Vista Product key facts statement Product brochure

Transcription

1 Vista Product key facts statement Product brochure Plan for your future Zurich International Life

2 Product key facts Vista investment linked assurance scheme 09/2013 Zurich International Life This statement provides you with key information about Vista. This statement is part of the offering document. You should not invest in this product based on this statement alone. Quick facts Name of insurance company: Single or regular premium: Regular premium frequency: Minimum premium payment term: Policy currency: Zurich International Life Limited Regular and/or single premium Monthly, quarterly, half yearly, yearly Five years HKD, USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, JPY, CHF, AUD Minimum investment: Regular premium HKD2,400/USD300 per month Maximum investment: Death benefit: Period with surrender charge: Governing law of policy: Important Single premium Each additional single premium Not applicable HKD7,200/USD900 per quarter HKD14,400/USD1,800 per half year HKD24,000/USD3,000 per year HKD96,000/USD12, % of the investment account value HKD48,000/USD6,000 Deducted on full surrender before maturity or if premiums are stopped for a period of greater than three years. Isle of Man This investment-linked assurance scheme ( ILAS policy ) is a long-term investment-cum-life insurance product. It is only suitable for investors who: accept that Vista does not offer a guarantee of the repayment of principal and that you may not get back the full amount of the premiums you pay and may suffer investment losses; are prepared to hold the policy and its underlying funds for the long-term; want to enjoy the flexibility of making single or additional single premiums in addition to regular premiums, and invest into a wide range of investment choices, from cash to equities, for the potential of long-term growth; and have both investment and estate planning objectives as it is a packaged product that includes both investment and insurance elements with death benefits payable to third party beneficiaries. This ILAS policy is not suitable for investors with short- or medium- term liquidity needs. 2

3 Important (Cont.) Vista investment linked assurance scheme Fees and charges The percentage of your premiums (after taking into account all applicable bonus) paid to Zurich International Life to cover all the fees and charges at the ILAS policy level is shown in the table below. This will reduce the amount available for investment. Premium option Regular premium Single premium Percentage of total premiums for covering the total fees and charges at the ILAS policy level Up to 26%, of which 0% is the cost of life protection Up to 41%, of which 0% is the cost of life protection Please note that the above figures are calculated based on the following assumptions: (a) the life insured is a non-smoking 40 year-old male; (b) the payment of regular premiums of HKD100,000 per annum or single premium of HKD1,000,000; (c) you hold your ILAS policy for 25 years (for regular premium option) or 20 years (for single premium option); (d) an assumed rate of return of 3% per annum throughout 25 years (for regular premium option) or 20 years (for single premium option); (e) any optional supplementary benefits are not included; and (f) there is no early withdrawal/termination of the ILAS policy. You must understand that these ILAS level charges are on top of, and in addition to, the underlying fund level charges. The above figures do not take into account any surrender charge. The above percentages of your premiums for covering the total fees and charges are calculated based on the assumptions above for illustration purposes. The actual percentages may change depending on the individual circumstances of each case, and will be significantly higher if the premium amount is lower. Long-term features Upfront charges: (a) For regular premiums, there is no upfront charge. This means that 100% of your regular premiums paid will be available for investment. As an illustration, this means that for each HKD1,000 of regular premiums you pay each year, the premiums available for investment are as follows: Regular premiums you pay Premiums available for investment HKD1,000 HKD1,000 (100%) 3

4 Vista investment linked assurance scheme Important (Cont.) Long-term features (Cont.) Upfront charges (Cont.): For single premiums, 7% of the single premium you pay will be deducted upfront as Initial charge and will not be available for investment. This means that the remaining amount of premiums available for investment will be 93% of your single premium paid. As an illustration, this means that for each HKD1,000 of single premiums you pay, the single premiums available for investment (after deduction of Initial charge only) are as follows: Single premiums you pay Premiums available for investment (after deduction of Initial charge only) HKD1,000 HKD930 (93%) You should note that the above illustration merely shows the impact of upfront charges on the premiums available for investment and does not reflect the impact of any other applicable fees and charges. Surrender charge: (b) There will be a surrender charge, applicable to regular premiums only, of up to 100% of the value of the Investment Account in case of policy termination before the end of the policy term, or suspension of premium payment for a period of greater than three years. You may also lose your entitlement to any bronze, silver or gold bonuses. Bonus: (c) You will be entitled to a special bonus of up to 2.5% of the first 12 monthly premiums paid for each year of the remaining policy term (up to a maximum of 25 years), provided that you pay the regular premium for a minimum of 18 months. The applicable bonus rate will depend on the policy term and the level of regular premiums you pay. Insurance consultant/financial professional remuneration Although you may pay nothing directly to the insurance consultant/financial professional who sells/ distributes this ILAS policy to you, the insurance consultant/financial professional will receive remuneration which, in effect, will be borne out of the charges you pay. You should ask your insurance consultant/financial professional before taking up your ILAS policy to know more about the level or amount of the remuneration that the insurance consultant/financial professional will receive in respect of your ILAS policy. If you ask, your insurance consultant/financial professional should disclose the requested information to you. 4

