Posts by Marc Schwartz and Paul Falletta

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 introduced some big changes in the tax law, creating both confusion and opportunity for financial planning professionals. You will find links at the end of this blog to several excellent resources that will help you navigate through the three broad categories of life insurance planning that are most dramatically impacted by the new tax laws: Personal insuranceEstate planningBusiness-related insurance But to begin, a review of important tax laws that didn't change. Life insurance death benefits remain income tax-free, with rare exceptions (e.g. transfer for val...

The July 20, 2017 Wall Street Journal article, "Happy 100th Birthday! There Goes Your Life Insurance," points out a major hidden flaw in older life insurance contracts: the risk of living too long. In the mid-20th century, the life insurance industry, along with government regulators and actuaries, did not expect or anticipate that more than a handful of policyholders would reach age 100. But today, some insureds fortunate enough to approach these "golden" ages are surprised to learn that their policies will "endow"– that is, coverage will end and any cash values will be paid to the policy own...

A 2014 study by the RAND Corporation estimated the cost of informal caregiving in the US at $522 billion: "Across America, people spend an estimated 30 billion hours every year providing care to elderly relatives and friends. The cost is measured by valuing the times caregivers have given up in order to be able to provide care." Those numbers continue to grow in 2017, as the baby boomer generation ages and creates greater demand for long-term care services. Numbers like this get everyone's attention, and long-term care (LTC) is a concern that is at once personal, cultural and political. Those ...

In our previous two blogs, Marc Schwartz talked about how pricing adjustments among a few life insurers had created an "out-of-control" environment for some of our clients. In part two of "Putting Clients Back in Control," Marc explored several product solutions that can help put your clients back in control – but for you, what's most important is knowing first what your clients want out of their life insurance policies. Here, Marc and DuWayne Kilbo discuss why you need to review your clients' policies now. The idea and process of Policy Review has been around forever. Why is it so important n...

In our previous blog we explained how many of our clients feel as though what they want and expect from their life insurance policy is no longer in their control. Because some life companies have taken actions that create additional uncertainty and expense for their customers, it's up to us, as experienced professionals, to find a way to put our clients back in control. The key is to know what's important to your clients and then find the products and features that deliver the predictability and value they expect. No Lapse Guarantees (NLG) No question that we've seen a dramatic retraction of t...

You've probably noticed that life insurance has been making headlines recently – which is rarely a good thing. When both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times sound off on how life insurance companies today are facing lawsuits from some of their customers, it's clearly cause for concern. The legal actions have mostly been prompted by increased premium requirements on universal life and long term care contracts. According to the companies, there are many reasons for the actions that result in the increases, including slow growth, a shrinking sales force, increased compliance requiremen...

Selling is a creative and dynamic process, at times requiring fresh thinking and a different approach to engage customers. In the case of business owners, substantial monies are spent to attract and retain talented employees who can get the job done. However, often overlooked by business owners may be one of their better employees–the minimum wage employee. This is the lowest paid employee in the company who, if given the opportunity, has the ability to contribute significantly to a business owner's success and well-being. The "minimum wage employee" conversation is a creative and fresh way fo...