← All terms

Life · Chapter 6 · Policy Cost Comparison

Comparative Interest Rate (CIR) Method

Definition
The rate of return an investment account would need so that "buy term + invest the difference" equals the cash value policy's result. Face amounts compared must be identical.
Exam tip
The HIGHER the CIR, the LESS expensive the permanent policy is compared to the term-plus-investing alternative.
Easy to confuse with

These are what this term gets tested against — if you can't tell them apart cold, drill the contrast.

Related terms
Drill this termChapter lessonChapter practice test
Verified against primary sources · 2026-08-10