5 Vista investment linked assurance scheme What is Vista and how does it work? Vista is an investment linked assurance scheme (ILAS). It is a life insurance policy issued by Zurich International Life Limited ( Zurich International Life ). It is not a fund authorised by the SFC pursuant to the Code on Unit Trusts and Mutual Funds ( UT code ). The premiums you pay, after deduction of any applicable fees and charges of your Vista policy, will be invested by Zurich International Life in the underlying funds you select and will go towards accretion of the value of your Vista policy. The value of your Vista policy will be calculated by Zurich International Life based on the performance of your selected underlying funds from time to time and the ongoing fees and charges which will continue to be deducted from your Vista investment account value. Please note that the premiums you pay towards your Vista policy, and any investments made by Zurich International Life in the underlying funds you select, will become and remain the assets of Zurich International Life. You do not have any rights or ownership over any of these assets. Your recourse is against Zurich International Life only. Due to the various fees and charges levied by Zurich International Life on your Vista policy, the return on your policy as a whole may be lower than the return on the underlying funds you select. Please refer to pages of the principal brochure for details of the fees and charges payable by you. The underlying funds available for selection are the funds listed in the Your guide to investment choices brochure. These may include funds authorised by the SFC pursuant to the UT code, but may also include other portfolios internally managed by Zurich International Life on a discretionary basis not authorised by the SFC under the UT code. Although your Vista policy is a life insurance policy, because the death benefit is linked to the performance of the underlying funds you select from time to time, your death benefit is subject to investment risks and market fluctuations. The death benefit payable may be significantly less than your premiums paid and may not be sufficient for your individual needs. What are the key risks? Investment involves risk. Please refer to the principal brochure for more details including risk factors. Credit and insolvency risks Vista is an insurance policy issued by Zurich International Life Limited. Your investments are subject to the credit risks of Zurich International Life. The investment choices available under this policy have different features and risk profiles. Some may be high risk. Please read the principal brochure and the offering documents of the underlying funds involved for details. Early surrender charge Vista is designed to be held for the medium- to long-term. Early surrender, or suspension of or reduction in premiums, may result in significant or even a total loss of principal and/or bonuses awarded. Poor performance of the underlying funds may further magnify your investment losses, while all charges are still deductible. Stopping premiums Premiums can be suspended for up to three years without charge on completion of the primary initial contribution period (ICP)^; policy fees and charges will still be deducted during this time and may significantly reduce the value of your policy. If premiums do not restart within three years, a one-off charge may apply. Stopping premiums may also affect your entitlement to any applicable bonus. ^ The primary ICP is the first 18 months from the effective date of the policy. 5

6 What are the key risks? (Cont.) Vista investment linked assurance scheme Market risks The investment returns of your Vista policy are dependent on the performance of the underlying funds and there is a risk of loss of capital. Currency exchange risks The investment returns of your Vista may be subject to currency exchange rate risks, as some of the underlying funds may be denominated in a currency which is different to your policy currency. Market Level Adjustment (MLA) If you invest in the Guaranteed Accumulation Funds (details as set out on pages of the Your guide to investment choices brochure) and withdraw any money from the fund, for example, as a switch out or surrender, other than at a permitted withdrawal point, we may apply a MLA, which may significantly reduce your investment account value or the amount you receive. The maximum amount reduced by a MLA can be up to 100% of the withdrawal or surrender amount from the Guaranteed Accumulation Funds. The rate of MLA will be administered on a case by case basis and may vary depending on when the investment was made, the period of investment and the market conditions during that period. Please call our Customer Care Team on for the prevailing MLA rate. Is there any guarantee? The Vista product does not offer a guarantee of the repayment of principal. You may not get back the full amount of the premiums you pay and may suffer investment losses. Additional features Any bonus is dependent on the remaining term of the policy and the level of regular premium. Bonuses apply to policies with regular premiums of HKD5,600/USD750 per month or more (or currency and frequency equivalent). Please refer to pages of the principal brochure for full details of the bonuses. Vista offers the Waiver of premium benefit. Please refer to page 18 of the principal brochure for further details. 6

7 What are the fees and charges? Vista investment linked assurance scheme Zurich International Life reserves the right to vary the policy charges or apply new charges with not less than three month s prior written notice, or such shorter period of notice in compliance with the relevant regulatory requirements. Scheme level Regular premium Initial charge Applicable charge None Regular premiums are allocated at 100% (plus bonus if applicable) How is it charged or deducted? N/A Expense recoupment charge 4% per year of the value of the Initial units*. Deducted by cancellation of Initial units* proportionate to the value of the investment choices at the start of each month. Policy fee A fixed policy charge of HKD60/ USD7.50 per month. The yearly charge will be HKD720/USD90. Deducted by cancellation of Accumulation units** proportionate to the value of the investment choices at the start of each month. Policy management charge Zurich International Life investment choice management charges 0.75% per year of the investment account value. 0.75% per year of the net asset value of the externally managed investment choices. 0.5% per year of the gross interim dividend of the internally managed Guaranteed Accumulation Funds. Deducted by cancellation of Initial units* and Accumulation units** proportionate to the value of the investment choices at the start of each month. Reflected in the price of all externally managed investment choices on a daily basis. Deducted from the gross dividend before the interim dividend rate is declared and paid out monthly. * Initial units are units allocated as regards all regular premiums paid within the primary or any secondary initial contribution period (ICP), together with any bonus allocation. ICP is the first 18 months from the effective date of the policy and of any increased amount of regular premiums paid into the policy. ** Accumulation units are units allocated as regards regular premium paid outside of an ICP and for all single premiums. 7

8 Vista investment linked assurance scheme What are the fees and charges? (Cont.) Scheme level Regular premium Surrender charge Applicable charge The charge only applies to regular premium policies that have had premium payments made for 18 months or more. If less than 18 months worth of premiums have been paid, the policy will have no surrender value. Deducted in the following circumstances: 1. When a policy has been continuously suspended for a period of three years from the first unpaid premium. 2. When the policy is fully surrendered before the end of the policy term or the 25th policy anniversary, if earlier. How is it charged or deducted? Deducted from the investment account value as the date the surrender request is processed. Surrender charge calculation The surrender charge is the difference between the investment account value and the surrender value. The surrender charge is shown as: Surrender charge = (A + Bonus reclaim + D) Surrender Value ( SV ) The SV that you will get upon full surrender is shown as: A SV = C + D 1.07 (B/12) Where: A = the value of the remaining Initial units* after the deduction of any bonus reclaim B = the remaining term (in whole months) to the policy maturity date or the 25th policy anniversary, whichever is sooner C = a fixed amount of HKD8,000/USD1,000. This charge is applied only once in a policy lifetime, and is only applicable to regular premium policies D = the value of the Accumulation units** Note that the interest factor of 1.07 (corresponding to 7%) is reduced if less than ten years of the policy remain, that is, if B is 120 months or less. If B is 120 months or less then this is reduced to (corresponding to 6.5%), and if B is 60 months or less then this is reduced to (corresponding to 5.5%). Please refer to pages of the principal brochure for the details of surrender charges and an illustrative example. 8

