Whole Life Insurance for a Child: Is It Worth It?

Whole life insurance for a child can be worth it, but rarely for the reason it gets sold. Its real value is locking in your child's right to be insured for life. It also starts a small, steady, tax-advantaged pool of cash they can use as an adult.

It is not a college fund. It is not a way to beat the stock market. And it should come after the adults who earn the family's income are covered.

Here is the honest version. I sell these policies, so I will tell you the genuine benefits and the exact cases where something else beats it.

Use the tool built for the goal, after the household foundation is secure.

Family priority | Why it comes first
Cover adult income. | A parent's lost pay can threaten the whole household.
Build emergency cash. | A surprise cost should not force a long-term policy to lapse.
Control costly debt. | High interest can outrun the policy's early value.
Capture an employer match. | The match is direct employer money for retirement.
Name the child's goal. | Insurance, education, and investing solve different jobs.

What a juvenile whole life policy actually is

It is a permanent life insurance policy on a child. A parent or grandparent usually buys it, and the child owns it later. Insurers commonly issue these from about age 0 to the late teens. Two features define it.

The first is a locked-in premium. The price is set at a child's tiny rate and does not rise with age. A policy bought for a newborn keeps that same payment at 40, 60, and beyond.

The second is cash value. Like any whole life policy, it slowly builds a pool of cash inside the policy. That cash value grows without a yearly tax bill, and the owner can borrow against it later.[1][4] The policy also pays a death benefit, which is generally income-tax-free to the family.[5][6] The child can use the cash value for a car, a first home, or a business.

These are usually small policies. A rough illustration: a $10,000 policy might run about $5 to $10 a month, and a $50,000 policy about $20 to $40 a month. Your real quote depends on the carrier, the child's age, and the face amount. Many are "participating," which means the insurer may pay dividends. Dividends can buy small blocks of extra paid-up coverage.[1][2]

Guaranteed insurability: the real headline

This is the strongest reason, and the least hyped. A guaranteed insurability rider lets the child buy more coverage later at set ages or life events, with no medical exam and no health questions.[3]

Why does that matter? Health can change. If your child later develops diabetes or a heart condition, or takes a risky job, they could become hard to insure. This rider locks in their right to buy coverage anyway, at their attained-age price.[3] For a family with any hereditary health history, that is a genuine gift money cannot buy back later.

The other benefit is time. Start at birth, and the cash value has decades to grow before the child needs it. By adulthood there can be a modest, guaranteed, non-market pool to tap. That money did not ride the market's ups and downs.

It also fits a bigger plan. Policies on the youngest generation are the first bucket in a family waterfall, or Rockefeller, strategy. Each generation can start with some capital instead of from zero.

The honest downsides

Now the part most sales pitches rush past. Be clear-eyed about these.

Early returns are slow. It can take a decade or more before the cash value even equals what you paid in. As a pure growth vehicle over 18 years, a 529 or a custodial Roth usually grows the money faster.

Here is the counterintuitive one. The tax rules that limit funding depend on the insured's age. A policy on a young child often has a lower funding ceiling before it becomes a MEC (a Modified Endowment Contract, set by the "7-pay" test).[7] In many designs, that means the same dollars build cash value more slowly on a child than on an adult. If pure cash-value growth is your only goal, insuring yourself can work better, whether with whole life or indexed universal life. Model both before you assume the child policy wins.

It only works if you keep it. These policies reward decades of steady premiums. Cancel early and you can walk away with less than you put in. Raising kids is expensive. Do not commit to a premium that competes with what your child needs now.

The sums are modest. A $10,000 to $50,000 juvenile policy is a nice supplement, not an education fund. Anyone selling it as "this will pay for college" is overselling.

The order of operations: do these first

Here is the sequence most agents skip, because it delays the sale. Before you insure a child, put the foundation in place.

Insure the income-earners first. The adults whose paychecks the family depends on need enough coverage before anyone insures a child. A child's policy protects almost no income. A parent's policy protects the whole household. If you are weighing coverage types for the adults, start with term versus whole life.

Build an emergency fund. Aim for three to six months of expenses before any long-term premium.

Handle high-interest debt and capture the full 401(k) match. Same foundation rules as always. A match is free money. A child's policy is not.

Once that foundation is set, a modest juvenile policy can be a sensible piece of a child's future. Out of order, it is a mistake, no matter how good the story sounds.

