CIC Life & Health study guide
CIC Life & Health · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation is a nationally recognized insurance professional credential administered by the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance, with roots dating to 1969, when independent agents and University of Texas professor Dr. Hold developed a program to deepen agents' policy knowledge and raise professionalism through education. There are currently over 30,000 CIC designees nationwide, drawn from agency owners, producers, brokers, agents, adjusters, and insurance company personnel such as marketers, underwriters, and agency operations staff. The program is recommended for professionals with at least two years of full-time insurance or risk management experience, though the Alliance states there are no formal prerequisites. The CIC Life & Health study guide has 4 sections and about 1,809 words.
01Life and Annuity Policies
The Life and Annuity Policies domain tests whether you can read a life contract, follow the money through its provisions, and explain how annuities accumulate and pay out. Expect questions on incontestability, nonforfeiture, dividend and settlement options, ownership and beneficiary designations, policy loans, and the taxation of annuity payments.
492 words, about 2 min02Business Life Concepts
Business Life Concepts tests how life insurance solves business problems - continuation, key-person indemnity, executive compensation - and how the tax code treats each arrangement. Questions turn on who owns the policy, who is the beneficiary, who gets the deduction, and who recognizes income.
461 words, about 2 min03Health Insurance and Employee Benefits Concepts
Health Insurance and Employee Benefits Concepts tests the mechanics of medical expense coverage, disability income, and long-term care, plus the regulatory framework around group benefits - COBRA, HIPAA, ACA, §125, and HSA/HRA/FSA accounts. Deductible, then coinsurance (for example 80/20), then the out-of-pocket maximum.
425 words, about 2 min04Other CIC Designation Courses: Property, Casualty, Agency and Insurer Operations
This domain draws on Agency Management, Commercial Property, Commercial Casualty, Commercial Multiline, Personal Lines, and Insurance Company Operations. It tests breadth: how property and casualty coverages respond, how agencies manage E&O and perpetuation, and how insurers underwrite, rate, and reinsure.
431 words, about 2 min