9 Vista investment linked assurance scheme What are the fees and charges? (Cont.) Scheme level Regular premium Switching and redirection of premiums Applicable charge Currently no charge, although switching to an investment choice which differs from your investment currency will involve a currency exchange rate cost. The cost is 0.175% of the net amount moved between each pair of different currencies during the overall switch transactions. How is it charged or deducted? Deducted from the investment account value by cancellation of units of the investment choice immediately after the switch has been processed. Scheme level Single premium Applicable charge How is it charged or deducted? Initial charge One off 7% Single premiums are allocated at 93% Deducted from the single premium Expense recoupment charge Policy fee Policy management charge Zurich International Life investment choice management charges None A fixed policy charge of HKD60/ USD7.50 per month. The yearly charge will be HKD720/USD % per year of the investment account value. 0.75% per year of the net asset value of the externally managed investment choices. 0.5% per year of the gross interim dividend of the internally managed Guaranteed Accumulation Funds. N/A Deducted by cancellation of Accumulation units** proportionate to the value of the investment choices at the start of each month. Deducted by cancellation of Accumulation units** proportionate to the value of the investment choices at the start of each month. Reflected in the price of all externally managed investment choices on a daily basis. Deducted from the gross dividend before the interim dividend rate is declared and paid out monthly. 9

10 Vista investment linked assurance scheme What are the fees and charges? (Cont.) Scheme level Single premium Switching and redirection of premiums Applicable charge Currently no charge, although switching to an investment choice which differs from your investment currency will involve a currency exchange rate cost. The cost is 0.175% of the net amount moved between each pair of different currencies during the overall switch transactions. How is it charged or deducted? Deducted from the investment account value by cancellation of units of the investment choice immediately after the switch has been processed. Please refer to pages of the principal brochure for details of the charges and pages for a description of initial and Accumulation units. ** Accumulation units are units allocated as regards regular premium paid outside of an ICP and for all single premiums. Underlying funds level You should note that the underlying funds of the investment choices have separate charges to cover management and performance fees, bid-offer spread and/or any switching fee. You do not pay these fees directly the underlying funds manager s annual management charge, which will range from 0.75% to 2% of the net asset value of the underlying fund, will be deducted and such deduction will be reflected in the unit price of the underlying funds. For details, please refer to Your guide to investment choices brochure and the offering documents of the underlying funds involved which is available from Zurich International Life on request. Additional information You can increase or reduce your regular premiums at any premium due date, subject to the minimum investment for regular premium at the time. Please refer to page 15 of the principal brochure for the details of the minimum investment for regular premiums. Subject to the minimum investment for a single premium, you can also pay a single premium at any time. Please refer to page 15 of the principal brochure for the details of the minimum investment for a single premium. 10

11 What if you change your mind? Vista investment linked assurance scheme Cooling-off period The cooling-off period is a period during which life insurance policy owners may cancel their policies and get back their original investments (subject to any Market Level Adjustment) within the earlier of 21 days after the delivery of the policy or issue of a notice to you or your representative. Such notice should inform you of the availability of the policy and expiry date of the cooling-off period, Please refer to the cooling-off initiative issued by Hong Kong Federation of Insurers from time to time for reference. Regular premiums paid will be refunded in full. A deduction will be made from your single premium refund if the value of the investment choices chosen has gone down. No refund can be made if a claim payment against Zurich International Life has been made. If you are not completely satisfied you should return your policy and attach a letter, signed by you, requesting cancellation. Your request to cancel must be received by Zurich International Life Limited at 22/F, C-Bons International Center, 108 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. How to contact us If you need to contact us you can phone us, send a fax, us or write to us: Write to: Zurich International Life Limited Customer Care Team 22/F, C-Bons International Center, 108 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Phone: Fax: helppoint.hk@zurich.com Important Zurich International Life Limited is subject to the prudential regulation of the Insurance Authority. However the Insurance Authority does not give approval to individual insurance products, including the Vista product referred to in this statement. If you are in any doubt, you should seek professional advice. The SFC takes no responsibility for the contents of this statement and makes no representation as to its accuracy or completeness. 11

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13 Introduction Good plans shape good decisions. That s why good planning could help make your dreams come true. Making your dreams a reality depends on your willingness to plan for them. You may want to ensure your children or grandchildren are well educated, arrange a wedding, take a career break or enjoy financial freedom at retirement. Paying regularly into a Vista policy could help support your plans and achieve your goals. Vista is a medium- to long-term regular and/or single payment investment policy with a term of at least five years. Additional single premium payments can also be made at any time. To start your policy, the minimum regular payment is HKD2,400/USD300 per month. For single premiums, the minimum is HKD96,000/USD12,000. If you start your policy with both regular and single premiums, the minimum single premium is reduced to HKD48,000/USD6,000. By regularly investing, you can enjoy the benefits of dollar-cost averaging, smoothing your potential return over a period of time. This may spread certain investment risk over the long-term, but it does not guarantee protection from loss in a declining market. Vista is an investment-linked assurance scheme. It is a regular and/or single premium insurance policy issued by Zurich International Life. Your investments are therefore subject to the credit risk of Zurich International Life. Vista is under Class C linked long-term business as defined in the Insurance Companies Ordinance. This brochure must be read in conjunction with the Your guide to investment choices brochure and the Vista Product key facts statement. 13

