Saturday, September 20, 2008

Life and Disability Insurance Articles in Every Aspect


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Life and Disability Insurance Underwriter is a non profit organization and not associated with any insurance company and agency. Our aims are to provide free information with all Life and disability insurance articles that cover many of its subjects written by well known insurance experts. It is the best place to search for life and disability insurance information before making decision to purchase life and disability insurance for individual or business.
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Weekly New Publication Article Sept. 11 - 17- 2010

Exploring the Benefits of Universal Life Insurance
By Chris A. Harmen

There are many options to consider when choosing a life insurance policy. The first step in the selection process is to decide what type of policy to pursue. There are many conventional choices, but financial coordinators have now begun recommending a less typical type of policy known as universal life insurance. Universal coverage offers much more than just a policy. It acts to protect the family after the death of the insured, just like other policies. However, it is the unique features of the universal coverage option that make it different from most traditional options.
What Is Universal Life Insurance?
Universal life insurance is a type of policy that offers the owner almost unsurpassed flexibility and choice. These policies require an unprecedented level of involvement on the part of the policyholder because there is almost nothing fixed about them. They are based upon a cash value account, which the holder may add value to whenever he or she chooses. There is no specified rate at which funds must be added, nor is it standard practice to impose a specified minimum balance. Instead, the holder retains the complete right to manage the balance as he or she sees fit.
Traditional policies tend to lock the insured into an option for an average of 20 years, if not more. In contrast, universal life insurance offers the opportunity to monitor and change the plan every day if desired. Why Cash Value Is Important
Most experts consider the cash aspect to be the centerpiece of any universal life insurance coverage. The account is similar to an account that would be found at a bank, including its ability to gain interest. The cash value is controlled by the person who owns the policy; they can make withdrawals and deposits, just as with any standard savings method. This feature is found only in universal life insurance. Other plan styles do not offer these types of unstructured options.
Because these plans offer an account, owners have unparalleled flexibility. There are many functions included that go beyond a simple deposit or withdrawal. A user can surrender his or her policy, terminating it in exchange for the total sum cash value at that point, less any applicable withdrawal charges. Another option is to take out a loan from the issuing agency. It is essentially a loan against the cash value, but behaves much like a loan from any other common source. Finally, the plan can also be collateral for a loan issued elsewhere.
Paying For The Policy
The account attached to a given plan does not itself constitute a universal life insurance policy. Instead, it is like a dedicated selection of funds set aside specifically for payment of the plan. On a predetermined schedule, the provider will debit funds from that account in order to pay for a predetermined amount of coverage. The provider then sends a detailed and itemized bill to ensure that the owner understands exactly what he or she is receiving.
There is one potential drawback to this system. Because the amount is automatically debited from the account, the owner must keep careful track of the balance. It is possible for this type of policy to lapse because there are not enough funds in the account itself, meaning that the policyholder would suddenly be without coverage. Although an agent may keep some sort of watch over an account, the ultimate responsibility always lies with the policyholder. Of course, the limit on how much can be placed into the tax-advantaged account are very high, so one may deposit enough to have quite a substantial cushion. Proactive measures like this can greatly reduce the risk of sudden loss of coverage.
Who Benefits From This Type of Plan?
Unlike most other policies, universal life insurance offers a unique opportunity to combine investment and coverage. Universal life insurance provides the same package of benefits as any other type of plan, but it has the additional bonus of the tax-advantaged account. For this reason, many individuals choose to purchase a universal life insurance policy for the tax-advantaged investment plan-even though that is not the main purpose of the policy. Money can accrue interest and be withdrawn at will, making it a safe choice that has benefits.
In addition, forward-thinking individuals can use universal life insurance to protect a business in the event of their death. The policy can help keep the business afloat and enable it to benefit from the rest of the accrued money. The same is true for anyone who will leave an estate, as the funds can help pay off estate tax. And finally, starting a plan early in life is an excellent option for retirees. Planning ahead and depositing more than the minimum into a universal life insurance plan can be a great way to ensure security after retirement.
With an understanding of this unique policy, individuals can not only plan for the future, but also for the present as needed.
SEEK INDEPENDENT ADVICE. All information expressed in this article is intended to be general information only. You should not rely upon this general information to make legal, tax, investment, estate or financial planning decisions. No portion of this article is intended to nor does it provide legal, tax, investment, estate or financial planning advice. For this type of advice, you must consult an independent advisor.
Chris Harmen writes for Wholesale Insurance, a life insurance company that connects men and women with many different policy types, including universal life insurance.


Recommended Reading
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Your Life Insurance Policy



Weekly Past Publication Article Sept. 04 - 10 - 2010

Medical Misconduct - What to Do?
By Dave Smythe

Going under any medical procedure can be a very frightening experience for anyone. Trusting that you are in the hands of professional medical personal is something that we all assume but there may be situations where that may not be the case. When it comes to health issues, being protected is something that everybody should not take for granted. Knowing your rights about medical malpractice can save you time and grief.

Medical misconduct is when the carelessness or act by a health care provider is licensed to provide medical advice and services in the medical community and causes serious injury and in some cases even death. Medical professionals are required to maintain professional liability insurance to off set the risks and costs of lawsuits based on medical malpractice cases that may occur.

Nobody is perfect and we all know that mistakes can happen so ruling out the unexpected is not far fetched. Medical malpractice is not just surgical mishaps; it can be a missed diagnosis, wrong diagnosis along with surgical error and improper surgical techniques. Some of the results may be life altering or even deadly. Handling a medical malpractice situation is very similar as a personal injury situation. In a typical personal injury case the defendants actions is compared to what a similar person would have done in that circumstance. The judge or jury would then make their decision weather or not that person is liable for the injury.

In a medical misconduct cases instead of being held to a reasonable person standard the doctor is held standard of a 'reasonable professional' or a 'reasonable doctor.' People in the medical industry are looked up to and are held to a higher standard than non-medical people are. When it comes to your health you can never be too careful. Knowing your rights and being prepared for the worst can benefit you something happens.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Smythe



Weekly Past Publication Article August 28 - Sept. 03 - 2010

Family Dental Plans - What You Need to Know

By Linda D. Perry Platinum Quality Author

Being single means that you only have to fend for yourself; but even so, the task is still not an easy one. On the other hand, having to fend for a family is extremely difficult. With the many financial obligations that parents have to fulfill, getting a dental plan for all of them can be an arduous task. Many people overlook the dental health of their families and only go to the dentists when their children are afflicted with a toothache or other serious dental problems. However, negligence can have dire consequences, and you may find that foregoing routine check-ups can leave you with a major dental problem and at an expensive price too. Fortunately, many insurance providers offer family dental plans to cater for the dental needs of the average family.

Family dental plans usually cover for routine maintenance and check-ups such as prophylaxis, dental fillings, and oral exams. In you want surgical procedures to be covered as well, it is best to speak with the insurance provider to determine which plan covers them. Aside from the wide range of dental services that can be availed, another advantage of this type of plan is the discounts that can be enjoyed. Many of them offer up to 60% discount on dental services which can save families a lot of money. Compared to individual dental plans, the family plans are easier to process which means that in about day or two, the policy goes into effect and family members can already avail of the services.

In order to find the best family dental plans to suit your needs, there are several things that you have to keep in mind. Firstly, it is of utmost importance to research about the different family plans there is. Find out which of them covers a wide range of dental services at a monthly fee that is easy on your family's budget. It is also advisable to call various insurance companies so you can ask as many questions about their plans as possible. It is important to be thorough so that you won't have to deal with issues later that may arise as a result of confusion.

If your family already has a dentist in mind, you should ask whether he is a member of the family dental plans that you have your eye on. It is not easy to have to change dentists especially if your family was comfortable with the previous one. A dentist who is also familiar with your family's dental history is an added advantage because you are assured that he will be able to provide the dental care that your family needs.

Click Here ==> for much more information on Family Dental Plans and Dental Plans, visit LookDentalPlans.com <== Click Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_D._Perry


Weekly Past Publication Article August 21 - 27 - 2010

Payroll Taxes - How Shareholders in a Corporation Can Be Personally Liable
By Richard Chapo Platinum Quality Author

The corporate entity has been with us a very long time. In fact, it is the standard business entity and the default choice of most publicly traded entities. There are many aspects of the entity that one can delve into, but one that doesn't get enough attention is how shareholders can be pegged with liability for certain taxes, particularly payroll taxes.

The corporation is unique in the American legal landscape because of a piece of fiction. That fiction is the legal standing of the entity. It is considered to be a living person under the law. Courts have uniformly held that it has the same rights of a person. You might recall the general outrage that occurred when the Supreme Court ruled corporations could not be forced to limit their donations to politicians because it violated their right to free speech. This right to free speech arises from the entity being considered a person under the law.

Given this standing, you will often hear or read that the shareholders of a corporation can only be found liable for their capital contribution. This simply means that you only risk the amount of consideration you pay for the shares you own. For example, if I buy $1,000 of Google stock and the company goes bankrupt tomorrow, I can only lose my $1,000. This theory is generally true, but not always.

Payroll taxes are monies that a company is liable to pay on behalf of employees. A corporation must share in the tax liability of its employees. Problems arise, however, when a company is having cash flow problems and doesn't make the payments. The IRS gets very hot and bothered by such situations. Let's put it this way. Pit Bulls get scared. The agency views the failed payment as a theft and will literally raid businesses as a first step to collecting the debt.

Failing to pay payroll taxes is pretty much the last thing any business should do. Many corporations make the mistake, however. Then things get interesting for shareholders. While a shareholder is not typically personally liable for the tax debts of a corporation, they can be held liable for the payroll tax if they were in some way responsible for their collection and payment. My investment in Google is not going to get me in trouble, but the same is not true with most corporate entities. Most of them are small businesses where the shareholder(s) often are also involved in the daily running of the business. In such a situation, the IRS is going to try to nail each with joint and several liability for any payroll tax problem.

If you are the shareholder in a corporation, you should review your role in it. Any involvement in the issuance of payroll makes you personally liable if the company does not meet its tax payroll obligations.

Richard A. Chapo writes about payroll tax lien problems and a host of other income tax subjects for BusinessTaxRecovery.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo



Weekly Past Publication Article August 13 - 19 - 2010

Annuities - Facts and Information About Anuity Insurance

Most people worry about investing in an annuity because the product seems foreign to them. While the terminology is different and sometimes a little confusing, a fixed annuity is really nothing more than a CD with more benefits. It tax-defers your interest and gives you the option to take payments you'll never outlive.

Most of the time, the owner and the annuitant are the same person. Just like a CD there are penalties for early withdrawal. The insurance companies call them surrender charges instead of penalties. Unlike a CD, however, you can often access a portion of your principal from many annuities without a fee.

Insurance companies are businesses and in order to earn the right to service customers, they had to make the product more attractive. Today, annuities for those approaching 59 ½ or older are often far more practical than the average CD. Since the product is for retirement and you get a tax shelter, it has a 10 percent tax penalty for people under the age of 59 ½ who remove their money, just as an IRA does so it often doesn't suit the young investor.

