage of withdrawal as many times as you wish before exercising this option for cash withdrawal, subject to our approval.
  • If the total cash value of the policy is fully withdrawn under this option, the policy will terminate.
  • This option can only be exercised for the cash withdrawal once per policy.
  • We will deduct all outstanding debt (if any) under the policy before we make the payment.
Policy Loan 

You can borrow up to 90% of the total guaranteed cash value of the policy plus the non-guaranteed cash value of any Reversionary Bonus.

Interest on a policy loan will be charged at a rate solely determined by us.


Important Information

This brochure does not contain the full terms and conditions of the policy. It is not, and does not form part of, a contract of insurance and is designed to provide an overview of the key features of this product. The precise terms and conditions of this plan are specified in the policy contract. Please refer to the policy contract for the definitions of capitalised terms, and the exact and complete terms and conditions of cover. In case you want to read policy contract sample before making an application, you can obtain a copy from AIA. This brochure should be read along with the illustrative document (if any) and other relevant marketing materials, which include additional information and important considerations about this product. We would like to remind you to review the relevant product materials provided to you and seek independent professional advice if necessary.

This plan can be only purchased through Bank of East Asia as a basic plan.

This brochure is for distribution in Hong Kong / Macau only.

 

Bonus Philosophy

This is a participating insurance plan in which we share a portion of the profits earned on it and related participating insurance plans with the policy owners. It is designed to be held long term. The premiums of a participating insurance plan will be invested in a variety of assets according to our investment strategy. The cost of policy benefits (including guaranteed and non-guaranteed benefits as specified in your plan that may be payable on death or surrender, as well as charges we make to support policy guarantees (if applicable)) and expenses will be deducted as appropriate from premiums of the participating insurance plan or from the invested assets. We aim to ensure a fair sharing of profits between policy owners and shareholders, and among different groups of policy owners. For this plan’s target profit sharing ratio between policy owners and shareholders, please visit our website at https://www.aia.com.hk/en/our-products/further-product-information/profit-sharing-ratio.html.

Divisible surplus refers to profits available for distribution back to policy owners as determined by us. The divisible surplus that will be shared with policy owners will be based on the profits earned from your plan and related groups of similar plans or similar group of policies (as determined by us from time to time by considering factors such as benefit features, policy currencies and period of policy issuance), divisible surplus may be shared with the policy owners in the form of reversionary bonuses and terminal bonuses as specified in your policy. A very significant proportion of such divisible surplus arising from the experience from your plan and related groups of similar plans or similar group of policies will be shared with policy owners.

We review and determine the bonus amounts payable to policy owners at least once per year. Divisible surplus depends on the investment performance of the assets which we invest in and the amounts of benefits and expenses we need to pay for the plan. It is therefore inherently uncertain. Nevertheless, we aim to deliver relatively stable bonus payments over time through a smoothing process by spreading out the gains and losses over a period of time. The actual bonuses declared may be different from those illustrated or projected in any insurance plan information provided (e.g. benefit illustrations) depending on whether the divisible surplus, past experience and/or outlook are different from what we expected. If bonuses are different, this will be reflected in the policy anniversary statement.

A committee has been set up to provide independent advice on the determination of the bonus amounts to the Board of the Company. The committee is comprised of members from different control functions or departments within the organisation both at the AIA Group level as well as Hong Kong local level, such as office of the Chief Executive of the Company, legal, compliance, finance, investment and risk management. Each member of the committee will endeavour to exercise due care, diligence and skill in the performance of his or her duties as a member. The committee will utilise the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of each individual member to assist the Board in the discharge of its duty to make independent decisions and to manage the risk of conflict of interests, in order to ensure fair treatment between policy owners and shareholders, and among different groups of policy owners. The actual bonuses, which are recommended by the Appointed Actuary, will be decided upon the deliberation of the committee and finally approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, including one or more Independent Non-Executive Directors, and with written declaration by the Chairman of the Board, an Independent Non-Executive Director and the Appointed Actuary on the management of fair treatment between policy owners and shareholders.

To determine the bonuses of a participating policy, we consider both past experience and the future outlook of all factors including, but not limited to, the following:

Investment returns: include interest earnings, dividends and any changes in the market value of the backing assets, i.e. the assets in which we invest your premiums (the cost of policy benefits and expenses will be deducted from the investment). Depending on the asset allocation adopted for the insurance plan, investment returns could be affected by fluctuations in interest income (both interest earnings and the outlook for interest rates) and various market risks, including interest rate risk, credit spread and default risk, fluctuations in listed and private equity prices, real estate prices as well as foreign exchange currency if the currency of the backing assets is different from the policy currency, etc.

Claims: include claims for death benefits and any other insured benefits under the insurance plan.

