There are a number of issues to consider in relation to what is owed to an individual under any particular life assurance policy. Unlike a bank account, the money is not there "up front", in a way that the customer and the insurance undertaking know exactly what is owed on any given day. First, the majority of policies provide risk cover as well as having an investment element designed to secure a lump sum for the policyholder at some future date. In practice, the weighting of these two elements varies widely, depending on the needs of the policyholder and, therefore, the type of policy in question. Second, the investment element may be underpinned by a company's asset managed funds, as in the case of unit linked policies. If it is a with profits type policy, it will have other conditions attaching to it. Third, a life assurance policy is a contract that sets out the conditions under which a claim can be made and by whom – it may be when the policy has matured or, for example, by a beneficiary on the death of the policyholder. The amount to be paid out by an insurance undertaking is affected by all three factors.