Life Insurance
Underwriting – Changes Coming
Underwriting is a process by which a financial institution evaluates the risk associated with insuring or lending to an applicant. In the case of life insurance companies, companies are taking a calculated risk on when they will need to pay a death claim. The industry has collected an enormous amount of data over the last…
Read MoreUsing Loans to Pay Life Insurance Premiums
Premium financing concerns borrowing money to pay life insurance premiums. While there may be multiple reasons to employ this strategy, it is often used to avoid liquidating other investments to pay premiums. It is important to remember that premium financed insurance is not the same thing as free insurance. Nor is it designed to allow…
Read MoreTransfer of Value for Life Insurance
A life insurance policy’s death benefit is usually paid to beneficiaries free of federal income tax. One exception to this rule is when a policy is sold or transferred for valuable consideration. In this scenario, the income tax exemption only applies to the purchase price plus premiums paid by the transferee. The death benefits less…
Read MoreEvaluating Life Insurance Companies
When one commits to a life insurance policy, a person naturally assumes that the policy they were sold will be honored. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many universal life policyholders have found that their insurance company has changed the policy assumptions as a result of financial losses. The ultimate policy change is the…
Read MoreLife Settlements
Introduction Life insurance is an assignable asset. It can be given away, transferred, or sold. With a life settlement, the owner of a life insurance policy sells the policy to a third party in exchange for cash. The owner receives less than the amount of the death benefit but more than the cash surrender value.…
Read MoreLife Insurance in Trusts
Life insurance trusts are a key tool for estate planning attorneys. Trusts enable donors to pass capital from a donor to his/her heirs at an enormous transfer tax savings. Policies held in trusts are not included in a donor’s estate, thereby reducing the estate tax liability. Proceeds from the life insurance policies can be, but…
Read MoreLife Insurance Rider Alternatives: Chronic Illness, Long Term Care & More
Many people are hesitant to spend their limited retirement savings on long-term care (LTC) insurance policy. LTC policies are ‘use it or lose it’ insurance. Unlike a life insurance policy, LTC insurance premiums are not guaranteed to remain the same over the life of the policy. They can be expensive with premiums showing large increases…
Read MoreLife Insurance in Pension Plans Q & A
Life Insurance in a Pension Plan Q. Are unisex rates required when life insurance is bought in a pension plan? Yes, these are required. Unisex rates are the same rates for men and women. Q. Should I ask for an estimate of the economic benefit I will have to realize each year as taxable income?…
Read MoreLife Insurance: Giving It Away
Many people desire to make large charitable gifts during their lifetime but hesitate due to concerns about compromising their family’s financial security. Life insurance can help alleviate these concerns by enabling the donor to give to his/her favorite charity while providing for the donor’s heirs and beneficiaries. One common technique employs a life insurance policy,…
Read MoreQuestions – Term Life Insurance
Q: Can I convert a term policy to a permanent policy? If so, when can I do this? Most term policies allow for conversion to permanent insurance without a medical exam. And some policies offer a conversion premium credit that reduces your first year’s premium on the permanent policy. This will make it easier to…
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