Which option is a nonforfeiture option?

• A. Cash surrender value
• B. Extended term
• C. Accelerated death benefit
• D. Waiver of premium

Answer: (A)

Nonforfeiture options are provisions that protect you from losing all policy value if you stop paying premiums. The direct and most familiar nonforfeiture choice is to surrender the policy for its cash surrender value, which gives you actual cash in hand rather than letting the policy lapse with no value. This option prevents total loss and provides liquidity from the policy’s accumulated cash value.

Accelerated death benefit and waiver of premium are riders with separate purposes—accelerated death benefit allows early payment of part of the death benefit under certain conditions, and waiver of premium waives future premiums if the insured becomes disabled. They are not the basic nonforfeiture option that preserves or recovers policy value in the event of lapse. Extended term is another nonforfeiture path some policies offer, using the cash value to purchase term coverage instead of cash, but the most direct and commonly referenced nonforfeiture option is the cash surrender value.