14 How does Vista work? Although Vista is designed as a flexible regular and/or single premium savings policy, you should only invest in this product if you intend to commit for the whole of your chosen investment period. Term The minimum term of the policy is five years. The maximum age of any life insured when you take out your Vista is 74 years. The policy cannot continue beyond a life insured s 80th birthday. Ownership Vista can be issued in just your name or in joint names if you would like to invest with someone else. Vista can also be owned by trustees or a company. Please call our Customer Care Team on or contact your relevant financial professional for details. If you place the policy in trust and appoint Zurich Trust Limited as trustee, a charge will apply. Life cover Vista can be held as a single life or joint life first death policy. You can specify that the policy owners are to be lives insured ( own life ) or you can request to have different lives insured to the policy owners ( life or lives of another ), subject to there being acceptable evidence of insurable interest. Premiums Zurich International Life will invest the net premium received from you into the fund(s) corresponding to the investment choice(s) as selected by you for its asset liability management. The premiums paid by you towards the insurance policy will become part of the assets of Zurich International Life. You do not have any rights or ownership over any of those assets. Your recourse is against Zurich International Life only. 14

15 The minimum premiums are: Regular Yearly Half-yearly Quarterly Monthly HKD24,000 HKD14,400 HKD7,200 HKD2,400 USD3,000 USD1,800 USD900 USD300 You may be eligible for a bonus allocation if your regular premium is at least HKD5,600/ USD750 per month ( qualifying level ). To calculate quarterly and half-yearly qualifying levels, multiply the monthly currency figure by three and six respectively. To calculate the yearly qualifying level, multiply by ten. Bonuses are only payable on regular premium policies. For further details, please refer to the Reaping the rewards section. Single initial single premium HKD96,000/USD12,000 top-up single premium HKD48,000/USD6,000 Currency choices You can make your payments in a choice of currencies including Hong Kong dollars, US dollars, pounds sterling, euros, Singapore dollars, Japanese yen, Swiss francs and Australian dollars. The policy currency chosen would normally apply for the life of the policy and determines the currency of charges and valuations. Making your payments We accept premiums in a number of ways, so you can choose the one that s most convenient for you. You can pay by: direct debit cheque credit card (1% charge applies) For premiums paid monthly or quarterly, you must use an automated method of payment. Flexible payment options When your policy starts, an individual investment account is created to record all unit transactions that happen over the policy term. The investment account is made up of the units of the investment choices allocated to you as regards premiums paid, based on your selection. There are two types of units that can be held: Initial units, and Accumulation units. The first 18 months from the effective date of regular premiums and of any increased amount of regular premiums paid into your policy are known as an initial contribution period (ICP). There are two types of ICP primary and secondary: A primary ICP is the first 18 months from the effective date of a policy. A secondary ICP is the 18 months from the effective date of any increased amount of regular premiums paid. Initial units will be allocated for all regular premiums paid within an ICP, together with any bonus allocation. Accumulation units will be allocated for all regular premiums paid outside of an ICP and for all single premiums. There is no initial charge for regular premiums they are allocated at 100% but there is an ongoing charge of 4% per year of the value of the Initial units which are allocated for all regular premiums paid within an ICP. This charge known as the expense recoupment charge (ERC) is taken at the start of every month by the cancellation of Initial units until policy maturity or the 25th policy anniversary, whichever is the earlier. For regular premium policies, please note that no surrender value will be returned to you during the primary ICP. For further details, please refer to the Surrender section. For each initial or top-up single premium paid into your policy, a 7% upfront charge is deducted so the premium is allocated at 93%. Accumulation units are allocated for all initial and top-up single premiums paid in other words, there is no ICP and no ERC. You can make both regular and lump sum payments into your Vista. Regular premiums are permitted on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis. Single premiums can be made at any time. 15

16 Regular premiums Target contribution period ICP (18 months) Premiums allocated at 100% to Initial units Policy accumulation period dependent on policy term Premiums allocated at 100% to Accumulation units Bronze, silver or gold bonus (if applicable) payable in the first year of the premium into Initial units only. Refer to the Reaping the rewards section. Initial units Accumulation units Charges** Expense recoupment charge* Policy management charge Zurich International Life investment choice management charges Surrender charge if you request a full surrender before the end of the policy term or the 25th policy anniversary, if earlier Policy management charge Policy fee Zurich International Life investment choice management charges Benefit charge (subject to waiver of premium optional benefit being selected) Single premiums Target investment period Policy accumulation period dependent on policy term Premium(s) allocated at 93% to Accumulation units Accumulation units Charges** Policy management charge Policy fee Zurich International Life investment choice management charges * The expense recoupment charge is only taken until the policy maturity date, or the 25th policy anniversary, whichever is the earlier. ** For further details of fees and charges, please refer to the Summary of charges section. 16

