{
  "id": 2737288,
  "title": "‘Whole Life Insurance Is Always a Waste of Money. I’ve Never Seen One Example Where It Is Not’: Suze Orman to Caller Who Paid $18,000 and Got $6,500 Back",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/whole-life-insurance-is-always-a-waste-of-money-ive-never-seen-one",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-21T22:53:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/options/articles/whole-life-insurance-always-waste-225350951.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shelley, a podcast caller, shared that she had paid $18,000 in premiums over 30 years for a whole life insurance policy, but only had $6,500 in cash value. Suze Orman, the guest speaker, emphasized that she has never encountered a situation where whole life insurance is not a waste of money. Orman urged Shelley to redirect the $158 quarterly premiums into a Roth IRA instead, where the same amount could have potentially grown to approximately $62,000. Orman's advice had two exceptions: if the divorce decree legally requires the coverage or if the policyholder has a terminal illness diagnosis. Orman also suggested Shelley take the freed-up premium and invest it in her Roth IRA or a similar investment vehicle.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}