Definition of "Tontine"

Marty Welsh real estate agent

Written by

Marty Welshelite badge icon

The Bob Lucido Team, LLC of Keller Williams Integrity

Early life insurance that provided benefits only to survivors who lived to the end of a certain period of time. In the mid-17th century, Lorenzo Tonti, an Italian, devised a scheme to raise money for the French government of Louis XIV. It involved a state lottery in which the oldest survivor would collect the pot. One woman, age 96, hit the jackpot shortly before her death. Tontine policies were introduced in the U.S. in the 1860s, but condemned in the Armstrong investigation in 1905 in New York State and subsequently outlawed everywhere 45 years later.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Person, business, or organization specified as the insured (s) in a property or liability insurance policy. In some instances, the policy provides broader coverage to persons other than ...

No limitation under a contributory pension plan of an employee's right to receive vested benefits, regardless of whether or not the employer withdraws contributions. ...

Endorsement to a fidelity bond or surety bond to cover losses that occurred after lapse of the discovery period of the previous bond. Coverage is limited to the amount provided by the ...

Death caused by a person without legal justification. Wrongful death may be the result of negligence, such as when a drunken driver hits and kills someone; or it may be intentional, as when ...

Same as term Calendar Year Experience: paid loss experience for the period of time from January 1 to December 31 of a specified year (not necessarily the current year). ...

Arrangement by which an employee can retire and receive full benefits without reduction, or reduced benefits subject to a penalty. These ages can be classified in the following manner: ...

Trust established under the Internal Revenue Service code that is used to provide accident and sickness benefits to member employees. ...

Additions made by Congress in 1978 to the Internal Revenue Code that provide an employee benefit plan under which the employee makes an irrevocable decision to forego a portion of future ...

Insurance company that has no outstanding shares of stock, such as a mutual insurance company. ...

Popular Insurance Questions