If you've already found how easy life becomes when you invest in an annuity, you may be in the shopping mode to find another or simply find one with a better rate or interior design. Changes and improvements create a need to periodically look at your present product. There are special steps you must take to avoid taxation when you transfer funds from one annuity to another. Make certain that your agent follows these steps.

The representative must fill out a state replacement form and you must sign it. This notifies the Department of Insurance that you're transferring funds. It also notifies your old company that you're switching. Be wary of any agent that doesn't fill out the form. It's against insurance law for them to omit it.

The representative then fills out a section 1035 Exchange form. These forms tell the government that you aren't receiving the funds but transferring them directly into another policy. If you take receipt of the funds, you pay taxes on the growth. This form guarantees that you'll get to defer the taxation.

After you fill out the paperwork for the new annuity, the representative sends all the forms to the appropriate place. You'll have time to consider the transaction and probably receive notification from your old company. That's not bad, however. You should already know why you transferred the funds, but if you signed in a moment of confusion, talk to your old agent and see what they have to offer. If they have a better product, ask why he never showed it to you before this time.

Whether you're investing for the first time in an annuity or transferring funds from another product, always keep good records. When you start to remove funds, you'll need to know what your original basis was. That simply means, how much money did you put into the annuity. Your basis is the amount you put into the first annuity if you do a transfer. You'll need this at tax-time if you take funds out to use.

No matter whether you're a first time annuity purchaser or an old hand at annuities, it pays to get several different annuity quotes and shop for product features that fit your needs. By doing this, you'll have the best annuity for your situation.

John C. Ryan is an expert in the field of annuities [http://bestfixedannuityquote.com/ABOUT-ANNUITIES.html] and other investment tools for retirement. Annuity insurance has been around for a number of years, but has grown increasing popularity due to the recession, and the increasing number of retirees in the US. Come see us for more anuity information and analysis.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_C_Ryan



Weekly Past Publication Article August 06 -12 - 2010

The Benefits of a 401K Rollover to Roth IRA
By Beth Lyons Platinum Quality Author

Being smart about money means taking the time to research your options. If you're transitioning from one job to another, facing unemployment, or getting ready for retirement you need to think about what you are going to do with your 401(k). You have the option of not doing anything, in all three of these situations. If you're moving to a new job you can leave the current money in your 401(k) and it is no big deal. If you're leaving that job and unfortunately, you do not have another job lined up, you can still leave the money where it is. And in fact, when you reach the age of retire, you don't have to move your 401(k) account. The 401(k) rules are very clear in governing the retirement phase of your career and there are benefits to moving the money to a Roth IRA.

It is not always going to be the smartest move, but consider a 401(k) to IRA. This is especially important if you are about to retire. If you look at a 401(k) to Roth IRA rollover you will see that you have more options on what happens with your money and how much money you can withdraw, if you move the money out of the 401(k). Even if you still have many years of work life left, you may decide that a 401(k) to IRA is the right way to go. One of the benefits of moving to an IRA is that you are going to have many more choices of investment funds. In a traditional 401(k) you may have a dozen funds to choose from. With an IRA, however, you could conceivably have hundreds of choices.

There is a difference between a regular IRA and a Roth IRA. A regular IRA, like a 401(k), grows with tax deferred money. If you contribute to a Roth, however, you're using money that has already been taxed. There are many benefits to choosing a Roth account. The tax implications are the most important. If retiree budgets have a common Achilles' heel, it is taxes. So often as people work through their financial plan and decide how much money they need during retirement, they underestimate the tax bill. By using a Roth IRA as part of your financial portfolio, you can mitigate some of the tax burden. Admittedly your money might not grow quite as fast as a 401(k) would, but with steady application and focus your Roth IRA account will be as robust as any part of your portfolio.

Visit 401k Rollover Answers for more about the benefits of a Roth IRA.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beth_Lyons



Weekly Past Publication Article July 31 -August 05 - 2010

15 Steps to Become Wealthy
By Elizabeth Rosa

1. What is your financial freedom figure? To calculate this, you need to do the following: Write down the annual salary you need to live comfortably (NOT wealthy) just comfortable £__________

Multiply this figure £_________ x 15

This is your financial freedom figure. As you now have a goal, you can work towards it.

2. Learn how to manage your money. Even someone on a low wage who learns to manage their money can eventually become wealthy with compounding interest. That is money put into savings that is never touched again. Here's an example

*A guy working for UPS earning a salary of no more than £30,000 per year left a legacy of £70 MILLION

Mr Ted Johnson was in his 90's when he died. He worked for UPS, and his salary was no more than £30,000 per year. He lived a full life and had a great lifestyle. He gave away £36 MILLION. He created incredible abundance for the people around him.

He did it because he knew the power of compounding interest. This is when you put money away. You never remove it, just keep reinvesting. With compounding interest it is possible to achieve you financial goals in 10 to 14 years.

Here's an example: if you were to invest £5 per day instead of spending it on stuff, you would have £150 per month. If you reinvested that £150 per month for 30 years at 15% annual return, after 30 years you would have £1,051,000. Add another 10 years you would have £4.7 MILLION. If you did the same with £250 per month you would have £7.8 MILLION after 30 years.

Get started now!

If you wanted to pay for your child's education and invested £100 per month from his birth at 15% rate of return after 19 years you would have £110,000. If you were to keep reinvesting in trust, after 50 years £9.6 Million

60 years £39.2 Million

70 years £158 Million

*Sourced from Tony Robbins 'Get the edge'

So starting today, put at least 10% in savings and start building your wealth and protect yourself against the next recession. Pay 10% FIRST, then pay your bills etc.. Set up an automated system such as a Standing Order with your bank come pay day.

3. Many people waste their money on 'stuff' they don't need, have high bills on several credit cards. If you are only managing to pay off the interest, you are really in trouble! To learn how to manage money, read Alvin Hall's book 'Your Money or Your Life' available at Amazon.

4. If becoming wealthy feels impossible to you, then once you have clearly defined your financial freedom figure as above, you can start seeking out ways to draw yourself towards it. The Law of Attraction would come into play here. So, if in your mind becoming wealthy would mean having a home based business, start imagining that. You would soon start attracting opportunities towards you, because your subconscious mind is seeking them out.

5. You need to believe that you can achieve it, otherwise you will not start.

6. You need to make it an absolute MUST to achieve your goal to become wealthy & abundant. Right now you only earn what you MUST have, not what you should have.

7. You need to have a realistic plan

8. Once you have your plan in place, you need to take action and follow through

9. When you have a setback, revise what you are doing. Ask yourself whether you need to rethink your plan and change your way of thinking. Then, to maintain the momentum keep going forward. Did you know that the entrepreneur Colonel Sanders who founded KFC was rejected no less than 1009 times by restaurant owners? By 1964 he had 600 franchises. The rest is history.

10. Nobody cares about your money more than you do. If you arrange for an 'expert' to take care of your money, ensure that you understand 100% what they are doing. If you don't, don't invest! Elton John & Billy Joel lost vast sums of money when they entrusted 'experts' with their money.

11. Conduct your life as if it were a business. That is you worked for 1 year, and you are in profit by £_____.00 Most people would be bankrupt, or they believe that breaking even is OK.

12. Don't allow other people's negative opinions to 'kill' your plans and ideas. If this happens, surround yourself with people who are in the business that you want to be in, who can support you.

13. If you are waiting to win the lottery, the chances in the UK are 1 in 14 MILLION! Most millionaire winners go broke within 2 to 3 years because they did not know how to manage their money. They should have got hold of Alvin Hall's book 'Your Money or Your Life'!

14. Go against the grain. Donald Trump bought property in New York when every other property developer was fleeing. As a result he became a multi-millionaire, and later a billionaire (after a major setback) He believed in what he was doing, and made it an absolute must. He did not allow negativity from others to influence him. He had a plan, and he took action.

15. Get a mentor. Learn from the most successful person in your chosen field. One of the biggest secrets to success is to follow a mentor, who will give you the benefit of your experience, perspective and save you time and frustration. If this is not possible, then buy their books, CD's, DVD's, seminars etc..

It's never too late to start.

The key that unlocks the door to wealth

The real secret to wealth is gratitude. For those people who have everything that money can buy and are not happy is because they are not grateful.

Start your day with gratitude. Gratitude for life and love yourself. The Law of Attraction will come into operation as you will attract others who are grateful. That's the moment that you are rich!

Discover these Secret Ancient Teachings and many, many more in The Covenant http://www.SecretAncientWisdom.com



Weekly New Publication Article July 24- 30 - 2010

15 Steps Toward Achieving YOUR Financial Freedom
By Bill Ryon

Reaching your goals is no easy task. You work very hard your whole life looking forward to the time when you can take your foot off of the pedal and smell the roses. Having a financial plan and strategy in place will help create a disciplined process for taking the needed steps towards reaching your goals and getting to YOUR destination. In your professional life you are likely required to make plans whether it's for your sales goals or for your divisions growth over the next ten years or because you are a businesses owner and trying to get a loan. You make plans in your business so why not apply the same thinking to your personal life. These steps are meant to get you thinking and by no means are they the exact answer for every individual, family, or business. We do hope they are helpful and that you lean on us for further information and guidance.

1. What's the plan? A good financial strategy will consider all aspects of your financial life to help guide you toward your destination.

2. Keep records organized and in a safe place. Use the technology available today to help clear those piles of paper on your desk and in your desk drawers.

3. Know where you stand financially. This means knowing your liquid net worth (savings & investments minus non-real estate debt).

4. Save regularly for the future including retirement and other goals.

5. Live within your means. This goes without saying but if you can do it you will be well on your way to reaching your destination.

6. Properly diversify assets. You certainly do not need to be your own mutual fund but allocating assets across classes of investments while keeping your risk tolerance and time horizon in mind can be helpful when planning.

7. Keep close tabs and properly manage those pesky liabilities including: mortgages, auto loans, boat loans, credit cards, retail store cards, etc. Be on the watch for rate hikes.

8. Manage cash effectively. This means knowing when to deploy cash and when to do nothing at all.

9. Manage life's risks. Have appropriate amounts of insurance to cover various risks including Life, Medical, Disability, Long-term care, Homeowner's, Auto, Boat and Personal liability insurance. You may have additional risk exposures which can be looked at on an individual basis.

10. Consider a plan to fund college education for children or grandchildren. This is a very complex area of planning please call or email for assistance and resources.

11. Life is big! Have a plan for other large expenses such as weddings or a second home.

12. Have an emergency fund with at least 3-6mos of income set aside. Your personal situation will dictate the amount needed for you and your family.

13. Complete a will. You'll feel great knowing that your wishes will be carried out.

14. Update beneficiaries. Many problems can be avoided by simply reviewing this simple document each year. It's all about what you want and need, so by keeping your beneficiary designations updated you will ensure that your assets are going where you want them to go upon your passing.

15. If you own a business you may need to consider a plan for succession. If a family member or partner is not going to takeover you will want a confidential plan for your exit.

Hopefully, this get's the wheels spinning. I should add number sixteen and say, do not let the amount of information or number of topics cause you stress. They can all be addressed individually, over time and in an organized fashion. The first steps are the hardest, and they are gathering up all of the documents and information. We are here to help so please use our vast array of resources and experience.

