A guide to spot the right insurance product for women

By Anuj Bhagia

Empowerment or no empowerment, Indian women are certainly coming off age when it comes to investment-related moves. There is a clear orientation towards taking the right financial decision without depending on others.

An analysis of the traffic on our website shows that approximately 15 percent of the total traffic on our site is from women and this is growing steadily. Insurance products form a core part of their search and investment bouquet.

They look for products - especially the ones designed for them - which offer them both investment and security. Insurance companies are also looking at women as a target group with renewed confidence. Many life insurers offer traditional endowment plans for women at a rate lower to men because they are expected to live longer.

More from Investing

MSMEs are breaking the traditional convention. Look who’s funding them Scale-up your startup without an investor! Here’s how

Currently there aren’t many women-specific plans that are available in the market but those available more than make up for the deficiency, due to their superior construct.

[caption id=“attachment_653188” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Insurance is one investment option which makes you feel secure and also instils confidence that you can handle any challenge. Reuters[/caption]

Insurance is one investment option which makes you feel secure and also instils confidence that you can handle any challenge that the life throws at you. So it is important that when you buy insurance you should be careful to make the right choice. Precisely for this reason, for a new investor, the confusion, as always, starts at the beginning: where to start?

Where to start: A great way is to make an assessment of your requirement, income and liability. This, for one, will help one choose the right category of product. Then decide what amount you can spare as premium for that product. Lastly, find out how far the product will protect your loved ones when a financial emergency arises in case of your absence.

We see a large traction from female buyers towards car insurance, pure protection products, health products with coverage for female-specific critical illness and investment plans.

Car insurance: Insurers perceive women as safer drivers, due to which most of these companies offer a discount on the premiums. A few insurers even offer additional services such as lost key replacement, puncture repair and cab facility in case your car is immovable. Such moves also offer safety to women policyholders. Products from both Bajaj Allianz and HDFC Ergo form a major part of the search portfolio.

Term insurance: Term insurance is a pure protection plan that offers low rates. They provide coverage to the insured’s family from financial uncertainties if the breadwinner is no more. They are the cheapest form of life insurance. Many financial planners advise that term insurance should be the first product that a person should buy when building up an investment portfolio. But, unfortunately, many people seem to undermine the importance of such plans.

Health insurance: A normal re-imbursement plan will not suffice for women. They should also have a critical illness plan which covers women-specific ailments such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc. Bajaj Allianz offers one such plan which becomes the most suited plan in this category. It covers eight illnesses and assures a guaranteed sum assured in case the life assured is detected with any of them.

Women are now demanding ULIPs specifically designed for them. One such innovation has been the HDFC Women’s plan, which gives them a platform to meet financial goals apart from offering specific benefits to take care of critical life stage needs.

Anuj Bhagia, Head Marketing, Policybaazar.com.