Why You Should Use Meanwhile Insurance

An Intro to Meanwhile

Meanwhile Insurance is the first and remains the only life insurance company in the world that is denominated in Bitcoin, making it the only truly crypto-native long-term insurance provider. The company has raised $20M in financing from investors such as Sam Altman with the goal of providing Bitcoin-native insurance to people around the world.

Meanwhile takes the “HODL” mantra of Bitcoiners very seriously: by issuing policies in Bitcoin, HODLers can benefit not only from the tax advantages of a life insurance policy but also benefit from the future price action of BTC. As insurance is a centuries-old industry that is fairly resistant to change, Meanwhile brings a refreshingly innovative spin on it that should appeal to many of the staunchest Bitcoin supporters.

Main Benefits of Using Meanwhile

Policies with Meanwhile offer all the benefits you might find in a normal policy, with some added benefits that make it a good fit for crypto investors. These benefits include:

• Liquidity: Paying BTC premiums into a policy does not mean losing access to your stack of sats during your lifetime. The value of the policy can be accessed at any time, after a two year lock-up, by taking a Policy Loan in which you can borrow BTC out of the policy. If the price of BTC goes up during the life of a policy the policyholder can borrow BTC out of the policy, sell it, and not owe capital gains on the appreciation that occurred inside the policy.

• Compounding Returns: Whole Life Policies have a guaranteed rate of return, which is compounded tax-free inside of the policy.

• Protection: Whole Life policies have a flat, guaranteed payout at the death of the insured. The death benefit is a number higher than the total premiums paid in, meaning policyholders get to pass more BTC on to their loved ones than if they were to simply HODL.

Conclusion

As a long time crypto trader myself, I’ve spent a lot of time and money dealing with the taxes involved with being in this industry. One way to avoid capital gains is by trading within a crypto-enabled IRA account, however these funds are locked and inaccessible until you are almost 60 years old.

By using Meanwhile insurance, however, you can access your Bitcoin at any time after the lock-up and take profit without incurring capital gains if the price has gone up since you started your policy. Since the cost basis of the borrowed BTC is assessed at the point of borrowing, if the price goes up throughout the duration of your policy, you can borrow BTC from your policy and instantly sell it to realize your profit. You would then owe capital gains just on how much BTC has appreciated since you borrowed, not since you started your policy.

For reference, if you had 2 BTC 2 years ago with Bitcoin at $30,000, in order to realize your profit today with Bitcoin over $70,000 you would have to pay capital gains on the full amount. However, if you had started a policy with Meanwhile, you could borrow the underlying BTC from your policy, instantly sell it on the market, and reduce your capital gains exposure to nearly 0. This is a financial tool often used in traditional finance, finally accessible to crypto natives.