17 Changing your premiums You can change your payment currency and payment method at any premium due date. A request to change the frequency with which your regular premiums are paid can only be made on the policy anniversary. After the primary ICP your premiums can be stopped, restarted and stopped again at any time throughout the policy, provided the account value is sufficient to allow charges to continue to be deducted. The account value is calculated as the number of units held in each of your investment choices multiplied by the appropriate unit price of the investment choice. Increasing or decreasing your premiums You can increase or decrease your regular premiums (subject to the minimum premium) at any premium due date. If you increase your regular premiums, a secondary ICP will apply to the increase in premium from the date of the increase. A bonus allocation may apply to the increased amount if the new total premium level falls within a bonus band (refer to the Reaping the rewards section). The minimum additions to regular premiums are: Yearly Half-yearly Quarterly Monthly HKD2,400 HKD1,440 HKD720 HKD240 USD300 USD180 USD90 USD30 Vista also offers an escalation option which allows you to automatically increase your payment by 2.5% or 5% each year. This escalation option can be selected at application or be added at any policy anniversary; a secondary ICP will apply to the increased amount. A bonus allocation may apply to the increased amount if the new total premium level falls within a bonus band (refer to the Reaping the rewards section). Bonus allocation is earned over the first 18 months from the effective date when you start paying your regular premiums (i.e. the primary ICP), or from the effective date when you start paying any increased amount of regular premiums (i.e. a secondary ICP). If you decrease your premiums during this period, we will make a deduction from your investment account in respect of any unearned bonus allocation. For details of bonus reclaim, please refer to the examples in the Reaping the rewards section. If you reduce your regular premium during the primary ICP, we will make an additional deduction from your investment account. This rule applies to all regular premium reductions that take place within the primary ICP, even if you have previously increased your premium payment. The following example shows how this would work. Mr Lee takes out a Vista policy paying HKD3,000 per month. He pays HKD3,000 for each of the first 12 months, but then reduces his payments to HKD2,400 per month. The amount deducted will be equivalent to the reduction in monthly premium, multiplied by the number of months for which premiums have been paid. For Mr Lee, this means the reduction will be 12 x HKD600 = HKD7,200. To express the deduction in terms of a percentage of the Initial units, the total deduction is divided by the total premiums paid. In Mr Lee's case, this is HKD7,200/HKD36,000 x 100%, which equates to 20% of the Initial units. Any decrease in premium will be subject to the minimum premium level. There is no additional deduction made for decrements outside the primary ICP, except the reclaim of any unearned bonus allocation in the event that there is a reduction of premium during any secondary ICP. 17

18 Stopping your premiums If, at any point after the primary ICP, you find that you can no longer continue to make regular payments and need to take a break, you can stop paying premiums into your Vista for up to three years without penalty. You should note that while premiums are not being paid, the same charges will apply as when you were paying premiums. If you do not restart your premiums then this will have a substantial negative impact on your policy and may result in it lapsing without value. If you stop paying premiums within the primary ICP, and haven t paid an additional single premium, the policy will lapse without value and you cannot get back any value from the policy. Please also refer to waiver of premium benefit in the Optional benefit section, as stopping your premium will have an impact on the benefit cover provided. If you have not restarted your regular premiums after three years, your policy will become dormant, the surrender charge will be applied to your policy and the value of your policy will be reduced to its surrender value. At this point the ERC will cease but all other charges will continue. Where a suspended or dormant policy can no longer sustain the policy charges, the policy will lapse and no value will be returned to you as the policy has ended. Waiver of premium benefit is automatically discontinued when payments are suspended. Optional benefit Waiver of premium benefit This benefit covers the premiums due on your policy in the event of the relevant life insured being unable to follow any occupation they are reasonably qualified to perform due to accident or disability. Please call our Customer Care Team on or contact your relevant financial professional for details. 18

19 Making your investment choices Before deciding where to invest, you will need to consider these questions: what would you like to achieve? how long do you plan to invest for? how much risk are you prepared to take with your investment? We have a range of over 150 investment choices for you to choose from, both internally managed by Zurich International Life and investment choices externally managed by the underlying fund managers as detailed in the Your guide to investment choices brochure. With Vista you can switch your investment choices at any time to reflect changes to your circumstances, your attitude to risk, your time horizon or your personal expectations. You may switch holdings and redirect premiums between any of the investment choices outlined in Your guide to investment choices brochure. If you invest in the Guaranteed Accumulation Funds and withdraw any money from the fund, for example, as a switch out or surrender, other than at a permitted withdrawal point, we may apply a MLA, which may significantly reduce your investment account value or the amount you receive. The maximum amount reduced by a MLA can be 100% of the withdrawal or surrender amount from the Guaranteed Accumulation Funds. The rate of MLA will be administered on a case by case basis and may vary depending on when the investment was made, the period of investment and the market conditions during that period. For further details of GAF, please refer to Your guide to investment choices brochure. You should note that switching to an investment choice in a currency which differs from your current investment choice currency will involve a currency exchange rate cost to you. This cost is calculated as 0.175% of the net amount that is moved between each pair of different currencies during the overall switch transaction. You are always advised to consult your relevant financial professional before making any switches. The investment returns of your policy may be subject to foreign exchange risks as some of the underlying funds may be denominated in a currency different from that of your policy. Please note that the units allocated to your policy are notional, and are solely for the purpose of determining the account value of your policy. Your return on investment choices linked to the scheme is calculated or determined by Zurich International Life with reference to the performance of the underlying fund/assets, and is subject to the charges of the policy and may be lower than the return of the corresponding SFC-authorised fund. The return of some of the investment choices is calculated with reference to portfolio internally managed by Zurich International Life on a discretionary basis. Some portfolios are not authorised by SFC under the Code on Unit Trusts and Mutual Funds. Each investment choice will have very different features and risk profiles; some may be of high risk. 19

20 Reaping the rewards We recognise that clients investing large regular amounts deserve enhanced rewards and our bronze, silver and gold bonuses do just that. Bonuses are paid as additional units of your investment choices and depend upon the level of premiums you pay and the term of your policy. All premiums of HKD5,600/USD750 per month and above may receive a bonus allocation. To calculate quarterly and half-yearly qualifying levels, multiply the monthly currency figure by three and six respectively. To calculate the yearly qualifying level, multiply by ten. The table below shows the monthly qualifying levels of premium for each bonus type in the policy currencies available: No bonus Bronze Silver Gold USD ,250 2,000 GBP ,250 EUR ,250 2,000 HKD 2,400 5,599 5,600 10,000 15,000 SGD 675 1,199 1,200 2,000 3,200 JPY 40, , , , ,000 CHF 675 1,249 1,250 2,000 3,000 AUD 675 1,249 1,250 2,000 3,000 The bonus allocation will be applied to the premiums due and paid during the first 12 months of regular premiums, and this assumes that regular premiums will be continue to be paid at the same level, or above, for at least 18 months. If you stop or reduce your premiums within the primary or any secondary ICP, the bonus will be reclaimed accordingly by the cancellation of units. For details of any bonus reclaim, please refer to example 3 on page 22. If you stop or reduce your premiums after 18 months have elapsed, the bonus will not be reclaimed. 20

