I have a similar policy, a whole life insurance policy through NY Life. The reason I like it is because the plan earns dividends from the cash value whether I've taken out a policy loan or not.
I realized early on, real estate investing is a series of downpayment savings ramp ups. I don't like the idea of my money sitting in a bank earning nothing while I save up for the next downpayment. It also has to be liquid and safe (can't lose value). With this policy it's growing at 5% and even if I take out a loan (at 5% although the rate can vary) I'm not having to pay interest like I would on my HELOC loan payments because the dividend payout happens on the total policy value regardless of any outstanding loan. Point is, being your own bank (for downpayments) is the only way to go.
Lots of people, Suze and Dave especially, will trash life insurance and it's not going to get you super rich quick or without any of your own contributions, but it's another vehicle, growing tax free and those are sure hard to find. I want to retire well before 59 and a half so a Roth IRA doesn't interest me much.
