When Insurance Becomes an Investment Trap: Bad Products That Cost Consumers Millions

Insurance That Looks Like an Investment but Acts Like a Trap

Insurance is supposed to provide protection, not drain your savings. Yet many policies are marketed as “safe investments” or “guaranteed income.” Behind the sales pitch, these products are often complex, high-cost contracts that fail to deliver.

At ChapmanAlbin, we have represented clients nationwide who were sold unsuitable or misrepresented insurance products. Below are some of the most common offenders.

Indexed Universal Life (IUL) Policies

The problem: High fees, rising cost-of-insurance charges, and unrealistic projections often cause cash values to shrink. Many policies collapse, leaving investors without coverage or investment value.

Variable Universal Life (VUL) Policies

The problem: Performance depends on the market, but high fees eat away at gains. If investments underperform, policyholders must pay higher premiums just to keep coverage active.

Equity-Indexed Annuities (EIAs)

The problem: Complicated formulas, participation limits, and return caps reduce earnings. Long lock-up periods and steep surrender charges make it costly to exit early.

Variable Annuities

The problem: Extremely high fees, long surrender periods, and confusing riders often leave investors paying for benefits they will never use.

Whole Life Insurance as an “Investment”

The problem: Actual returns are far lower than promised. Lower-cost, transparent investments usually outperform these policies over time.

Premium-Financed Life Insurance

The problem: Loan interest, policy underperformance, and rising costs often lead to massive debt and policy collapse, leaving investors worse off than before.

A Common Thread: Misrepresentation and Unsuitability

The products themselves are not always the problem. The issue is how they are sold. Agents and advisors often:

  • Use unrealistic illustrations projecting decades of above-average returns
  • Downplay or omit fees, risks, and policy costs
  • Push unsuitable products, especially on retirees
  • Recommend policy loans without disclosing risks
  • Encourage unnecessary replacements to generate commissions

Your Legal Options

If you purchased one of these products and now face collapsing values, rising costs, or broken promises, you may have legal claims against your insurance agent or the issuing company.

ChapmanAlbin represents investors nationwide in recovering losses tied to unsuitable and misrepresented insurance products. We offer free, confidential consultations and work on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

Contact us today to find out if your insurance loss is recoverable.

Take the next steps to find out if you have a claim:

Step 1.

Talk to an Experienced Attorney Today

Call and speak to one of our attorneys* for a no-cost consultation to discuss your situation, answer your questions, and help you determine the next steps. This call usually takes about 15 minutes, but we are happy to talk to you as long as you would like!

Step 2.

Quick Review of Your Paperwork

If we think you might have a case, we will need to review a few basic documents. If we determine you have a case, then you will have the option to hire us as your attorneys to pursue it.

Step 3.

Signed Attorney/Client Agreement

If you decide to hire us to pursue your case, we will have you sign an attorney-client agreement so we can begin the process of trying to recover your losses.*

*In the vast majority of cases, our agreement is contingent – meaning you won’t owe us any money unless we recover money for you.


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This site contains attorney advertising. The attorneys at ChapmanAlbin are licensed to practice law in Ohio and Michigan. Any reference to past cases or successes made herein should not be construed as a guarantee of any future outcome. Each client and each client’s case is unique, and no result or outcome is or can ever be guaranteed. The information provided in this website is offered for general information purposes only; it is not offered as and does not constitute legal advice in any way. // Disclaimer