It's actually a pretty interesting phenomena known as the Endowment Effect whereby the mere act of owning something makes it more valuable to that particular individual (and no one else, unless there's celebrity status attached). 

@Shane Hummus  You could consider a whole life policy and fund it to maximum allowed before it is considered a modified endowment contract. 

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote, when crafting the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

If the policy is a Modified Endowment Contract (or if it becomes a MEC, even without your knowing it) any loans against the policy will be taxed exactly the same as if it were a cash-out distribution (plus a 10% penalty if you are under 60), AND you will still owe the full loan + interest back to the insurance company.

But there won't be that much of that sort of thing here -- not unless the local tertiary schools make incredible strides in growing their endowments and expanding their facilities. 

If you want to disrupt SS, you need psychologists to solve the challenges of excess consumption and endowment effect (divestiture aversion). 

Then Hicks, as a regent for Univ of Texas, hired lobbyists to petition for the creation of UTIMCO (University of Texas Investment Management Company), which Bush as Governor then signed into law, and of which Hicks was then named the first chairman.UTIMCO then doled out HUGE contracts to private investment firms to manage their endowment.

They need an NEA endowment if we are to effectively combat terrorism.

Here are the responses I received on M* You are suggesting the US be run like an endowment fund?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.