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A life insurance company sells a $200,0001-year term life insurance policy to a 42 year old male for $670. According to the National Vital Statistics Report, the probability that the male survives the year is 0.99748. Compute and interpret the expected value of this policy to the insurance company.

User Bob Lauer
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Final answer:

The expected value of the $200,000 1-year term life insurance policy sold to a 42-year-old male for $670, with a survival probability of 0.99748, is $166.38. This figure represents the average profit the insurance company expects to make per policy, given the probability of the insured individual's death.

Step-by-step explanation:

To compute the expected value of a $200,000 1-year term life insurance policy sold to a 42-year-old male for $670 with a survival probability of 0.99748, we need to consider two outcomes: the man survives, or the man dies within the year.

If the man survives, which has a probability of 0.99748, the insurance company will make $670, because they do not need to pay out the death benefit. On the other hand, if the man dies, which has a probability of 1 - 0.99748 = 0.00252, the company loses $200,000 but keeps the premium, totaling a loss of $199,330.

The expected value (EV) can be calculated as follows:


  • EV = (Probability of Survival x Profit if Survives) + (Probability of Death x Loss if Dies)

  • EV = (0.99748 x $670) + (0.00252 x -$199,330)

  • EV = $668.71 - $502.33

  • EV = $166.38

The expected value to the insurance company for this policy is $166.38. This means that, on average, the insurance company expects to earn $166.38 on policies of this type after accounting for the probability of paying out death benefits.

User ProtoTyPus
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