This article or section deals primarily with the United States and the United Kingdom and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. An endowment policy is a life insurance contract designed to pay a lump sum after a specified term (on its 'maturity') or on earlier death. Typical maturities are ten, fifteen or twenty years up to a certain age limit. Some policies also pay out in the case of critical illness. Policies are typically traditional with-profits or unit-linked (including those with unitised with-profits funds). Endowments can be cashed in early (or 'surrendered') and the holder then receives the surrender value which is determined by the insurance company depending on how long the policy has been running and how much has been paid in to it. During adverse investment conditions, the encashment value or surrender value may be reduced by a 'Market Value Adjuster' to allow for the need to cash in units at a time when investment conditions are not ideal. This means that the investor would receive the surrender value less the market value adjuster.