Bill Ryon is a financial advisor living in Maryland. He has helped dozens of individuals, family's and companies from coast to coast create the plans most appropriate for their needs and goals. For more information you may visit our website at http://www.mycompassadvisors.com. While visiting please sign up for our free educational newsletter. Securities offered through Ridgeway & Conger, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC/MSRB. Advisory services offered through Ridgeway Conger Advisory Services, an SEC Registered Investment Advisory. Compass Investment Advisors and Ridgeway & Conger, Inc./Ridgeway Conger Advisory Services are separate entities.

Ridgeway and Conger, Inc. may only transact business or render personalized investment advice in those states where we are registered or otherwise excluded or exempted from registration requirements. This site is for informational purposes only. Any communications with prospective clients residing in states where Ridgeway and Conger, Inc. and its registered representatives and registered investment advisors are not registered or licensed shall be limited so as not to trigger registration or licensing requirements. Ridgeway & Conger, Inc. Office of Supervisory Control 2123 Main Street PO Box 460 New Woodstock, NY 13122 Member FINRA/MSRB/SIPC



Weekly Past Publication Article July 17 - 23 - 2010

Individual Disability Insurance Benefits For Federal Government Workers
By Michael Relvas Platinum Quality Author

As a Federal Government worker, it is important that you understand the benefits provided to you by the FERS Disability program. A proper understanding will allow you to effectively assess the income protection you have and make an educated decision of whether or not you should obtain individual Disability insurance as a supplement to what you are already provided.

Without going too far into detail, Federal Government workers are provided Disability insurance benefits through the FERS program once they have completed 18 full months of service. For any injury or illness which restricts you from performing your current job and is expected to last beyond one year, you are eligible to receive 60% of your annual salary during the first 12-months of a disability claim and 40% of your annual salary for each year thereafter.

Something that you may not know is that although you are provided 60% and 40% Disability coverage, you may actually receive a substantially smaller benefit than you expect at claim time. Since FERS Disability benefits are primarily paid for by the Federal government, any benefits you receive during a claim are taxable as ordinary income. Due to this taxation of benefits, along with the reduction from 60% to 40% coverage, Federal government workers are faced with a tremendous shortage in income protection. Thus, Federal workers are able to obtain individual Disability insurance as a supplement to their provided coverage.

Similar to how individuals in the private sector purchase individual Disability insurance to supplement their group Disability insurance, Federal government workers can also obtain individual Disability insurance to supplement their FERS Disability benefits. Amongst the many options that are made available for Federal employees, there are some that are more attractive than others.

As you consider purchasing individual Disability insurance, look for two primary characteristics in a policy. The first is to be sure that you are not restricted to which policy provisions and riders can be added to your policy. If you are going to spend money on obtaining individual coverage to properly and effectively protect your income, be sure that you are not restricted on what you can add to your policy. Secondly, be sure that your individual policy benefits will not offset with Social Security disability benefits. Your FERS Disability benefits will already be off-settable with Social Security Disability. It is bad enough that the majority of your FERS benefits may offset with Social Security benefits but again, if you are spending money in order to properly protect your income, you should be sure that you are not paying for Disability insurance that will be reduced as your FERS benefits are already.

Purchasing individual Disability insurance as a means of supplementing the shortage that exists in your FERS Disability coverage is a responsible and intelligent way of effectively protecting your income, your family and your future. Be sure that you work with someone who is familiar with the details associated with FERS Disability benefits and also the individual options available for Federal workers. For more information relating to your FERS benefits, visit Disability benefits for Federal Government workers.

Michael Relvas is a Disability Income Specialist with MR Insurance Consultants, an insurance and financial services firm. Based just outside of Washington DC, Michael has worked with many Federal Government employees to improve their understanding of FERS Disability benefits and also to obtain individual Disability insurance as a supplement to FERS. If you have questions related to FERS Disability insurance and the individual options available to you, call 800-817-4522 or visit us at Disability Income Insurance.



Weekly New Publication Article July 10 - 16 - 2010

Critical Illness Insurance 101


Weekly Past Publication Article July 03 - 09 - 2010

Benefits of a Financial Plan - Retirement Projections
By Lon Jefferies Platinum Quality Author

One of the primary purposes of a financial plan is to identify how clients can achieve their financial goals while exposing themselves to the smallest amount of risk possible. For instance, I recently worked with a couple who just transitioned into retirement. This couple was accustomed to living a lifestyle that required $72,000 of annual gross income. However, this client's million dollar nest egg was cut in half during the bursting of the credit bubble in 2008, and consequently, the clients were incredibly risk averse. In fact, their portfolio was 100% cash, and they didn't want to invest in anything that wasn't 100% guaranteed.

The couple was on pace to receive $36,000 annually from Social Security. Research indicates that a portfolio utilizing only money market investments (3-month Treasury Bills) would have achieve an annualized rate of return of 5.86% since 1970 (and a return of only 3.72% since 1926). Assuming annual inflation equaled 3%, a $500,000 portfolio growing at 5.86% would be able to provide an inflation-adjusted annual income of $28,014 until the clients were 90 years old. Obviously, $36,000 from Social Security and $28,014 of portfolio income would equal a total income of just over $64,000, not enough to enable the couple to continue their standard of living.

Knowing these clients were extremely risk averse, I looked for investment options that would raise annual income but still allow them to sleep at night. I found that since 1970, a diversified portfolio consisting of just 10% stock, 30% bonds, and 60% cash would have averaged an annual return of 7.45%. In addition, during the last 39 years this portfolio had only one year where it did not achieve a positive return, and that was during 2008 when it lost just.10%. Thus, history indicates that this portfolio is extremely unlikely to endure significant losses, but the higher return would provide an inflation-adjusted income of $33,097. This would bring the clients' total projected annual income up to $69,000.

At this point the clients were able to determine if they could be happy living on an annual income that was $3,000 less than what they were accustomed to. As you might expect, it was determined that this income would provide for all their basic needs, but the couple wanted to know what type of portfolio would enable them to continue their exact standard of living. I found that since 1970, a portfolio consisting of 10% stock, 60% bonds, and 30% cash produced an annualized return of 8.36%, which after adjusting for inflation produced an annual income of $36,190, enough for the couple to continue their current lifestyle. However, this portfolio came with a slightly increased level of risk. During the last 39 years, the portfolio produced a negative return twice - a -1.19% return in 1994, and a -.77% return in 1999.

After careful deliberation, the clients decided they were willing to accept the small additional risk of the 10% stock, 60% bond, and 30% cash portfolio in exchange for keeping their anticipated annual income steady. Both clients were further comforted when I pointed out that the 30% cash portion of the $500,000 portfolio ($150,000) would provide over four years of income necessary to supplement Social Security and keep their annual income at $72,000. Thus, even if the markets crashed, they would essentially have four years of cash under their mattress to provide for them while the economy recovered. Further, the 60% bond portion ($300,000) of the portfolio would provide an additional eight years of income if necessary. Consequently, the clients would have over 12 years of funds available without having to touch their investments in stocks, allowing the market plenty of time to recover from a catastrophe. By comparison, it took the U.S. stock market seven years to recover from the Great Depression.

This is an example of how financial planners utilizes retirement planning tools to identify the target rate of return necessary for a client to achieve their financial goals. Financial advisors can then consider that target return when developing a customized portfolio for that client. This process allows the planner to develop a financial plan that will guide the client to the retirement they envision while minimizing risk. Of course, the lower the risk the higher the probability that the plan's projections will come to fruition.

Lon Jefferies is an investment advisor representative with Net Worth Advisory Group, a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. He specializes in developing custom financial plans, implementing investment strategies, and providing ongoing support and service in order to help clients reach their financial goals. He can be contacted at (801) 566-0740 or lon@networthadvice.com. Visit the Net Worth Advisory Group website at http://networthadvice.com and read Lon's blog at http://www.utahfinancialadvisor.blogspot.com.



Weekly Past Publication Article June 27 - July 03 - 2010

Annuities - Facts and Information About Anuity Insurance


Weekly Past New Publication Article June 20 - 26 - 2010


First Successor Trustee of a Family Trust
By Norine Peardon

My experience of just recently going through the steps of being the 1st successor trustee of our family trust is nearly complete. Being fresh on my mind, I am taking this opportunity to help the next person who has been appointed in this capacity.

Are you the 1st successor trustee on someone's family trust? When the trust is initiated, be sure you are aware and have a list of the investment assets the primary trustee owns. You should also be presented a full copy of the trust agreement.

On the date of death, go online and record the closing prices of any investments they may hold.

Before you can act as successor trustee, you must obtain a death certificate. This is of primary importance. The next step, generally performed by the trust attorney, is a letter to your county probate court, advising them of the death and that no probate will be necessary because the estate is in trust. To give you the authority to sign the decedent's checks (pay bills, make deposits), you must present a death certificate accompanied with a copy of the trust agreement to the financial institution backing the checking account. The trust agreement gives you the right to handle the decedent's financial affairs and more.

You will now be responsible for arranging the funeral/memorial service of the decendent and paying the decendent's expenses. You should also notify Social Security if the trustee was receiving social security income. However, the Social Security Administration has many other avenues to learn about the death; hospital, coroner, financial institution, funeral home.

Next, you will need to notify the companies in which the decedent has investments informing them that the primary trustee has passed and asking that they forward the paper work necessary to record you as the successor trustee. Filing these forms/papers with your signature will give you the right to conduct business with the investment companies without any tax implications. The decedent's trust attorney should be handling this paperwork. When this paperwork is handled properly, you will receive the death certificate back by way of postal mail. Receipt ensures that the trust company attorney has completed the task of putting you on all the investments of each particular company as "successor trustee". You are now authorized to conduct business on behalf of the decedent in respect to their investments.

You will also have the responsibility to see that the decedent's last will and testament is carried out. This means you will collect any funds received into the trustee's bank account and supervise the disposal and distribution of all assets, property. This includes real estate, personal (car, investments, clothing, jewelry, papers, appliances, etc.) Obviously, no distributions of the estate should occur until all the trustee's financial obligations are resolved.

Some other notes of interest are, a Homestead refund is not allowable for the year of death. If the trustee had ample income, a federal and state tax return may be required, another responsibility of the successor trustee. You will experience serious delay in obtaining the death certificate if the decedent trustee donated their body to research. It will be your responsibility to initiate all calls to the county of death checking to see if the death certificate has been received. You will need to purchase certified copies of the death certificate. You will need one each for probate, bank(s), investments company and extra for family members.

With the above information, carrying out your responsibilities as 1st successor trustee should be less cumbersome.

© Norine Peardon, 2010

The author, Norine Peardon, has published many articles and blogs for the Internet. Visit her other articles and blogs at the following: Buying Your First House
Classical & Country Music
Norine Peardon
Contact Me: norinepeardon4yahoo.com


Weekly Past Publication Article June 13 - 19 - 2010
Keep Your Family Legacy in the Family With a Private Foundation


Weekly Past Publication Article June 05 - 12 - 201o


Index Annuity Explained For the Common Man For a Better Understanding
By Robert C Eldridge Jr

Money is very important to fulfill one's needs and desires. Without money, we cannot hope to live a happy and contended life. And thus, saving money for times of adversity is very important. Today, you are making a handsome amount of money by running a successful business or doing a well paying job. However, this steady flow of income may not last forever as we have seen in recent times because of the recession.