Juvenile policy vs. 529 vs. custodial Roth

For most families the honest answer is not "either/or." A 529 or a custodial Roth can do the heavy lifting for growth. A modest juvenile policy adds guaranteed insurability and a stable, flexible bucket beside it. They solve different jobs.

Tool | Best for | The honest catch
529 plan | Fast, tax-free growth for education. Possible state tax deduction.[8][9][14] | Earnings used for non-education get taxed and hit a 10% penalty. Narrow purpose.[8]
Custodial Roth IRA | Tax-free growth and flexible use. Great if the child has earned income.[11] | The child must have earned income to contribute. The account becomes theirs at adulthood.[12]
Juvenile whole life | Guaranteed insurability, non-market stability, flexible use, generational-wealth fit.[1][3] | Slower early growth. Needs a long commitment. Modest sums. Wrong as a pure investment.

A quick note on the two savings tools. A 529 plan grows tax-free when the money goes to qualified education costs.[8][9][10] A custodial Roth needs the child to have real earned income, and a custodian controls it until the child reaches the age of majority in your state.[11][12][13] For a straight growth comparison, see what steady monthly investing can become.

The bottom line

A whole life policy on a child is a real tool with two genuine strengths. It locks in your child's right to be insured for life, whatever their future health. And it starts a modest, guaranteed, tax-advantaged pool they can use as an adult.[1][3][4]

But it is not a college fund. It is not a market-beating investment. And it is not something to buy before the income-earners are covered and your foundation is built. Used in the right order, as a small piece of a bigger plan, it is a thoughtful gift. Sold as more than that, it is a pitch. Now you can tell the difference.

Common questions

Is life insurance for a child worth it?

It can be, for the right family and in the right order. The real value is guaranteed insurability plus a modest, steady, tax-advantaged pool of cash.[1][3] It is not worth it if it comes before the adults are insured, or if it competes with an emergency fund, high-interest debt payoff, or a 401(k) match.

How much life insurance does a child need?

A child earns no income, so there is no income to replace. Most juvenile policies are small by design, often in the $10,000 to $50,000 range. The point is locked-in insurability and a small cash-value head start, not a large death benefit.[1][3]

Why would you get life insurance on a child?

The best reasons are guaranteed future insurability, a tax-advantaged place to build a little cash over decades, and a first bucket in a family wealth plan.[1][3][4] Buying it to "fund college" or to "beat the market" is the wrong reason.

Is it normal for parents to have life insurance on a child?

Yes, it is common and legal. A parent or guardian has an insurable interest in a child. Many families use a small rider or a standalone juvenile policy.[1][3] Normal does not mean right for you, so weigh it against a 529 and insuring yourself first.

A note on how I am paid. I am a licensed insurance and financial professional, and I can be paid when someone buys a policy. I say so on purpose, because knowing how your advisor is paid is part of judging any advice, including mine. Before you buy anything for a child, ask the same hard questions you would ask any advisor.

This guide is general education. It is not personalized tax, legal, or insurance advice. Premiums, dividends, and product features vary by carrier, age, and health. Dividends are not guaranteed. Policy guarantees depend on the issuing company's ability to pay claims. Review your own situation with a qualified professional before you act.

Sources

National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Life Insurance. Accessed July 27, 2026.

National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Life Insurance Buyer's Guide. Accessed July 27, 2026.

New York State Department of Financial Services, Optional Riders. Accessed July 27, 2026.

Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 26 U.S. Code Section 7702 (life insurance contract defined). Accessed July 27, 2026.

Internal Revenue Service, Life insurance & disability insurance proceeds. Accessed July 27, 2026.

Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 26 U.S. Code Section 101 (certain death benefits). Accessed July 27, 2026.

Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 26 U.S. Code Section 7702A (modified endowment contract). Accessed July 27, 2026.

Internal Revenue Service, 529 plans: Questions and answers. Accessed July 27, 2026.

Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 313, Qualified tuition programs (QTPs). Accessed July 27, 2026.

Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 26 U.S. Code Section 529 (qualified tuition programs). Accessed July 27, 2026.

Internal Revenue Service, Roth IRAs. Accessed July 27, 2026.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, UGMA/UTMA accounts. Accessed July 27, 2026.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, Custodial account. Accessed July 27, 2026.

Internal Revenue Service, Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education. Accessed July 27, 2026.