Surrenders: include policy surrenders, partial surrenders and policy lapses; and their corresponding impact on the backing assets.

Expenses: include both expenses directly related to the policy (e.g. commission, underwriting, issue and premium collection expenses) and indirect expenses allocated to the insurance plan (e.g. general administrative costs).

Some participating insurance plans (if applicable) allow the policy owners to place their annual dividends, guaranteed and non-guaranteed cash payments, guaranteed and nonguaranteed incomes, guaranteed and non-guaranteed annuity payments with us, potentially earning interest at a non-guaranteed interest rate. To determine such nonguaranteed interest rate, we consider the returns on the pool of assets in which these amounts are invested with reference to the past experience and future outlook. This pool of assets is segregated from other investments of the Company and may include bonds and other fixed income instruments. You have the right to request for historical accumulation interest rates before committing the purchase.

For bonus philosophy and bonus history, please visit our website at https://www.aia.com.hk/en/dividend-philosophy-history.html


Investment Philosophy, Policy and Strategy

Our investment philosophy aims to deliver sustainable longterm returns in line with the insurance plan’s investment objectives and the Company’s business and financial objectives.

Our aforementioned objectives are to achieve the targeted long-term investment results while minimising volatility in investment returns to support the liabilities over time. They also aim to control and diversify risk exposures, maintain adequate liquidity and manage the assets with respect to the liabilities.

Our current long-term target strategy is to allocate assets attributed to this insurance plan as follows:

Asset Class Target Asset Mix
Bonds and other fixed income instruments 60% - 100% 
Growth assets 0% - 40%

The bonds and other fixed income instruments predominantly include government and corporate bonds and are mainly invested in the United States and Asia-Pacific. Growth assets may include listed equity, equity mutual funds, physical real estate, real estate funds, private equity funds and private credit funds, and are mainly invested in the United States, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Growth assets generally have a higher long-term expected return than bonds and fixed income assets but may be more volatile in the short term. The range of target asset mix may be different for different participating insurance plans. Our investment strategy is to actively manage the investment portfolio i.e. adjust the asset mix in response to the external market conditions and the financial condition of the participating business. For example, there is a smaller proportion of growth assets when interest rates are low and a larger proportion of growth assets when interest rates are high. When interest rates are low, the proportion of growth assets may be even smaller than the long-term target strategy, so as to allow us to minimise volatility in investment returns and to protect our ability to pay the guaranteed benefits under the insurance plans, whereas the proportion of the growth assets may be even larger than the long-term target strategy when interest rates are high to allow for the possibility that we may share more investment opportunities in growth assets with the policy owners.

Subject to our investment objectives, we may use a material amount of derivatives to manage our investment risk exposure and for matching between assets and liabilities, for example, the effects of changes in interest rates may be moderated, while allowing for more flexibility in asset allocation.

Our currency strategy is to minimise currency mismatches. For bonds or other fixed income instruments, our current practice is to endeavour to currency-match bond purchases with the currency of the underlying policy (e.g. US Dollar assets will be used to back US Dollar insurance plans). Subject to market availability and opportunity, bonds may be invested in a currency other than the currency of the underlying policy and currency swaps may be used to minimise the currency risks. Currently assets are mainly invested in US dollars. Growth assets may be invested in a currency other than the currency of the underlying policy and the selection is done according to our investment philosophy, investment objectives and mandate.

We will pool the investments from similar participating insurance plans to determine the return and we will allocate the return to specific participating insurance plans with reference to their target asset mix. Actual investments (e.g. geographical mix, currency mix) would depend on market opportunities at the time of purchase, hence may differ from the target asset mix.

The investment strategy is subject to change depending on the market conditions and economic outlook. Should there be any material changes in the investment strategy, we will inform policy owners of the changes, with underlying reasons and expected impact to the bonuses.


