[paulgtr]

in a nutshell,
the IRS allows life insurance to be a tax shelter.
so mutual Insurance companies. those who are not traded on the stock exchange.
with strong enough financial ratings can design a life insurance contract that functions like a bank.

so strong mutual companies like mass or NYLIFE have big cash reserves as much as 400 billion that they use on behalf of their policy holders who own those companies and share in their profits like share holders.
the risk must be guaranteed to show a return.
over time the dividend and cash value grow and is available to the client as a loan or surrender.
using the loan function keeps the growth tax free.
you are essentially loaning from yourself instead of a bank and at the same time getting the most from your money.
it's not liquid right away, so I don't recommend putting all your eggs in this basket
but if you are looking for a permanently guaranteed winner no matter what the stock market does, is the best solution.