How Does the Grow-Up^® Plan from Gerber Life Insurance Work?

Gerber Life Insurance offers many types of life insurance for people in all stages of life. The Grow-Up^® Plan is a whole life insurance policy for children that starts protecting your child early on and continues into adulthood, for financial protection that can last a lifetime as long as premiums are paid.

Here’s a look at how the Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan works, and why buying it early on can be so important and make all the difference in the world for your child.

What Is the Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan?

The Grow-Up^® Plan is a children’s whole life insurance policy that offers lifelong coverage for the insured child as long as premiums are paid.

By definition, whole life insurance — also called permanent or traditional life insurance — is designed to last for the insured person’s entire life. Term life insurance, on the other hand, lasts for a specified period of time, such as 10 or 30 years, depending on the insurance provider.

With the Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan, your child could have life insurance coverage starting as young as 14 days old and lasting throughout adulthood, as long as premium payments are kept up. Plus, their rate will never go up. 

This makes the Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan a great and meaningful gift that can be bought by a child’s parent, grandparent or permanent, legal guardian.

How the Grow-Up^® Plan Works

To maintain the policy, one pays a monthly premium. The younger your child is when you buy the policy, the lower the monthly premium. The child-size premium rate when you started the policy will never increase as long as premiums are paid — even after your child automatically becomes the policy owner at age 21.

Among the valuable benefits of the Grow-Up^® Plan:

1. Locked-in premium rate never goes up during the life of the policy
2. Coverage automatically doubles during age 18, at no extra cost
3. Guaranteed right for your child to buy more coverage as an adult (at what the standard adult rate is at that time), no matter your child’s future health or occupation
4. Builds cash value, which could be borrowed against if needed*

*Policy loan interest rate is 8%. Loans may impact cash value and death benefit.

Now let’s look at each of these four significant benefits:

1. Locked-in Premium Rate

Your child would pay the same child-size monthly premium rate for life even after becoming the policy owner at age 21. All your child needs to do is keep paying the premiums.

This means that getting a life insurance policy at a younger age can be a huge benefit, as securing your rate early on can save you a large sum of money in the premiums you pay over time. By having Grow-Up^® Plan protection with a locked-in premium, your child won't have to worry about rising costs.

The sooner you apply for the Grow?Up^® Plan, the lower the premium rate.

"I love the fact that my daughter will continue to have this plan when she graduates college, and that the amount will double for her."

2. Coverage Automatically Doubles During Age 18

Another benefit the Grow-Up^® Plan offers is the doubling of the coverage amount.

On the policy’s anniversary date during the year that your child turns 18, the coverage will automatically double at no extra cost. This means, for example, that if you originally bought a $25,000 Grow-Up^® policy, it would double into a $50,000 policy, and so forth.

Affirms one happy Gerber Life customer: “I love the fact that my daughter will continue to have this plan when she graduates college, and that the amount will double for her.”

Your child will gain twice the coverage for the same monthly payment.

3. Guaranteed Right for Your Child to Buy More Coverage as an Adult

You can’t predict your child’s health, but you can rest easier knowing that with Grow-Up^®, your child won’t risk being denied life insurance later on.

Grow-Up^® guarantees the right for your child to buy more life insurance coverage as an adult — up to ten times the original policy amount — at our standard adult premium rates for his or her age at that time for a standard policy. No questions asked, no medical exam and regardless of whether your child’s job is full-time or high risk.

Your child will have several occasions to buy additional coverage, such as upon getting married or having a child — times when there’s a need for increased life insurance to financially protect loved ones.

4. Builds Cash Value

Whole life insurance policies include the ability to build “cash value” over time, representing how much the policy would be worth at a given point in time were you to cash in the policy or take a loan against the policy.

Here’s how cash value works:

After the initial policy years, each time you make a premium payment for a Grow-Up^® Plan, Gerber Life sets aside a small portion, which grows into the policy’s cash value. The longer you have the policy, the larger the cash value.

If a need arose, you as the policy owner — or subsequently your adult child — could borrow against the policy’s cash value* as long as all premiums are paid, or turn in the policy for the available cash value. In some instances, you might be able to apply the cash value toward making premium payments.

Noted a Gerber Life customer from Maryland: “I’m thankful that when I need to borrow money for emergencies, it’s there.”

However, it’s important to remember that any loan debt against the policy reduces the amount you’d receive if you surrendered the policy, or the payout amount to your beneficiaries. 

* Policy loan interest rate is 8%. Loans may impact cash value and death benefit.

How to Cash Out Your Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan

You can borrow against the cash value of your policy to pay your premium or use for an immediate need without forfeiting your policy (policy loan interest rate is 8%). Or if you must cash out, no problem. You would receive the accumulated cash value that has been building over time, less any outstanding debt against the policy. Just call our customer service number at 800-704-2180.

Is the Grow-Up^® Plan Worth It?

It’s natural and advisable to compare your needs with the benefits of a Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan. “Is Gerber Life Insurance a good idea?” is a valid question, since protecting your child’s future shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Some food for thought: 

Whether or not you have life insurance for yourself, it’s well worth considering a life insurance policy for your child. Yes, you could add a rider to your existing life insurance policy to cover your child, but doing so could leave your child without insurance when your policy ends.

In the end, you may find that it makes sense to fully invest in your child by giving the gift of an individual whole life policy.

Is Children’s Life Insurance a Good Choice?

The sooner we start thinking about our children’s future, the better off our children can be.

By enabling financial protection, the Grow-Up^® Plan makes it easier for your child to have life insurance coverage as an adult, along with the guaranteed right to buy additional coverage as your child’s adult life evolves.

More coverage means your child can have even greater financial protection, accompanied by the flexibility and benefit of cash value.

Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Insurance Reviews

Below are testimonials from some of the many Gerber Life customers who have given their children a financial head start with the Grow-Up^® Plan. With a [grow_up_rating] to [grow_up_max_rating]-star rating, parents and grandparents everywhere say they love the Grow-Up^® Plan.

“I recommend getting the policy as soon as your child is born and has a SSN.”
This mother understands the importance of getting protection as early as possible. Remember, the sooner you get the Grow-Up^® Plan, the more cash value the policy will build.

“It has been the easiest and best way to cover my children.”
Applying for the Grow-Up^® Plan really is easy. It takes just minutes with no medical exam. Once you have the policy, all you have to do is make budget-friendly monthly payments in order to keep your child protected.

“I really love the savings for my son and at the same time, I’m able to use the cash value when I need it. I recommend friends to invest in their grandchildren.”
Customers agree the Grow-Up^® Plan is a good choice and helpful to them in case the unexpected happens.

“Good sense of comfort knowing this coverage is here if some unforeseen event should happen.”
With the Grow-Up^® Plan, you can help provide your child some coverage against the unexpected, which can give you peace of mind. We’ve been providing comfort to families for more than 50 years, and we’re ready to protect yours, too.

Giving a Grow-Up^® Plan to Your Child

Now that you know how the Gerber Life Grow-Up^® Plan works, you can decide if it is the best option. Get started with your free quote, which will give you an idea of what the policy will cost. When you’re ready to apply, select the amount of coverage that’s right for you (remember, it doubles later!), answer a few other questions and submit your application. That’s it!

Once you’re approved, we’ll send you your policy, which takes effect as soon as we receive your first premium payment. Call us at 1-800-704-3331 with any Grow-Up^® Plan questions.