21 The table below shows you the bonus allocation percentage and bonus allocation amount for each bonus type: Bonus type Bronze Silver Gold Bonus allocation amount (0.5% x annualised premium) x (remaining policy term in years) (1.5% x annualised premium) x (remaining policy term in years) (2.5% x annualised premium) x (remaining policy term in years) Note: There is no bonus for single premiums. To qualify for a bonus, your regular premiums must meet the qualifying level. The bonus will be allocated to Initial units and is subject to all relevant charges. The bonus allocation assumes that all premiums will be received at the stated amount or above for at least 18 months. If premiums are stopped, decreased or increased and then decreased within the primary or any secondary 18 months ICP, the bonus will be reclaimed accordingly by the cancellation of units. You can calculate your policy bonus by using the formula below: Policy bonus = Premiums paid in the first year bonus allocation percentage remaining policy term. Note that remaining policy term is the number of years up to the earlier of your policy maturity date or the 25th policy anniversary. Example 1 Mr Lee takes out a Vista policy with monthly premiums of HKD5,600/USD750 for a policy term of ten years. The bonus payable to Mr Lee can be calculated as follows: Policy term Monthly premium Bonus entitlement % Remaining term Total bonus payable Ten years HKD5,600/USD % (bronze i.e. total premium is HKD5,600/USD750 per month) Ten years (as it s a new policy, the remaining term is the same as the policy term) (HKD5,600/USD750 x 12) x 0.5% x 10 = HKD3,360/USD450 Example 2 After four years of premium payment, Mr Lee then decides to increase his monthly premium from HKD5,600/USD750 to HKD10,000/USD1,250. This means Mr Lee is increasing his monthly premium from the bronze bonus level to the silver level. His bonus entitlement percentage will be determined by the new total premium amount he is paying, but will only be applied to the increased amount of monthly premium. The new bonus payable to Mr Lee can be calculated as follows: Policy term Initial monthly premium Initial bonus payable Increased amount of monthly premium New bonus entitlement % Remaining term New bonus payable Ten years HKD5,600/USD750 (see example 1 above) HKD3,360/USD450 (see example 1 above) HKD4,400/USD % (silver i.e. total premium is HKD10,000/USD1,250 per month) Six years (HKD4,400/USD500 x 12) x 1.5% x 6 = HKD4,752/USD540 21

22 Example 3 When Mr Lee has been paying the total increased premium of HKD10,000/USD1,250 per month (from example 2) for 12 months, he wishes to reduce his monthly premium to HKD8,000/USD1,000. As the total increased premium has not been fully funded for 18 months (i.e. the secondary ICP), his bonus level will be reduced to represent the bonus level due on the premium level he has reduced to. The reclaim of any unearned bonus is calculated as follows: Policy term Initial monthly premium Initial bonus payable Increased amount of monthly premium New bonus payable Reduction of monthly premium Revised bonus entitlement % Revised bonus payable Reclaim calculation Ten years HKD5,600/USD750 HKD3,360/USD450 HKD4,400/USD500 (see example 2 above) HKD4,752/USD540 (see example 2 above) Premium reduced to HKD8,000/USD1,000 per month. The original bonus (HKD3,360/USD450) is fully earned, but the total increased premium of HKD10,000/USD1,250 per month has not been funded for 18 months (i.e. the secondary ICP), so the second bonus payable HKD4,752/USD540 is reduced. The revised bonus entitlement is calculated using the new lower premium. HKD8,000/ USD1,000 is an increase of HKD2,400/USD250 above the original level of HKD5,600/ USD750 per month, rather than an increase of HKD4,400/USD500 that was used in the second bonus calculation. 0.5% (bronze i.e. total premium is HKD8,000/USD1,000 per month) (HKD2,400/USD250 x 12) x 0.5% x 6 = HKD864/USD90 = a b, where: a = amount of bonus paid at previous level but not earned b = amount of bonus to be paid at the new premium level Bonus to be reclaimed is HKD4,752/USD540 HKD864/USD90 = HKD3,888/USD450 22

23 Surrender (also known as withdrawal) Partial surrenders and regular withdrawals You can request a partial surrender or regular withdrawals at any time once your policy has a surrender value. The surrender value of your policy is made up of the value of your investment account less the surrender charge. The surrender value is always advised by Zurich International Life. For details of the formula used to calculate the surrender value of your policy, please refer to the Summary of charges section. As there is no surrender value within the primary ICP for a regular premium policy; partial surrenders or regular withdrawals can only be made 18 months after the policy has started. A one-off partial surrender may be made following the primary ICP for regular premium policies, or at any time if a single premium has been paid. The maximum partial surrender is the value of your Accumulation units and cannot exceed the surrender value. If, following a partial surrender, the policy value falls to zero, then the policy will lapse without value. Regular withdrawals are permitted and are payable on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis. The minimum amount per withdrawal is HKD8,000/USD1,000. No surrender charge is applied for partial surrenders or regular withdrawals. Full surrender You can request a full surrender at any time for a single premium policy. For regular premium policies, you can request a full surrender after the primary ICP. To fully surrender your policy, you need to submit a request to us in writing using the relevant form. Your policy will be surrendered, the surrender value paid to you and the policy will end. On full surrender of a regular premium policy, or if you stop paying regular premiums for a period greater than three years, resulting in your policy becoming dormant, a surrender charge will apply. There is no surrender charge for single premium policies. If you surrender your policy in the early years you may not get back the original amount invested. In addition, the value of investments and the income from it can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations so that you may not get back the amount originally invested and may suffer a significant loss of principal. For details of surrender charge, please refer to the Summary of charges section. Termination of the policy Your policy will be automatically terminated when: (i) the maturity date is reached (please refer to the Maturity payment section); or (ii) we receive notification of the death of the life insured before the maturity date; or (iii) your policy is surrendered prior to maturity; or (iv) the policy value of your policy falls to zero; or (v) you stop paying regular premiums for more than three months within the primary ICP when your policy will lapse without value. (Note: this does not apply if a single premium has also been paid.) Any early termination/surrender/partial surrender of the policy or reduction in premium may result in significant loss of the principal and any bonus awarded. Poor performance of underlying funds/assets may further magnify your investment losses, while all charges are still deductible. Death benefit The amount payable on the death of the life insured, or the first to die where there are two lives insured, will be an amount equal to the value of the investment account following notification of death. No surrender charge will be applied. Although your Vista is a life insurance policy, because part of your death benefit is linked to the performance of the underlying funds you selected from time to time, your death benefit is subject to investment risks and market fluctuations. The death benefit payable may be significantly less than your premiums paid and may not be sufficient for your individual needs. 23