There are various kinds of financial products that help you save for your bad days. One such financial product is an annuity. An annuity guarantees you a fixed income at periodic intervals for the investment you have made over a certain length of time.

Traditionally, there were only two types of annuities available- fixed annuity and variable annuity. However, owing to the popularity of the stock market as a source of making some quick bucks, financial institutions have come up with products that keep the stock market risk at the bare minimum while helping you reap the benefits of it. The name of one such financial product is index annuity.

But what exactly is index annuity. An index annuity is a variant of fixed annuity where the insurance company pays you interest depending on the equity index to which the annuity is linked. In other words, an indexed annuity does not follow any of the traditional models of annuities that is - a fixed rate of interest decided at the time of buying the annuity or revision of the interest rate by the insurance company periodically.

With index annuity, the interest rate fluctuates depending on the index it is linked to. However, the insurance company guarantees you a minimum rate of interest thereby eliminating the risk of the stock market. A popular kind of index that the annuities are linked to by most insurance companies is S & P 500. The rate of interest payable to the customer is calculated by taking into account the value of the concerned index on a day to day basis.

An index annuity may not guarantee you the kind of returns that you could get by trading in the stock market. But then again, it shields you from the volatile nature of the stock market which has destroyed many a people's lives because of its uncertainties.

A perfect example of this is the recent recession. An index annuity protects you from such calamities and makes sure you have a steady source of income at hand at all times. Therefore, it is fast becoming the preferred source of investment option for many and replacing the old mindset of "stock markets can make you rich quickly without working hard".

An index annuity can be a deferred annuity or an immediate annuity. With an immediate annuity, you start receiving an income immediately while with a deferred annuity, there is a lock in period before you can start withdrawing the amount. It is always better to consult a financial wizard to decide on which type of annuity would suit you best.

Click on the link below to learn more about an Index Annuity.

Visit http://www.annuitycampus.com for more Annuity and Life Insurance Tips and Tricks. Call Robert Eldridge directly at 800-643-7544. Robert Eldridge holds over a decade of experience as a multiline agent in multiple states and currently serves on the membership council of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.



Weekly New Publication Article May 30 to June 05 - 2010

Prevent Your Bonds From Becoming a Greek Tragedy
By Jim L Hudson

It is common sense for everyone to have an annual physical examination. This is a preventive measure to detect early signs of potential health problems. Now what about our financial health? Uncommon sense recommends a yearly checkup for signs of problems with our city, state and county bond holdings. Interest paid on these was free from tax and the principle was guaranteed. Is that fact or fiction?

Prudent asset stewards should immediately investigate to see if their bonds are Greek-style cooking. First, check the current balance sheet. Then it is crucial to examine the projections for revenue versus obligations. Recently the State of California was informed by court order that its budget cuts cannot be compromised, resulting in financial chaos.

Have the referees from the three major rating companies swallowed their whistles? At a minimum they should be warning bond owners of potential stormy weather. Because many cities and counties did not carry super credit ratings they paid insurance premiums to third parties to guarantee principal and interest. The result was less interest paid out on the bonds. Now it appears that current bond rating personnel are unable to see the color signifying danger - red. They only see the primary color of greed and paper currency - green.

Can your bonds survive a stress test? How stable is the health of your bond insurance company? These are relevant and timely questions considering that more than half of our states have larger economies than Greece's. Look at the Greek tragedies cooked up and served as nutritious but exposed five to ten years later as poison.

Again, uncommon sense dictates an immediate check up!

Jim Hudson expert on Tax law enforcement, organic citizen lobbying. http://medusasolution.com/



Weekly Past Publication Article May 22 to 29 - 2010

What to Do With Your Money Once You Have It
By Lark A. Miller

Even if you do not believe in what is going to happen with the economy, there are multiple reasons why it is important to know what to do with your money once you have it. The average American spends 1.05 for every $1 that they make. Do you fall into this "average" American category? Even if you do not, those numbers should shock you. Common sense would say that continuing to live a life of debt will leave you trapped, feeling inadequate and owing the banks for the rest of your life.

Are you debt free? Then you probably have a mortgage, maybe a car payment or are planning to have money when you retire. Do you know how to pay off your debt quicker and retire younger? Going to buy a 24 of beer is not the answer. Neither is working a 9-5 job that you hate just to wait another year for a raise and enjoy the benefits you never use.

We are not taught how to manage our money in school, which to this day is still absolutely impractical. A financial education course should be mandatory. To know how and where to spend your money rather than to know what a rhombus is would be a little more convenient. Perhaps the government does not want us to learn the facts of finances for fear of losing control of their population of sheep.

Staying on top of your finances will not only help you organize your life and your future, it will help you achieve your desired income and goals with this one life that you have on earth. Know what to do with your money once you have it. There is no time to waste, spend your time learning and staying educated. Do not focus on excuses of why you cannot do it. Focus on how you need to do it for yourself, your future and your legacy.

Trying to Figure Out What to Do With Your Money?
Learn From Self Made Millionaires, Start Today
http://www.HonestIncomeOnline.com




Weekly Past Publication Article May 15 to 21 - 2010
Why Does a Bankruptcy Attorney Give a Free Bankruptcy Case Review?
By Jay King

Over time you may have found that society draws a rather adverse picture of bankruptcy attorneys or attorneys in general. Society may depict attorneys as professionals who are greedy and tend to chase money. When you actually start dealing with a bankruptcy lawyer you will most likely find this not to be the case at all.

If you are in a position where filing bankruptcy may be your only solution a professional, a licensed bankruptcy attorney will be your only friend to get you through this trying period. It may surprise you to know that a lawyer will offer you a free bankruptcy case review before they charge you a penny for their service. A typical bankruptcy case review may take from 30 minutes up to an hour.

So why do bankruptcy attorneys, who after all are depicted as these terrible greedy money chasers, offer you a free bankruptcy case review that could take up to one hour of their time? The answer is that this depiction, for the most part, is a myth. A lawyer is there to help you. Your bankruptcy attorney will know how to file bankruptcy in the best possible way for you to take advantage of seeking protection under the US bankruptcy law. Whether it be a chapter 7 or a chapter 13 bankruptcy, your attorney will show you the best way to get through this complicated legal procedure and restore your life to financial freedom.

If you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy, the first step you can take is to complete a free bankruptcy case evaluation online. A bankruptcy evaluation online will only take you less than two minutes. After completing your online free bankruptcy evaluation, you will then be connected to professional licensed attorneys in your area that will provide you with an initial free bankruptcy counseling session.

Bankruptcy is your first step to seeking protection against your creditors under the US bankruptcy law. Here you will find answers to all your questions and all the latest bankruptcy news. Start with a free bankruptcy evaluation online, then move forward with a free case review by a licensed attorney and dispel the horrible myth about attorneys once and for all.

Jay King is a Lawyer of Bankruptcy Attorney. We've all heard of large companies filing for bankruptcy or "going bankrupt" and most of us would think that particular company must be in trouble.




Weekly New Publication Article May 08 to 14 - 2010
Long-Term Care Insurance is About Planning Not Denial!
By Dane Petchul

It may be just denial or just a failure to plan for something that we just don't want to think about. This something (needing help with the activities of daily living) statistically has a 60% chance of utilizing in our lifetime. If you aren't 50 years old you probably haven't given this type of planning any thought. If you're 50 or above and a planner or are in the midst of helping a parent with their activities of daily living, then maybe this has crossed your mind.

There are many misconceptions in what long-term care insurance is and what it does for you and your family. It is like so many other insurances people buy for homes and automobiles. Long-term care insurance protects your family, your assets, your dignity and your ability to make your own decision on where and how care will be given when the time comes.

It is a fact that people are living longer today. Advances in medicine today, prolong lives as well as people are more conscious about their health. The baby boomers of yesterday are quickly becoming the seniors of today. The large numbers of boomers and with their expected longevity, there will be a serious need for medical, home and nursing care.

Are you prepared to pay $6,000 to $8,000 a month for nursing home, maybe $500 a month for assisted-living or even $500 a month for home care? Medicare does not pay for prolonged care. It does pay for some care if the patient is improving and getting better, but not for long-term care.

It is important to become better educated on what long-term care is. It is not just nursing home insurance as it was once thought to be. Clients receiving benefit from their long-term care insurance policies may be living in their own homes. They may still enjoy the theatre, family dinners and outings. Just because they are receiving care does not mean that they can no longer enjoy many of the activities that they used to do.

Denial and just plain "I don't want to think about" or even thinking that "it's not going to happen to me" gets people into trouble. It is the delay and ignorance that has people failing to plan. Long-term care financing and planning is unique to every individual and family. There are many different products that may be a better fit depending upon the individual's situation.

Put long-term care planning as a priority. The younger and healthier you are, the better your rate will be. There is a misconception that you can buy long-term care insurance anytime you want. This is just not true. It is all based on your age and your current health status.

Long-term health insurance should be discussed, and the sooner the better. When doing your research and becoming educated on this topic make sure that you are consulting with an independent broker who represents all the top carriers. Given the fact that studies point out that most people today will expect to live longer, it really is about time for one to consider having long-term health care insurance.

Having such a policy will provide you with a good deal of independence, and it can also help free other members of your family from being financially burdened, and also provide relief from emotional strain.

Before you purchase a long-term care policy, consult with Dane Petchul, LTCP, CLTC, a Long-Term Care Specialist at http://www.LongTermCareInsurancePros.com. You will receive a free, no obligation quote with the costs and benefits appropriate for you and your family.



Weekly Past Publication Article May 01 to 06 - 2010
Bankruptcy Law - Chapter Eleven


Weekly Past Publication Article April 24 to 30 - 2010
Understanding Your Investment Style
By Wesley E Anderson Platinum Quality Author

Before you invest in anything, you must understand your tolerance level and how much you are willing to invest. In addition to this, you will need to choose your investment style so you can be sure to know how much you are willing to invest and how soon you need this investment.

If you are the type who do not wish to take much risk, then you will more than likely invest with a conservative approach. If you are a more aggressive type of investor, then you will more than likely take a very aggressive approach in your investing. Ultimately, your budget and financial will help you find out if you are a more aggressive, moderate, or conservative investor.

If you are in your early twenties and you are trying to build a retirement fund, then you will most definitely want to take a more conservative approach to investing. However, if you are trying to buy a home, or help your child through college or prepare for college, then you will want to step it up just a little more.

Most conservative investors just want to maintain what they originally invested. Meaning that if they invest $1000 into a vehicle, then they at least want to get that back in return so that they can break even and start all over again. The typical strategy for this is usually stocks and bonds and options.

Most common returns that conservative investors make are usually interest earning savings accounts. A more moderate investor will diversify their funds a little more than the conservative investor. They will put a portion of their funds in one vehicle and then put the rest into a more aggressive investments that will help bring in money that will yield them higher returns in a short amount of time.

A more aggressive investor is going to take much more risky attempts than both a conservative and moderate investors. They are going to take higher amounts of money in riskier accounts because these accounts usually bring back higher yields of return. This is either over a long period of time or a short period of time. Either way they are going to be aggressive about it.

