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There is a 0.9968 probability that a randomly selected 50 -year-old female lives through the year (based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). A Fidelity life insurance company charges \(\$ 226\) for insuring that the female will live through the year. If she does not survive the year, the policy pays out SS0,000 as a death benefit. a. From the perspective of the 50 -year-old female, what are the values corresponding to the two events of surviving the year and not surviving. b. If a 50 -year-old female purchases the policy, what is her expected value? c. Can the insurance company expect to make a profit from many such policies? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. Surviving: \$-226\$$, Not surviving: \$49,774\$$. b. Expected value: \$-66.08\$$. c. Yes, because the policyholder has an expected loss.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Values for the Events

Two events need to be considered: the female surviving the year and the female not surviving the year. The value of surviving the year is \$-226\$$ (the cost of the insurance). If the female does not survive the year, she receives \$-226\$$ for the insurance cost but gains \$50,000\$$ from the policy, so the value is \$50,000 - 226\$$ or \$49,774\$$.
02

Calculate the Expected Value

The expected value is calculated as follows: Expected Value (EV) = (Probability of surviving * Value of surviving) + (Probability of not surviving * Value of not surviving) We have the probability of surviving \(P(\text{survive}) = 0.9968\) and the probability of not surviving \(P(\text{not survive}) = 1 - 0.9968 = 0.0032\). EV = (0.9968 * -226) + (0.0032 * 49774)
03

Solve the Expected Value Calculation

Substitute the values into the formula, we get: EV = (0.9968 * -226) + (0.0032 * 49774) = -225.3568 + 159.2768 = -66.08
04

Interpret the Expected Value

The expected value is \$-66.08\$$, which means that on average, a 50-year-old female would expect a loss of \$66.08\$$ if she buys the insurance policy.
05

Analyze the Profitability for Insurance Company

Since the expected value is \$-66.08\$$ for the customer (a loss), the insurance company can expect to make this amount as profit per policy sold, assuming a large number of policies are sold. Therefore, the insurance company can expect to make a profit from selling many such policies.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

probability
In the context of life insurance, probability plays a vital role.
It's the likelihood of certain events happening. Here, it's used to predict the chance of a 50-year-old female surviving the year. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there's a 0.9968 probability that she'll survive.
Alternately, there's a 0.0032 probability she won't.

This high probability of survival affects how insurance companies assess risk and set their premiums.
They rely on vast amounts of data to make these calculations as precise as possible.

Understanding probability helps in comprehending how likely events are and aids insurance firms in creating fair but profitable policies.
By knowing the probabilities, they can assess and price the risk accurately.
life insurance
Life insurance is a contract where an insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person.
The insured pays premiums, like the 50-year-old female paying \(226 annually, for this coverage.

Life insurance helps in securing financial support for the beneficiaries of the policyholder in the event of their death.
It offers peace of mind by ensuring that loved ones are financially protected.
A key characteristic of life insurance is the 'death benefit'.
In our example, it's \)50,000.

In exchange for the premium, insurance companies offer this payout, balancing the risk of paying large death benefits against numerous small premium collections.
expected value
Expected value (EV) helps us predict the long-term average outcome of a situation involving uncertainty.
We use it to find the average value of a financial scenario if it were repeated many times.

For the life insurance scenario, we have two main events: surviving the year, and not surviving the year.
Each event has a value and a probability.
The EV formula sums these products:
\[\text{EV} = (\text{Probability of surviving} \times \text{Value of surviving}) + (\text{Probability of not surviving} \times \text{Value of not surviving}) \]
Plugging in our values: \[(0.9968 \times -226) + (0.0032 \times 49774) = -225.3568 + 159.2768 = -66.08 \]
This means, on average, a 50-year-old female would expect a loss of $66.08 if she buys the policy.
Understanding EV helps in financial planning and making informed decisions.
risk assessment
Risk assessment in the context of life insurance involves identifying and evaluating risk to set premiums and coverage amounts.
It's crucial for both insurers and the insured.
Insurers use risk assessment to balance the cost of premiums with the potential payout.

They assess various factors including age, health, lifestyle, and historical data.
In this scenario, the insurance company knows the probability of survival and death for a 50-year-old female, allowing them to calculate expected losses and set premiums accordingly.

Effective risk assessment helps companies maintain profitability while offering reasonable rates to customers.
It's a delicate balance between denying high-risk individuals and providing affordable coverage to those likely to outlive the policy term.
For the insured, understanding risk assessment aids in selecting the best policy suited to their circumstances and financial goals.

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