24 Summary of charges Zurich International Life reserves the right to vary the policy charges with not less than three month s prior written notice, or such shorter period of notice in compliance with the relevant regulatory requirements. Charges of the policy Policy fee Applies to regular and single/additional single premiums Policy management charge Applies to regular and single/additional single premiums Expense recoupment charge (ERC) Applies to regular premiums only Surrender charge Applies to regular premiums only The charge A fixed monthly policy charge applies to the policy at the following rates: Hong Kong dollars HKD60.00 US dollars USD7.50 Euros EUR7.50 Swiss francs CHF12.50 Japanese yen JPY1,125 Australian dollars AUD15.00 Sterling GBP5.00 Singapore dollars SGD12.00 A charge based on the value of the policy will be applied on a monthly basis at a rate of 0.75% per year. For regular premium policies, the ERC is a charge of 4% per year of the value of the Initial units. The charge only applies to regular premium policies that have had premium payments made for 18 months or more. If less than 18 months worth of premiums have been paid, the policy will have no surrender value. Deduction arrangement The policy fee is deducted at the start of each month by cancellation of units from the Accumulation units proportionate to the value of the investment choices and is taken throughout the life of your policy. During the primary ICP this may result in a debt being accrued in the Accumulation unit account. This debt will be cleared by the payment of regular premiums outside the primary ICP, or the payment of a single premium. The charge is deducted at the start of each month by cancellation of units from the initial and Accumulation units proportionate to the value of the investment choices and is taken throughout the life of your policy. The ERC is deducted at the start of each month by cancellation of units from the Initial units proportionate to the value of the investment choices and is taken up to policy maturity or the 25th policy anniversary, whichever is the earlier. A surrender charge will be deducted from the investment account value at the date the surrender request is processed. It will be taken in the following instances: 1) When a policy has been continuously suspended for a period of three years from the first unpaid premium and the policy becomes dormant. 2) When the policy is fully surrendered before the end of the policy term or the 25th policy anniversary, if earlier. 24

25 The charge Deduction arrangement Surrender charge Applies to regular premiums only (Cont.) Surrender charge calculation A surrender value is calculated for the policy after the primary ICP in the above instances. The surrender charge is then the difference between the value of the investment account and the surrender value. The closer to maturity a policy is, the lower the surrender charge will be for that policy and the more that will be returned to the policy owner (refer to the Full surrender section). The surrender charge is shown as : Surrender charge = (A + Bonus reclaim + D) Surrender value The formula to calculate the surrender value that you will get upon full surrender is shown as: A Surrender value = C + D 1.07 (B/12) Where: A = the value of the remaining Initial units after the deduction of any bonus reclaim B = the remaining term (in whole months) to the policy maturity date or the 25th policy anniversary, whichever is sooner C = a fixed amount of HKD8,000/USD1,000. This charge is applied only once in a policy lifetime D = the value of the Accumulation units Note that the interest factor of 1.07 (corresponding to 7%) is reduced if less than ten years of the policy remain, that is, if B is 120 months or less. If B is 120 months or less then this is reduced to (corresponding to 6.5%), and if B is 60 months or less then this is reduced to (corresponding to 5.5%). Example of surrender value and surrender charge Background: This example provides an illustration of how the surrender value is calculated for a policy that was taken out with a 25 year term, paying USD300 per month. The value of the remaining Initial units and Accumulation units used in this calculation have been projected assuming that the policy has earned an average return of 5% each year (net of the investment choice AMC), all regular premiums have been paid on time, and the policy is surrendered after ten years. Putting the figures into the formula: A = USD5, B = 180 C = USD1,000 D = USD35, Surrender value = USD5, (180/12) USD1,000 + USD35, = USD1, USD1,000 + USD35, = USD36, Surrender charge = (A + D) Surrender value = (USD5, USD35,603.07) USD36, = USD4, Neither this formula nor any of its individual constituent parts represents a fixed return in any way. Any material amendment to its form or application will be subject to three months notification. 25

26 The charge Deduction arrangement Surrender charge Applies to regular premiums only (Cont.) The table below illustrates the surrender charge expressed as a percentage of the investment account value, using an example policy paying USD3,000 per year, and assuming that it receives 7% net growth each year. The figures shown are only illustrative and will depend on the level of premium, policy term, when the policy is surrendered and growth rates achieved amongst other factors. Policy term Full surrender at end of year 10 years 15 years 20 years 25 years 1 100% 100% 100% 100% 2 47% 61% 71% 77% 3 29% 39% 46% 50% 4 20% 28% 33% 37% 5 13% 20% 25% 28% 6 10% 16% 20% 23% 7 7% 12% 16% 19% 8 5% 10% 14% 16% 9 4% 8% 11% 14% 10 0% 6% 9% 12% 11 5% 8% 10% 12 4% 7% 9% 13 3% 6% 8% 14 2% 5% 7% 15 0% 4% 6% 16 3% 5% 17 2% 4% 18 2% 4% 19 1% 3% 20 0% 2% 21 2% 22 2% 23 1% 24 1% 25 0% Waiver of premium charge (optional) Switching and redirection of premiums Credit card charges If you select waiver of premium benefit, a charge will apply. There is currently no charge, although switching to an investment choice which differs from your investment currency will involve a currency exchange rate cost. The cost is 0.175% of the net amount moved between each pair of different currencies during the overall switch transaction. If you elect to pay by credit card a charge of 1% will be made. For example, if you pay HKD4,000/USD500 per month by credit card, HKD4,040/USD505 will be collected from your credit card. For details please call our Customer Care Team on for the charge applicable to you. The cost will be deducted from your policy by cancellation of units immediately after the switch has been processed. The charge will be made by increasing the amount collected from your credit card account. 26

