Updated 1/16/2020, originally posted 10/12/2018 It is estimated that over 100 billion dollars in life insurance benefits are surrendered each year by older aged citizens in the US. (1) Unfortunately, the typical senior probably does not understand the life settlement market and the opportunity to maximize the value of an asset that many let lapse valueless after a lifetime of premium payments. Today’s TOLI trustee [...]
Updated 1/7/2020, Originally posted 10/05/2018 Because we have managed life insurance for over a decade our clients will sometimes inquire about the best permanent life insurance policy to buy. Our answer – always – is there is no single best policy. The market usually has a “latest and greatest” policy and today it is equity index universal life (EIUL) which captured 64 percent of all [...]
Updated 11/13/19 Originally posted 8/8/18 A TOLI trustee we work with received a request from a grantor tired of gifting to pay premiums on his portfolio of whole life policies. His agent suggested that the three policies be replaced with one policy with a reduced death benefit. The existing portfolio totaled $5.7 million of coverage. The agent proposed transferring the $2.1 million of cash value [...]
Updated 10/29/19 Originally posted 6/4/18 Four years ago, it was reported that the average age of a financial advisor in America was 51, with 43% over the age of 55 and many heading towards retirement (1). One year later, an industry publication noted that the average age of a US life insurance agent was even higher — 59 (2). Many veteran life insurance agents have [...]
This week our New York City office received letters alerting us of a cost of insurance (COI) increase for Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company “Genworth”. Over the last year, Genworth has only produced illustrations based on guaranteed rates and guaranteed cost of insurance rates for certain products, citing insurance regulations. This follows a similar pattern of other carriers including John Hancock Life Insurance [...]
Updated 10/8/19 Originally Posted 4/17/18 Sally Wylie, a retiree living on an island in Maine, was stunned when her long-term care (LTC) policy premium almost doubled. According to the Wall Street Journal article that recounted her dilemma, the one-time learning specialist took on part-time work to help with the finances, and she and her husband cut back on expenses to afford the premium for the [...]
Originally Posted 3/26/18. Updated 10/2/2019 Those of us in the fiduciary world are aware of the rash of lawsuits targeting 401(k) plans. Fidelity, the largest retirement plan provider in the US, settled lawsuits filed by its own employees alleging that its plan choices were too costly (1). Vanguard, a firm known for its low costs, was referenced in a suit alleging that by selecting classes [...]
In the last two posts, we explained the popularity of the equity index universal life policy, as well as the mechanics of the policy. While the policy is tied to an equity index, it is a fixed product, with the bulk of the premium going into the carrier’s general account to satisfy the floor and the balance – a much smaller amount – going [...]
In the first posting in this series on the equity index universal life (EIUL) policy, we talked about the popularity of the policy and the general characteristics of the policy. In this post, we will outline the mechanics of the policy. As we mentioned in the first post, the policy cash value is tied to an index, for example, the S&P 500. The gain [...]
A Three-Part Series for Trust-Owned Life Insurance (TOLI) Trustees As the back-office administrator of thousands of life insurance trusts for fiduciaries across the country, we deal with every type of policy. We have found the equity index universal life policy to be one of the most misunderstood policies in the TOLI space. This three-part series provides a thorough background in the policy, its mechanics, [...]
