Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Term + invest advantage
$347,752
Value of invested difference
$545,983
Whole life cash value
$198,231
Annual premium difference
$5,780
Total term premiums paid
$18,600
Total whole life premiums paid
$192,000
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter annual term premium ($).
- 2Enter annual whole life premium ($).
- 3Enter years to compare.
- 4Enter investment return (%).
- 5Enter whole life cash value growth (%).
- 6Enter premium credited to cash value (%).
- 7Read your term + invest advantage on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Whole life bundles insurance with a low-return savings account. Buying term and investing the premium difference usually wins on pure numbers, but only if you actually invest it.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Annual term premium: 620 $
- Annual whole life premium: 6400 $
- Years to compare: 30
- Investment return: 7 %
- Whole life cash value growth: 3.5 %
- Premium credited to cash value: 60 %
Results
- Term + invest advantage: $347,752.26
- Value of invested difference: $545,983.34
- Whole life cash value: $198,231.08
- Annual premium difference: $5,780.00
- Total term premiums paid: $18,600.00
- Total whole life premiums paid: $192,000.00
What each field means
Inputs
- Annual term premium ($)
- The annual term premium used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 620 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Annual whole life premium ($)
- The annual whole life premium used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 6400 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years to compare
- The years to compare used in the calculation. Starts at 30 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–50.
- Investment return (%)
- The investment return used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
- Whole life cash value growth (%)
- The whole life cash value growth used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3.5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10 %.
- Premium credited to cash value (%)
- The premium credited to cash value used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 60 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Results
- Term + invest advantage
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Value of invested difference
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Whole life cash value
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual premium difference
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total term premiums paid
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total whole life premiums paid
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the term vs whole life insurance calculator work?
Whole life bundles insurance with a low-return savings account. Buying term and investing the premium difference usually wins on pure numbers, but only if you actually invest it. The underlying maths is: Compare whole life cash value with the invested premium difference over the same period.
What do I need to enter?
6 values: annual term premium, annual whole life premium, years to compare, investment return, whole life cash value growth, and premium credited to cash value. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the term + invest advantage result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Term vs Whole Life Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/term-vs-whole-life
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/term-vs-whole-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Term vs Whole Life Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Term vs Whole Life Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/term-vs-whole-life) (2026).