27 Charges for investment choices These charges vary according to your investment choices. Please refer to Your guide to investment choices brochure for details. Charges for investment choices internally managed by Zurich International Life Charges for investment choices externally managed by underlying fund managers The charge Annual management charge (AMC) The underlying fund manager applies an AMC to each internally managed investment choice. The charge ranges from 0.5% to 1.5% of the net asset value depending on the investment choice chosen. Guaranteed Accumulation Funds Zurich International Life applies a yearly charge of 0.5% of the gross dividend of the internally managed GAF. AMC The underlying fund manager applies an AMC to each externally managed investment choice. The charge ranges from 0.75% to 2% of the net asset value depending on the investment choice chosen. Investment choice management charge Zurich International Life applies a yearly charge of 0.75% of the net asset value to each externally managed investment choice. Deduction arrangement This charge is applied daily and is reflected in the price of the investment choice. This charge is deducted from the gross dividend rate used when calculating the monthly dividends to be applied to your policy. This charge is applied daily and is reflected in the price of the investment choice. This charge is applied daily and is reflected in the price of the investment choice. 27

28 Why choose Zurich? Zurich is one of the world s largest financial services companies, and one of the few to operate on a truly global basis. With more than 60,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries, we offer a comprehensive range of general and life insurance products and services for both individuals and businesses. With headquarters in the renowned financial centre of Zurich, Switzerland, the Zurich Insurance Group, of which we are a part, can trace its roots back more than 135 years. Zurich International Life Zurich International Life is one of the world s leading providers of international insurance and investment products: established in 1982, we have almost 30 years experience dealing specifically with international business we offer life assurance, investment and protection solutions we are a truly global company with licensed operations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia we offer access to over 30 of the world s leading investment companies We are based on the Isle of Man. It is one of the world s leading international life assurance centres. The island has an AAA* rating from Standard and Poor s and has one of the longest established parliaments anywhere in the world. * The AAA rating is for long term sovereign credit and senior unsecured debt. Policy owner protection Investors receive worldwide protection through the Isle of Man's Life Assurance (Compensation of Policyholders) Regulations 1991 regardless of residency. In the event of insolvency, policy owners of the Company are entitled to claim compensation of up to 90% of the liability to their policy under the Isle of Man regulations. Notwithstanding such Isle of Man regulations, there is no guarantee that you will get back up to 90% of your premium paid or the prevailing value of your policy. The final value you receive, if any, may be substantially less than the total premium paid or the prevailing value of your policy. This liability to policy owners is administered by the Insurance and Pensions Authority who levy contributions from all participating insurers and these contributions are held in a Policy Owner s Compensation Fund. In the event that the fund is insufficient to sustain any claims made, the Insurance and Pensions Authority may defer, reduce or extinguish any amounts payable as compensation. Full details of the regulations can be found on the Isle of Man Government s website at The Company fully adheres to anti-money laundering laws and directives. Confidentiality You can be sure that when you are legitimately investing with us we will only provide details of your policy to you or your adviser. We comply with the Isle of Man Data Protection Act which aims to safeguard your personal details so that they are not passed to anyone else without your permission. 28

29 Important documents Your relevant financial professional will explain and give you the following documents before you make an application for a Vista policy: The principal brochure, which consists of this product brochure and the Your guide to investment choices brochure. An illustration showing the projected future surrender values. A copy of the Vista Product key facts statement. A copy of the terms and conditions of the policy will be provided to policy owner(s) upon policy issuance. 29

30 Applying for Vista If you wish to apply for the policy, please submit an application form and relevant identification documents, along with a valid method of payment to us via your relevant financial professional. Cooling-off rights your right to change your mind If you are not fully satisfied with this policy, you have the right to change your mind. You should: return the policy; and attach a letter, signed by you, requesting cancellation. The policy will then be cancelled and the premium(s) paid will be refunded, less a deduction of the amount (if any) by which the value of your investment has fallen at the time when your cancellation letter is received by us. The deducted amount will not include any allowance for expenses or commissions in connection with the issuance of the contract. These cancellation rights have the following conditions: your request to cancel must be signed by you and received directly by Zurich International Life Limited, 22/F, C-Bons International Center, 108 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong within 21 days after the delivery of the policy or issue of a Notice (informing the availability of the policy and the expiry date of the cooling-off period) to the policy owner or the policy owner s representative, whichever is the earlier. Regular premiums paid will be refunded in full. A deduction will be made from your single premium refund if the value of the investment choices chosen has gone down. No refund can be given if a claim payment has been made. Should you have any further queries, please contact Zurich International Life and we will be happy to explain your cancellation rights further. Maturity payment The value of the investment account will be paid to the policy owner as a lump sum at the maturity date. Zurich International Life will contact the policy owner three months before maturity to advise of the maturity date, to seek details of how payment should be made and to explain the options for reinvestment that exist at the time. Education fee payments If the policy is used for paying education fees, Zurich International Life can arrange for these to be sent directly to the educational establishment. There is no charge for this arrangement. For details, please contact your relevant financial professional or call our Customer Care Team on