What you will ultimately want to do is make sure that you have a plan of action as well as a nice budget to determine whether you are going to invest conservatively, moderately, or aggressively. Your goals will give you a good idea of what means you should take.

Visit my site for more information on financial tips.

http://www.adsensemoneymakersites.com/finance/



Weekly Past Publication Article April 17 to 23 - 2010
Cut Your Inheritance Tax Liability by Writing Your Life Insurance in Trust

Writing a life insurance policy in trust is a simple procedure involving no more than filling in a form at the time when the life policy is being set up.

There are several advantages to setting your life insurance up in trust, which could save both time and money - possibly many thousands of pounds - for your dependents, when you are gone.

What is the meaning of 'in trust'?

By setting up your life insurance policy in trust, you remove the life cover from your 'estate'.

Your estate is your entire wealth, including insurances and savings, and less your debts and liabilities.

Inheritance Tax of 40% would normally be due on any part of the value of your estate which exceeds your Inheritance Tax allowance. Today (2010) the Inheritance Tax allowance is £325,000 for an individual, and £650,000 for a couple.

This means that if, for example, a widow's estate was valued at £425,000, taking away her allowance of £325,000 would leave £100,000, so that Inheritance Tax at 40% would give the taxman £40,000.

A large payout from a life insurance policy would clearly boost the value of your estate considerably, and could result in a large Inheritance Tax liability.

Probate and 'red tape'

Another advantage to placing your life insurance outside of your estate is that the policy payout avoids becoming 'bogged down' in the whole process by which solicitors establish probate, and which can take from three months to three years.

The payout can therefore be made immediately, avoiding long delays for your family and ensuring their financial wellbeing at a difficult time.

About Us

Principle First Chartered Financial Planners is one of the leading UK independent financial advisers and distributors of mortgages, insurances, pensions, investments, and ISA accounts. In 2008, Principle First became one of the few financial advisers to achieve the status of Chartered Financial Planners, the UK's 'gold standard' in financial advice. Find financial planning advice at principlefirst.co.uk.


Weekly PastPublication Article April 10 - 16 - 2010

What Steps Does Your Tax Return Preparer Take to Reduce Your Audit Risk?


Weekly New Publication Article April 02 -09 - 2010
Income Tax Refunds - 5 Tips For How to Best Use Your Income Tax Refund
By Brian G. Methner

As you're waiting for your income tax refund to arrive, you may be making all sorts of plans for how to spend it. Depending on the refund amount, you could be dreaming of a vacation or of replacing your entire wardrobe. Before you sign away your tax check, here are five practical tips for how to best use your income tax refund.

1. Chip Away at Mountainous Debt: Debt on which you're paying high interest rates and can never make more than minimum payments toward may feel like a mountain in the way of your future. If you've received a large tax refund, you could lower that mountain substantially and save yourself thousands in interest. Paying down that debt now could mean the difference between enjoying, rather than simply enduring, your financial life later.

2. Plan for the Future: If there's tax refund money left over after you pay off debt, think what you could invest in that could substantially change your future. Perhaps you'd like to finish college. Is a certification keeping you from a higher earning level? What maintenance would make a big difference if you had to sell your home? Think "long-term benefit" before you give in to instant gratification.

3. Beef Up Your Retirement Funds: Many of us lost money from our retirement funds in the recent recession. Depending on your retirement investment vehicle, you may be able to make a lump sum addition without tax implications. You can find tables online to determine whether some of that tax refund could benefit your retirement.

4. SAVE! How's your Personal Savings Rate? If you're like many Americans, you're trying to save more right now, but still don't have enough put away to stave off an emergency like unemployment. That nice, fat tax refund would look great earning interest, and might go a long way toward easing "what if" anxiety.

5. Balance "Want" with "Need": If you're determined to spend part of that tax refund on something other than what we've discussed, consider spending a small percentage on what you want and using the rest for what you need. Delayed gratification is, after all, the skill that's required to build wealth and avoid debt.

Receiving an income tax refund may have triggered reckless financial behavior in the past, but it doesn't have to this year. You have the ability to spend, save and invest responsibly, and this is a good time to exercise it.

Before the tax refund check comes, sit down and make a plan for how you'll use it. Try to prioritize how it's spent or saved by defining the long-term value. You'll soon find that taking charge of a windfall is a much better feeling than wondering where your tax refund went.

You can find related topics and additional information on the Methner + Associates interactive blog at http://www.askmethner.com. Here you can submit your legal question and have it answered by an attorney in a post within 2 business days.
Anyone needing direct advice can schedule a free 30-minute consultation with an attorney right away at http://www.methnerlaw.com/contact.html or by calling (303)293-2828.



Weekly Past Publication Article Mar. 27- April 02 - 2010

Unsecured Business Loans - For Your Every Business Need


Weekly Past Publication Article Mar. 20- Mar. 26 - 2010
Guaranteed Personal Loans Shaping Your Life


Weekly Past Publication Article Mar. 03- Mar. 19 - 2010
Veterans Disability Compensation - How to Prove a Claim For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
By Christopher Attig

Many veterans suffer from a condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

PTSD is a mental health condition, which, according to the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostics and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) is: "[T]he development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury or other threat to one's physical integrity...[the response to which is] intense fear, helplessness, or horror."

This medical condition often does not appear for weeks, months or years. Whenever a Veteran is diagnosed with PTSD, however,service-connected PTSD surfaces, it is a compensable condition and the veteran is entitled to disability benefits.

Military Veterans often find it difficult to prove to the VA that the PTSD is service connected. I hope that by outlining the general requirements for proving a claim for PTSD to the VA, more veterans are able to secure compensation for what can be a horribly debilitating disease.

There are three (3) factors that a veteran must show to secure disability compensation for PTSD:

1) Obviously, the veteran must be diagnosed with PTSD. So, the first requirement is that the Veteran provide medical evidence of this diagnosis. The VA often misdiagnoses PTSD; if you feel that a VA doctor has misdiagnosed you, you can always seek evaluation by a private psychiatrist or psychologist.

2) Next, the veteran must proved that the trigger, or stressor, for the PTSD, occurred in service. This is called the "in-service stressor", and there are two very different sets of rules applicable to those Veterans that experience a Combat Stressor, or those veterans that experience a non-combat stressor. The evidence needs to be credible - something or someone to corroborate the in-service stressor is always helpful, but corroboration is not the only thing that makes a particular version of events credible.

3) Lastly, you will need to prove the connection, or linkage, between the diagnosed PTSD and the "in-service stressor". This is often the hardest element of the three to prove. Usually, evidence from a lay or medical expert who opines that the in-service stressor was a "contributing factor" to the symptoms of the PTSD should be enough to secure service-connection for the PTSD connection.

If you are a US Veteran heading out to Iraq or Afghanistan, you should anticipate a strong likelihood that you will return from your service with PTSD. I strongly recommend that before heading overseas, you have an independent psychologist or psychiatrist do a "baseline test" for PTSD. Do not provide this test to the military, and do not use a military doctor. Save the report at home with your important papers, and when you return, if you are diagnosed with PTSD, you should be able to prove, convincingly, that the PTSD was caused by military service.

If you are a U.S. Veteran and have questions about your service-connected disability benefits or VA claims, contact an experienced Veterans Disability Benefits attorney.



Weekly Past Publication Article Mar. 06- Mar. 12 - 2010

Buy-Sell Agreement Trigger Events
By Z. Christopher Mercer

Buy-sell agreements are designed to accomplish one or more of the following objectives from one or more of several viewpoints: the corporation, the employee-shareholder, the non-employee shareholder, and any remaining shareholders. The buy-sell agreement provides for what happens to the shares of owners who leave, for whatever reason, whether favorable or unfavorable.

From the corporation's viewpoint, the agreement may prevent the departing shareholder from retaining his shares. By requiring a departing shareholder to sell his or her shares to the corporation, the corporation and remaining shareholders eliminate any potential for conflict over future corporate policies with the departed shareholder. They also eliminate the potential for the departed shareholder to benefit from future success of the business created by the remaining shareholders. Finally, the agreements prevent a shareholder (or his or her estate) from selling shares to "undesirable" parties, enabling the remaining shareholders to decide who the next shareholder will be, if any. These reasons for buy-sell provisions apply to virtually all trigger events.

We use "QFRDD" to denote common trigger events for buy-sell agreements.

If you think about the events suggested by QFRDD, none of them are very pleasant to talk about, particularly to a group of shareholders who may have just come together for a common business purpose. In fact, circumstances could be such that the shareholder most affected by a trigger event has a proverbial gun to his or her head. In the alternative, the company may perceive that it has a gun to its head in order to fulfill the repurchase requirements of an agreement.

Think of QFRDD to remember.

Q - Quits. A buy-sell agreement may provide a mechanism for shareholders who leave a business to sell their shares to the corporation or other shareholders. Shareholders may quit under a variety of scenarios, some of which are more favorable to the corporation and other shareholders than others. The circumstances of quitting may determine how the departing shareholder is treated under the terms of the agreement.

  • Favorable circumstances. A shareholder may decide to leave a company to pursue other interests that are not competitive with the activities of the company. Assuming the ability to fund the purchase, the company and remaining shareholders are likely to view such a departure on favorable terms.
  • Unfavorable circumstances. Alternatively, a shareholder may decide to leave a company and to pursue competitive activities. Under such circumstances, the company and remaining shareholders may be reluctant to pay full price (whatever that means - to be determined as we proceed) and desire to stretch out payment as long as possible. After all, no one wants to finance a competitor!

F - Is Fired. When an employee-shareholder is terminated, most corporations desire to retain control over the shares.

  • Terminations generally result in diverse, or more likely, adverse interests between the fired shareholder, the corporation, and remaining shareholders.
  • From the employee's viewpoint, the agreement assures that his or her shares can be sold at the buy-sell price and creates a market for the shares.
  • From the corporation's viewpoint, buy-sell agreements create the right, or the obligation, to purchase the departing employee-shareholder's shares.
  • They also eliminate the potential for the terminated shareholder to benefit from any future success of the business created by the remaining employees and shareholders. Some agreements call for a penalty to the valuation in cases of termination, particularly for cause.

R - Retires. The retirement of an employee-shareholder creates a potential divergence of interests between the shareholder and the corporation.

  • The shareholder may desire current liquidity over the uncertain future performance of the corporation.
  • The corporation may desire not to have potential interference or disagreement with corporate policy, or to have the retired shareholder benefit from future appreciation in value.
  • Further, the corporation and the remaining shareholders likely do not want a retired employee to continue to benefit from their ongoing efforts.

D - Disabled. After a defined period of time, the corporation may have the right (from its viewpoint) or the obligation (perhaps, from the employee's viewpoint) to purchase the disabled employee's shares. If disability is a trigger event, it is essential to have a clear definition of what "disability" means.

D - Dies. The death of a shareholder creates issues that are often resolved by buy-sell agreements.

If a shareholder dies owning a minority interest in a corporation for which there is no market for its shares, the illiquidity of the stock can create estate tax issues.