Key Product Risks

  1. The plan may make certain portion of its investment in growth assets. Returns of growth assets are generally more volatile than bonds and other fixed income instruments, you should note the target asset mix of the product as disclosed in this product brochure, which will affect the bonus on the product. The savings component of the plan is subject to risks and possible loss. Should you surrender the policy early, you may receive an amount considerably less than the total amount of premiums paid.
  2. You may request for the termination of your policy by notifying us in written notice. Also, we will terminate your policy and you / the insured will lose the cover when one of the following happens:
    • the insured passes away; or
    • the outstanding debt exceeds the guaranteed cash value plus the non-guaranteed cash value of the Reversionary Bonus (if any) of the policy.
  3. We underwrite the plan and you are subject to our credit risk. If we are unable to satisfy the financial obligations of the policy, you may lose your premium paid and benefits.
  4. You are subject to exchange rate risks for plans denominated in currencies other than the local currency. Exchange rates fluctuate from time to time. You may suffer a loss of your benefit values and the subsequent premium payments (if any) may be higher than your initial premium payment as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. You should consider the exchange rate risks and decide whether to take such risks.
  5. Your current planned benefit may not be sufficient to meet your future needs since the future cost of living may become higher than they are today due to inflation. Where the actual rate of inflation is higher than expected, you may receive less in real terms even if we meet all of our contractual obligations.
  6. As the cash value of Reversionary Bonus is nonguaranteed, there may be a risk of overloan when there is adjustment on the cash value of Reversionary Bonus. Loan repayment within one month is required when there is an overloan, otherwise your policy will be terminated and you or the insured may lose the cover.
  7. “Pre-underwriting Option” is non-guaranteed and only be available and valid for 36 months upon AIA’s approval. This option will be terminated upon product closure of Wealth Elite 2 and any reserve approved pre-underwriting limit cannot be transferred or carried forwarded to any existing or new AIA policies or products. Pre-underwriting Option does not represent any additional life protection amount recommended by sales intermediary nor AIA, customers are reminded to select and purchase suitable life protection amount based on own financial needs.
  8. “Mental Incapacity Option” enables the designated family member to withdraw part or all of your policy values for one time. Any withdrawal transaction exercised by this option cannot be reversed or cancelled upon completion, you are reminded to consider carefully before exercising this option and shall assess and understand any potential financial impact to you.

 

Note for Pre-underwriting Option

This option is subject to underwriting requirements determined by us from time to time. Once approved, it will simplify the medical underwriting process for subsequent Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and/or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire policies. You only need to consent pre-set health questions while all other requirements for such eligible new policy (including but not limited to financial needs analysis) will be the same as normal policy application. You must consent to the health questions truthfully. If you fail to disclose or withhold pre-existing health conditions, the approval of the policies or future claims will be affected. If you do not pass the pre-set health questions, you will need to perform full health underwriting and complete full health questions in normal application form. We have a right to decline any application via pre-underwriting option if the medical underwriting result is unsatisfied.

The pre-approved sum assured for the subsequent Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and/or Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire policies will expire after 36 months. The approved pre-underwriting option will be no longer available when there is product closure of Wealth Elite 2. We will give you a written notice of any revision 30 days before product closure.

 

Note for Mental Incapacity Option

The existing designated recipient will be automatically revoked when one of the following happens:

i. you designate a new recipient and it is approved by us;

ii. any change of policy owner;

iii. we have been notified that there is a guardian or committee appointed under the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap. 136 Laws of Hong Kong SAR) (or under similar laws in another jurisdiction); or

iv. we have been notified that the policy owner has an enduring power of attorney covering the policy.

In the event that there is a dispute between the designated recipient and any other person, such as the guardian, committee, attorney, or beneficiary(ies) in our reasonable belief that there is such a dispute, we reserve the right to withhold the payment of cash withdrawal under the Mental Incapacity Option until such dispute is resolved.

 

Claim Procedure

If you wish to make a claim, you must send us the appropriate forms and relevant proof. You can get the appropriate claim forms in www.aia.com.hk, from your financial planner, by calling the AIA Customer Hotline (852) 2232 8968 in Hong Kong, or by visiting any AIA Customer Service Centre. For details related to making a claim, please refer to the policy contract. If you wish to know more about claim related matter, you may visit “File A Claim” section under our company website www.aia.com.hk.

 

Suicide

If the insured commits suicide within one year from the date on which the policy takes effect, our liability will be limited to the refund of premiums paid (without interest) less any outstanding debt.

 

Incontestability

Except for fraud, we will not contest the validity of this policy after it has been in force during the lifetime of the insured for a continuous period of two years from the date on which the policy takes effect.

 
Warning Statement and Cancellation Right

Wealth Elite 2 - Ruby and Wealth Elite 2 - Sapphire are insurance plans with a savings element. Part of the premium pays for the insurance and related costs. If you are not happy with your policy, you have a right to cancel it within the cooling-off period and obtain a refund of any premiums and levy paid. A written notice signed by you should be received by the Customer Service Centre of AIA International Limited at 12/F, AIA Tower, 183 Electric Road, North Point, Hong Kong within the cooling off period (that is, 21 calendar days immediately following either the day of delivery of the policy or cooling-off notice (informing you / your nominated representative about the availability of the policy and expiry date of the cooling-off period), whichever is earlier). After the expiration of the cooling-off period, if you cancel the policy before the end of the term, the projected total cash value may be substantially less than the total premium you have paid.

Effective from 1 January 2018, all policy owners are required to pay a levy on each premium payment made for both new and in-force Hong Kong policies to the Insurance Authority (IA). For levy details, please visit our website at www.aia.com.hk/useful-information-ia-en or IA’s website at www.ia.org.hk.


Important Notes from the Insurance Agent of The Bank of East Asia, Limited