  • The shares must be valued for estate tax purposes, and the appraisal amount will add to the estate's value.
  • To the extent that the estate is taxable, there may be no liquidity to pay the estate taxes.
  • Buy-sell agreements provide a mechanism for determining the value of shares for estate tax purposes and for monetizing that value for the estate, generally in cash or in a term note.
  • Therefore, the shareholder's estate realizes liquidity and can pay taxes due and does not face the combination of uncertainty of independent valuation and the certainty of payment of taxes in the absence of liquidity.
  • From the corporation's viewpoint, the agreement eliminates the need to address uncertain ownership dictated by the deceased shareholder's will and can create the requirement for funding.

If the parties agree, buy-sell agreements also operate in the event of the divorce, declaration of insolvency, or bankruptcy of one or more shareholders (or even the corporation). In the event of the divorce of an employee-shareholder, the buy-sell agreement will most likely be designed to prevent the non-employee spouse from realizing any ownership in the stock of the corporation. If an employee declares bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the corporation may exercise its right to purchase the shares to prevent their dispersion to creditors.

It should be clear from the above that buy-sell agreements can be favorable from the viewpoints of employee-shareholders, non-employee shareholders, the corporation, and any remaining shareholders in many diverse situations. The emphasis is on "can be" because the operation of an agreement can go awry despite the best intentions of its creators.

In conclusion, buy-sell agreements are designed to provide objective means of transferring ownership in controlled and pre-determined ways under specified circumstances that may be difficult.

  • In the absence of a workable agreement, the remaining shareholders and the corporation may be placed in the unenviable position of negotiating under adverse circumstances with former friends, their families, or their estates.
  • Such negotiations, which would occur after the interests of the parties have diverged, are difficult, fraught with uncertainty, and often lead to litigation.

Workable buy-sell agreements are the cure for the potential problems enumerated above.

Do you have an effective buy-sell agreement? Do you need one? Will the one you have accomplish your desired goals when it is triggered? For information, from a business valuation perspective, to enhance, improve, and help ensure that your buy-sell agreements (or those of your clients) provide reasonable and workable solutions, go to: http://www.buysellagreementsonline.com now!



Weekly Past Publication Article Feb. 27- Mar. 05 - 2010

Is it Wise to Get a Child Life Insurance?
By J.J. Yong

Do you ever considered buying life insurance for your child? The best reason to have a child insured is in the event of their death. The child insurance policy will cover their final expenses, such as their medical bills, funeral and cemetery costs. However some insurance companies claim that child life insurance helps to protect your child's future.

Many insurance companies also offer riders for children as a rider to their parents' Insurance coverage. And also there are many types of insurance policies which allow the children to "change" their desired types of Insurance after age 18.

An Insurance trust is useful for the case of under-age children. This is to protect the benefits which you have setup for your children by making sure that they are used the way which you have planned for. You can also appoint a guardian to take care of the trust after your death if your children have not reached their authorized age at that time.

It is very critical to ensure that your trust is made in writing, better still if it is witnessed by a legal lawyer; the Insurance company should be made aware, as well as the allotted trustee, of the arrangements of the trust.

If you have a special needs child who is unable to support and care for themselves, a special needs trust is necessary to be set up in their name using your life insurance funds to pay for their care. With the special needs trust, the trustee can pay for everything except for essentials, such as food, clothing, shelter and medication, which should be covered by Social Security instead.

However many insurance companies believe that a child insurance is not as important as an adult insurance because children cannot generate income and also statistics shows that majority of children do not die prematurely, before age 18.

But there are some key benefits which I wish to share here as far as child insurance plan goes;

a. Child insurance plan is very affordable as the premium is very cheap
b. Most of the insurance company offered coverage through their adulthood
c. The child Insurance is allowed to be converted into adult life insurance after the age of 21 within the same insurance company
d. Child Insurance is especially beneficial if you are aware of any genetic or medical conditions which would later manifest into their childhood, which would make the purchase of an insurance very difficult to be obtained later on.
e. Getting a child life insurance policy helps to ensure the financial security of your child's future.

So, whether getting a child insurance is a wise decision or otherwise is very much depends on the individual and also the situation and age of your child.

For more information about life insurance information and term life insurance quote, visit LifeInsuranceEssentials.com.



Weekly Past Publication Article Feb. 21 - Feb. 26 - 2010

Understanding Financial Planning During the Retirement Years
By Ozeme J Bonnette Platinum Quality Author

Here are some ideas to help you make sure that you are ready in retirement - 60s and beyond.

In our retirement years, we need to be well-prepared. We no longer have jobs, and we are now living with a fixed income. This applies whether we have money coming in monthly or if we are drawing money out of a lump sum in an investment account.

At age 70 ½, the government begins requiring mandatory distributions from all tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as a 401(k) or IRA. There are penalties for not withdrawing the money, even if we don't feel that we need to use it. Our custodians can let us know how much is required to be withdrawn each year.

We should invest retirement money in conservative, and somewhat stable, vehicles. This is the only way to ensure that the money will last as long as we do. This does not mean that we switch all of our money to money markets, CDs, or bonds. The growth offered by those vehicles will not be sufficient to keep up with inflation, and we are very likely to outlive our money.

Nevertheless, we do need to understand, based on the growth of the funds in the account, how much we can take out regularly without depleting the account too soon.

The best way to curb any potential mistakes is to create a budget. Many people look at budgets as a bad thing, but a budget is the key to maximizing your income.

This is also a great time to review all insurance to make sure that we are covered in every area.

Before retiring, we should find out what type of medical coverage we will have upon termination of our employment. Some employers offer full medical coverage after an employee works a certain number of years. Some people retire just short of the time they needed to get full medical benefits in retirement.

If our employer's plan does not offer full coverage, we should find out what we need to do to get supplemental coverage.

Now is also the time to look into long term care insurance. There is a high possibility of needing long term care at some point during our lifetime. As health care costs continue to increase, the out-of-pocket cost of long term care can greatly reduce any retirement savings we've accumulated.

There are several options available in a long term care insurance policy. We should review the options and choose what works best for our family.

We should also update all estate planning documents. These include our living trust, advance health care directive and power of attorney.

Someone should be assigned to handle our affairs in the event that we are incapable of doing so. If we don't take care of this critical issue, the courts can assign someone to handle it for us.

Ozeme J. Bonnette is a financial coach, speaker, and author of Get What Belongs to You: A Christian Guide to Managing Your Finances. Her focus is on increasing financial literacy among adults and youth around the U.S. She earned 3 Bachelor's degrees at Fresno State, and her MBA at UCLA's Anderson School. Her blog is http://www.povertynorriches.com. Reach her at ozeme@thechristianmoneycoach.com.



Weekly Past Publication Article Feb. 14 - Feb. 20 - 2010
No Load Term Life Insurance - A Policy That Will Save You Money
By Eddie Lamb Platinum Quality Author

No load term life insurance is type of insurance coverage that you may have heard of discussed before, but never really figured out exactly what it entails. This particular type of insurance is just a non-commissioned based form of life insurance coverage.

This actually changes up the options on how you can obtain a policy as well. Instead of having to go through a specified insurance agent, you can actually receive coverage in different ways. You can still purchase the insurance through an agent, but you can also purchase the coverage over the phone or even in an application that you send through the mail.

However, do not think that simply because you're not seeing an agent or no physical agent is present on the other end that a policy is a no load policy. Regardless if you are purchasing no load term life insurance or any type of insurance for that matter, ensure the "advisor" that you are speaking with is a licensed insurance agent.

The only difference is that the company is not the one that is held liable for paying the advisor that showcased the policy for you. Instead, normally on your first month's premium there is an amount that states this will be the fee for the advisors costs. However, after the advisor's costs have been paid many people notice that this particular type of insurance actually has extremely low premiums.

One disadvantage many people would say about the no load term life insurance policies is that unlike a whole life insurance policy where your money builds cash value, you have no cash value with this policy. But, on the upside your premiums are going to be less expensive then with another type of life insurance policy.

With the fees for the policy being less, you can actually set aside your own stash of cash. Or, perhaps start a bank account that goes to your family for funeral or other expenses after you pass away. In fact, this is a very attractive feature that is making a lot of people consider obtaining one of these policies.

Be aware, that not all states offer no load policies, so you will need to ask several different insurance agents or research the laws of your state to see if these policies are allowed where you reside. You will also still have to answer different medical questions and you may be asked to submit a physical in order to evaluate your current medical conditions.

One of the major advantages of the policy is the fact that you have lower premiums. However, many have retorted that one downside was the fact that when it comes to asking questions or filing claims you have to do this on your own, because once the policy is in effect, some advisors do not keep in touch as much as they should.

If an advisor does stay in touch, you may have to end up paying a fee for a service that they render to you. However, if you are a well organized person and would prefer to pay less for your life insurance, this policy would actually suit you well.

There are a few factors to consider when weighing up whole life vs term life insurance. You may find a term life insurance calculator helpful in this regard. To get a better picture of what's involved, check out our free resources now!



Weekly Past Publication Article Feb. 07 - Feb. 13 - 2010
Finding the Best Health Insurance - How to Find the Coverage You Need the Right Way


Weekly Past Publication Article Jan. 31 - Feb. 06 - 2010
Financial Freedom at Retirement Age
By Stephen Yates

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed Barney Frank's financial regulatory reform bill, or as Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman called it, "TARP on Steroids." This action seems to reflect the overall mindset of what is currently going on with many of our "Bail-Out" processes.

It is not my intention to jump on a soapbox focused on constitutional principles about thousands of supporters for those same principles and the limited, principled governance of our founders to help restore our Constitutional Republic as it were. Enough has already been said and done in that arena.

Instead, I would be amiss if my thoughts and ideas about obtaining financial freedom once one retires or is thrown into that situation at our age. According to online sources, in the United States, unemployment in people over 65 years of age is already at its highest level in over 30 years.

This fact alone gives me a certain uneasy feeling and I feel that we all need to focus on the issues that are problematic to us today instead of worrying about how we can defeat Obama in 2012 and make changes then. It will do little good to defeat Obama in 2012 and leave the current economic situation at home unresolved.

OK now that I have said my two words on the Constitution and Obama, let me ask the real question. Can you survive this economic turmoil without fear? If your answer is NO or MAYBE, then action toward securing financial freedom is a must.

Are you truly ready to learn how to build a residual income for life?

I will strive to find this and many more answers for my retirement friends and will report back with good news or at least hope for our future.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Yates




Weekly Past Publication Article Jan. 24 - 30 - 2010
Personal Finance

A. Save Or Invest?


Weekly Past Publication Article Jan. 17 - Jan. 23 - 2010

Dental Insurance
A. Tips on How to Get Affordable Dental Insurance

Dental care is a top priority and should be a necessity to each and every individual regardless of age, status or occupation. When it comes to your teeth, you need insurance coverage as well to help you through times when you may need extraction, dental surgery, teeth realignment and so on. Trust me, dental care is not cheap. So, if you've yet to get yourself covered, here are a few tips on how you can get a coverage at an affordable price.

What you should do first is determine what sort of plan you're looking for; be it individual, group, family and so on. Once you've figured out what you want, use the internet and start browsing through the wide variety of companies and start taking down notes. By doing this, you can make a shortlist of the companies you're interested in and then make a decision, rather than randomly picking the first good thing you see.

Next, based on your previous dental history and medical records, decide what sort of care you're looking for. Don't only think about what you've been through but always plan for the future as well. So leave room for serious mishaps that you won't be able to see coming such as surgeries and so on. Then, shortlist your options based on company recognition and credibility and then all the important things such as fees, premiums, packages, benefits, types of coverage, privileges and so on.

Once you're done with that, go over the terms and conditions of each company at hand and make a choice. Don't rush into this, just take your time and make sure you read every detail right down to the fine print. It's best to know the details such as which clinics you can visit, location and so on.

When taking up a dental insurance, don't only think about the big things such as surgery and realignment; also think about the small things like cavities, root canals and so on. Recurrences of these little things can add up in cost as well.

For more information about dental insurance quotes and dental insurance companies, visit DentalInsuranceChoice.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rowena_Fernandez

B. Affordable Dental Insurance Secret Revealed - Why You Must Buy Dental Implant Insurance


Weekly Past Publication Article Jan. 10 - Jan. 16 - 2010

Best Group Health Insurance Companies
By James J. Robinson

Group health insurance companies are those that provide coverage to groups, typically businesses; but there are specific groups that you can join to get group coverage oas well. This is especially advantageous for individuals with existing conditions who do not have a policy through their jobs. If you are looking for the best group companies, there are a few things that you need to find out first. You see, the top providers are going to be determined by factors like where you live and your particular needs, rather than just a list of companies.

First, every state has rules and regulations for each insurance company. What's more, an insurance company has to be licensed in order to sell health coverage in your state. That means any specific list of the best group health insurance companies can only provide you with a general sense of insurance companies, as they may not all be available where you live. You can check with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to find an updated list of what they consider to be the country's best health insurance companies.

Secondly, your specific needs are going to help you determine which group health insurance company is the best one for you. For example, you might want a plan with a very high deductible so that you can save money on premiums. Some companies specialize in this option with deductibles up to $10,000. Perhaps you are looking for comprehensive coverage that will also offer you a death and dismemberment clause.

As you can see, it can be difficult to narrow down a specific company to say it is the very best one for you to use. However, you can use the NCQA list to determine who they consider to be the best health insurance providers. Also, visit your state's Department of Insurance homepage to get a list of licensed carriers so you can do some research. Lastly, consider using a third-party quote tool to find the best group health insurance companies. Why not click on one of the links above and start your search right now?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_J._Robinson



Weekly New Publication Article Jan. 03 - 09 - 2010
Accidental Death Policy
By Vincent Funfatt Yeong

Accidents happen in all parts of the world, no one knows when it will happen and how serious it will be. No matter how careful you are, things can go wrong, accidents are unpredictable. Everyone had this experience before, but thank God it was not serious, otherwise we wouldn't be around. We hope that bad luck leaves us far away and accident never happens to us, but ask yourself, can you prevent it?

Take for example; road accidents occur in every country everyday, no one can be sure he or she can escape it. If you are a careful driver, but there are full of reckless drivers on the road, even if you don't collide them they will collide you.

I had a very unusual experience; a crow hit my car windscreen when I was driving, it then fell on the road with two legs kicking in the air, I wondered was the crow blind or it was a suicide because the female crow left him? Or it was a stunt crow trying to show its flying skill? But one thing for sure, he did not buy accidental death insurance.

Accidental death benefit

If a person purchased a life insurance and with an additional accidental policy, the beneficiary will benefit the double indemnity in the event of the insured's death resulting from an accident. If he survived from the accident but with injury, a percentage of compensation will be made by the insurance company to the insured, this will depend on how serious was the injury.

Accidental death benefit rider is very inexpensive

If someone is buying a life insurance policy, the agent will normally ask him to add an accidental death benefit rider, because the life insurance never covers against accident. In the event of accident, the insurance company will not compensate the insured for his injury, but with this additional policy the buyer will receive compensation if he suffers injury resulting from accident.

For anyone whose occupation is hazardous, it is advisable to add this inexpensive policy to his life insurance, because if he injures badly during working, he is unable to work, and thus loses his job and livelihood. Anyone who purchased a life insurance without accidental death benefit rider can add it later, because this policy is renewable annually.

Accidental death insurance is crucial because accidents are unpredictable; know more about this policy by a click on accidental death or accidental insurance, or visit us at http://www.indianapolislifeinsurance.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vincent_Funfatt_Yeong



Weekly New Publication Article Dec. 27 -2009 To Jan. 02 - 2010
The Retirement Plan: How to Prepare For Retirement

Weekly Past Publication Article Dec. 20 -26 - 2009

Waiting Too Long to Apply Or Too Long to Appeal Will Ruin Your Social Security Disability Claim
By Kenneth L. Hardison

Waiting Too Long to Apply

Once you, through consultation with your doctor(s), have determined that you may be unable to work for a period of 12 months or more, you should file for benefits immediately. You could risk losing benefits to which you are legally entitled by waiting longer than necessary to apply.

If you are eligible to receive Disability Insurance Benefits, you can only recover retroactive benefits for the 12 month period prior to submitting your application for benefits. Therefore, if you wait more than a year from the date you stop working to apply for benefits, you risk losing more benefits with each month that passes.

Depending on how much you have paid into Social Security over the years, this could result in a loss of thousands of dollars per month. If you are eligible for Supplemental Security Income, you are only eligible to receive benefits from the time of your application or the month after.

Therefore, it is especially important that you apply for benefits as soon as possible. Every month that you do not apply, you are losing much needed back-benefits.

Waiting Too Long (or Failing) to Appeal

If you have already applied for Social Security disability benefits and you have been denied, you most likely received a letter notifying you of this denial. Towards the end of that letter, there is a paragraph telling you that you have the right to appeal your case. This paragraph states that you have 60 days from the date of the letter to appeal your claim.

If you fail to file an appeal on time, you may have to start the application process over from the beginning. This also means you will have to go back to the beginning of the waiting list. You may also permanently lose the right to much needed back benefits. You should appeal as soon as possible after consulting an attorney regarding your appeal rights.

This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and not as legal advice. The reading of this article does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship does not begin until the attorney is hired to represent your claim in writing. Please do not act upon any information read within this article without first seeking legal counsel within your state.

Kenneth L. Hardison is the Senior Partner at Hardison & Cochran d/b/a Hardison & Associates, a personal injury law firm headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Being a believer in education of one's rights, Mr. Hardison authored the book Seven Fatal Mistakes Victims of Accidents Make in North Carolina and How to Avoid Making Them.

To receive the book free of charge, please click here

Hardison & Associates



Weekly Past Publication Article Dec. 13 -19 - 2009
Life Insurance and Your Business
By Jorge Herrera

Most of my articles are focused to personal financing, because it is where the Infinite Banking Concept offers the easiest applications and not everybody owns a business.

Although we look at interest and charges and taxes as business expenses, and we can deduct most of them as the cost to do business, we as business owners can harvest huge benefits, when we combine our normal business operations with the banking capabilities that the IBC (Infinite banking Concept) provide us.

One of the main reasons we take on a business structure is to be able to deduct many expenses and for that reason pay fewer taxes than an employee.

Everything we do is financed; no matter if we are an individual or a business, so if we have to pay interest for the use of the money, then why not pay that interest to ourselves? And business owners are notorious for not treating the business capital (money) as a business.

Business owners are much disciplined at paying the loans and using borrowed money very efficiently, but they do not pay attention at the business own money being managed efficiently so it generates profit.

Leverage is a beautiful concept, and using somebody else's money to generate profit is good business, but that implies paying interest to someone else to use their money and that makes the business operation more expensive.

What if you could capitalize and create a pool of money that you can use to finance some of the business operations, at the least, you would have an option of using your money or somebody else's money and that will put you in a position of strength.

There are many applications where using your pool of money will allow you and the business to improve efficiency and that will generate profits and cash flow. There is a lot of money that can be recaptured while leasing vehicles or equipment; financing inventory will provide a real cost that is overlooked on the sitting equity represented by that inventory.

Other uses are: It can help retaining key employees; it can ensure the continuity of a business by providing protection and buy-sell purchase options. It can be used to fund projects and provides a safety net for bad economic times like Walt Disney and J.C. Penny did.

While there are many ways you can set up a personal banking system or create a pool of money to benefit yourself and your business, depending on the particular purpose, The Infinite Banking Concept and permanent life insurance will be your best bet.

I am a practitioner and very passionate promoter of the "Infinite Banking Concept". Close to four years ago I opened my eyes and ears to the limited knowledge of money management by the use of Whole Life Insurance and when I realized how powerful and beneficial to the average American it was, I decided to open my mouth to promote it. I will use all my training and team resources to help you find the money that is already in your cash flow, to implement your personal banking system.

http://InfiniteBanking.com

http://Bankonyourcashvalue.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jorge_Herrera



Weekly Past Publication Article Dec.07 - 18 - 2009
What is Critical Illness Insurance Cover?

Weekly Past Publication Article Dec.01 - 2009
Quizzes and Calculators - Personal Finance Help
By Brandon Schmid Platinum Quality Author

I think it's time to go back to school. Well, you don't actually need to jump on the school bus, get a new school bag, lug around about 10 pounds of paper and highlighters and dodge spit balls, but I think it is time for us to get some personal finance help. Here is a short quiz that you can zip through to discover if you know your finances.

1. It's always better to choose the longest amortization term with your mortgage because you'll pay less each month.

a: True
b: False

2. There's actually no difference on the amount of interest you'll end up paying over the length of your mortgage if you contribute once a month or twice a month.

a. True
b. False

3. What is a dividend?

a. A cash rebate traded among lenders
b. A payment of additional shares of stock to stockholders
c. A monetary bonus for employees
d. The opposite of multiplication

4. What is the best financial tool at your disposal?

a. Planning a household budget
b. Using a computer for your taxes
c. Always keep your checkbook in balance
d. Seeking personal finance help from a professional

5. Do you know what as asset is?

a. A car, laptop or clothing
b. It is cash, property or stocks
c. Anything owned that has exchange value
d. All of the above

ANSWERS:

1. b - False

It's incredible how much interest you end up saving if you lessen the amount of time over which you pay a mortgage. Try making a larger payment each month so you can save save thousands upon thousands of dollars. The more quickly you can pay it off, the better.

Amortization period Monthly payment Total interest over the lifetime of the mortgage

35 years $565.25 $137,408
25 years $639.81 $91,940
20 years $712.19 $70,925

Amount saved with a shorter amortization period -- $66,483

2. b- False

By making your mortgage payment once every two weeks or twice a month you will eliminate your mortgage much faster. In fact it ends up being an extra payment per year. If you are more of a number person, this chart will create a little better understanding and provide a little personal finance help.

3. b - A payment of additional shares of stock to stockholders

A lot of people who dabble in stocks only choose stocks that pay in additional shares to stockholders. Imagine you had taken dividends as your stock option when Microsoft or Apple were in their infancy? Plenty of investors did and made a fortune.

4. a - Planning a household budget

All of the options in question are important financial aides to use but the most important one is planning a household budget. It is wise to understand where all of your money is headed and how much remains to spend and save. Always make a household budget if you want to keep track of your finances.

5. d - All of the above

This one may have fooled you but an asset by definition is 'anything owned that has exchange value'. In short an asset can be anything. Certainly many assets are better investments than others (like property or stock options) but even the slow old laptop that your parents bought for you when you headed off to college is an asset.

I trust this quiz was fun and gave you some of the personal finance help you deserve. You have to stay on top of your cash and learn as much about your finances as possible. The more informed you are chances are you will achieve your financial goals. I know you have already created a number of financial goals.

Cheers until next time!

DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS!

You can pay off your debts and save money at the same time! Say goodbye to your boss forever! A blog that will show you the secrets of the wealthy: http://www.howtomanagemoneytips.com

Get a free budget sheet, net worth calculator, tools and more: http://www.howtomanagemoneytips.com/ebook2.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Schmid



Weekly Past Publication Article Nov. 24 - 2009

Pros and Cons of Child Life Insurance


Weekly Past Publication Article Nov. 18 - 2009
Understand The Seriousness of Planning Investment For Your Child's Future

One of the major responsibilities which every person do take seriously is the responsibility of their children. Every parent wants to give the best possible future to their children. It is a normal human psychology of securing the uncertain future. Parents usually try to give the best possible life to their kids especially in term of education. They also have to save money for the future requirement of their children like college education their wedding and also they need to make sure that the other obligations are also taken care of. Most parents would agree with the idea of planning investments for securing the future for each of their children. The purpose of Children's Future Planning is to create a corpus for foreseeable expenditures such as those on higher education and wedding, and to provide for an adequate security cover during their growing years when the expenses are at a higher end seems to increase with every passing day.

Like most parents, you might be saving regularly to ensure a safe tomorrow for your child. However, savings alone is no longer enough. One very practical way to achieve an investment goal for children is to invest regularly and systematically. This will help you to create a corpus which will be good enough to take care of your requirements. When you save, the value of the rupees diminishes, whereas when you invest your earn interest on your capital and this way you grow with the growing inflation to strike an equilibrium. For example: when we think of giving our children the best in terms of education and a bright future.

We need to consider that the increase in the cost of education is alarming; there is a need to plan investments rather than depending upon the current savings and on the current income for funding education. In other words, rather than starting to save just a few year before the education expenses occur, it is much better to follow a disciplined approach. Failing which, you may have to compromise on the type of education and future your children will get. This will also decide the kind of future that you and your children will go through. 'Inflation' or a general rise in prices and can also termed as the most important factor that affect your contribution towards your future. None of the areas like education, marriage or even one's lifestyle are left unscathed by rising prices. Inflation is something that is unavoidable.
Hence it is necessary t that every parents do take into consideration the affect of inflation while providing for their children.

However, if you have an investment plan in place, this target can be easily achieved. The investment plan should be such that it automatically takes care of future requirement and provide you with enough capital to cruise through the challenging times ahead. Understand one thing; don't simply dream for a bright and comfortable future ahead if you are not planning properly at present. You just need a simple discipline to fulfill your dreams. Even a regular SIP can do wonders in terms of saving and investment. Children and their right grooming is a task of highest "priorities" for every parent and thoughts like "only the best for my child" are rather common. To turn these words into realities you need to take step towards securing your child's future and providing him with really the best. If you are not very informed regarding the investments which you need to undertake don't be tensed, you can any day contact Godmind Advisors online for any help required. It is your efforts that can make a difference to the world around you.

Dipendra Nathawat- Godmind Mutual Fund Advisor.

Advisors provide ' Godmind resourceful presentations ' and articles to all visitors. Ultimate place for mutual Fund Advisory services and investment services. Mutual Fund Advisors


Weekly Past Publication Article Nov. 10 - 2009

Unemployment Insurance Facts


Weekly Past Publication Article Nov. 04 - 2009
Whole Life, Term, Or Universal Life Insurance - How to Determine What's Best For You
By Will Barnes Platinum Quality Author

A whole life insurance policy covers you for your entire life. Your death benefit and premium in most cases remain the same. Whole life also builds cash value, which is a return on a portion of your premiums that the insurance company invests. Your cash value is tax-deferred until you withdraw it and you can borrow against it.

A whole life insurance policy may be used as a part of your estate planning. Consequently, whole life insurance is a good choice for you if you want to ensure that you have a life insurance policy in place for your entire lifetime and can comfortably afford the premiums, of if it fits within the framework of your estate or retirement plan.

While whole life insurance is designed to provide coverage on the insured for the insured's entire life as long as the premiums are paid and the policy has not been surrendered, term life insurance provides coverage only for a fixed period that is stated in the policy. It can be for one year or up to thirty years. Term insurance premiums are extremely affordable for a person in good health up the age of fifty. After that age, the premiums start to get progressively more expensive. Term should be purchased if you only need insurance for a specific period of time, such as if you want an outstanding fifteen or thirty year mortgage balance paid off in the event of an untimely death.

Universal life is a type of flexible permanent life insurance offering the low-cost protection of term life insurance as well as a savings element, like whole life insurance, which is invested to provide a cash value buildup. The death benefit, savings element and premiums can be reviewed and altered as a policyholder's circumstances change. In addition, unlike whole life insurance, universal life insurance allows the policyholder to use the interest from his or her accumulated savings to help pay premiums.

Universal life insurance was created to provide more flexibility than whole life insurance by allowing the policy owner to shift money between the insurance and savings components of the policy. Premiums, which are variable, are broken down by the insurance company into insurance and savings, allowing the policy owner to make adjustments based on their individual circumstances. For example, if the savings portion is earning a low return, it can be used instead of external funds to pay the premiums.

Unlike whole life insurance, universal life allows the cash value of investments to grow at a variable rate that is adjusted monthly. As an example, the Indexed Universal Life may base the performance of its cash values on one of several indices, including the S & P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Averages. Moreover while it provides an opportunity for growth, it has guaranteed returns and provides considerable stability. In that it provides both growth potential and a safety net, it is excellent for college planning or retirement supplemental planning.

Keep up to date with timely financial tips and subscribe to the newsletter. Visit http://www.yourinfo.blogspot.com Will Barnes is a financial and personal growth consultant based in Illinois.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Barnes



Weekly Past Publication Article Oct. 28 - 2009
Why Long Term Disability Insurance is Important

Tax Exempt vs Non Exempt Universal Life Policies

UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss tax exempt vs non exempt universal life policies.
In order for the Universal life policy to be taxed exempt, it must pass the following tests
1. The exempt test
The Exempt Test is used to determine whether or not a policy is exempt. An exempt policy is one that regards as providing primary insurance protection.The test is a comparison of the accumulating fund values or cash values of the actual policy to the fund or cash values of a standard test policy at each policy anniversary. This Exemption test policy is a hypothetical 20-pay policy with endowment at age 85. On each policy anniversary, the cash value of the actual policy is less than, or equal to, the cash value of the exempt test policy.
An exempt policy can become non-exempt in the future if it fails the exempt test at any anniversary, but fortunately, most insurance companies put contractual provisions in their UL plans that guarantee the insurer will take all necessary steps to make sure that the policy remains exempt.
The consequences for a policy owner when the policy becomes non-exempt can be quite serious. Any gains that have been accumulated in the policy at the time of deemed disposition will be taxable to the policy owner in the year in which this disposition occurs. Income earned in the policy after the deemed disposition will be reported for taxation on an annual accrual basis.

2.
Maximum Tax Actuarial Reserve or MTAR
This is the amount the insurer can deduct from the universal life policy for all expenses, such as insurance premium, administration charge.. when they calculate their own corporate income tax. For the UL policy remain exempt
a) Its values cannot exceed the MTAR line
b) The face amount or death benefit of the policy cannot grow more than 8% each year.
c) The cash value of the policy at the tenth anniversary and each subsequent policy anniversary cannot be more than 250% of the cash value of the third preceding anniversary.


Weekly Past Publication Article Oct. 15 - 2009

When is the Best Time to Buy Universal Life Insurance

UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss when is the best time to buy universal life insurance.
In fact,
family goes through many different phases over time. A UL policy can be the ideal life insurance product to accompany the family through this journey.

1.
Marriage
Most people become aware of their insurance needs shortly after their marriage. A low-cost plan is often required since young couples seldom have large amounts of disposable income. The UL policy allow them to deposit more funds into their plan to fund their future needs.

2.
Birth of children
As children are born parents wish to place additional coverage on their own lives.
If parents wish to place insurance on the lives of the children, this can be done either in the form of a children term rider on the parent's plan or as a separate permanent UL plan for the children.

3.
Buying a home
When the insured buys a house, they usually take on a mortgage. This translates into a temporary increase in insurance need. This need can be filled either via a term rider or additional base coverage.

4.
Planned expenses
During the course of the life of the UL plan, the policyholder may need to access some of the funds accumulated in the policy.

5. Taxes and final expenses
Life insurance proceeds may be used to pay capital gains taxes and final expenses to ensure that estate assets pass directly to a couple's heirs. A last to die joint policy will enable this to happen.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:

http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/

Weekly Past Publication Article Oct. 07 - 2009

Understand The Benefit and Riders of Universal Life Insurance

As we mentioned in previous articles, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the benefits and riders in the universal life policy.

Many of the riders and benefits available for traditional whole life and term plans are also available on UL plans. Quite often the costs for these riders and benefits are paid from the accumulating fund of the UL plan.
1. Term riders
Term riders are additional inexpensive term insurances added by policy holder to the UL policy. They are inexpensive insurances protection for anyone insured by a UL plan. They can also provide the insured lives with additional investment room within a UL plan for exempt testing purposes at a reasonable cost.

2. Child term riders
Child term riders are an efficient, low-cost way of providing small amounts of life coverage on children, within the UL plan. Many child term riders provide conversion privileges that enable the child to purchase larger amounts of permanent coverage when they reach a certain age with or without insurability.

3.
Waiver of premium
Should the plan owner become disabled, the waiver of premium rider pays a specified amount into the plan to cover the cost of insurance.

4. Accidental death benefit
The accidental death benefit pays an additional amount of insurance to the beneficiary, if the insured dies as a result of an accident or
dismembered in an accident.

5.
Critical illness
The critical illness rider pays a benefit to the insured who are stricken by a critical illness. The rider outlines the illnesses that are covered.

6. Long term care rider
Long term care riders pays for institutional or home care costs for the insured due to illness or injury.


Weekly Past Publication Article Sept. 30 - 2009

Understand Life Insurance Surrender Charge


As we mentioned in previous articles UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and to explain than traditional bundled permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the surrender charge in the universal life policy.

The surrender charge is the difference between the accumulated fund and the cash value accumulated in the insurance policy that the policy holder can access at any time, often called cash surrender value.
Surrender charge schedules are different between insurers and between the UL plans available from each insurer.
Some plans contain a very heavy level of surrender charges that apply for a lengthy period of time of more than 10 years. These charges serve to artificially suppress the cash values of the policy. Other plans have low or no surrender charges at all.
Therefore, if
policyholders who may want to access the cash values of the policy early in the contract will prefer to have lower surrender charges in their plan.
Higher surrender charges are not necessarily a negative for all policyholders. Heavy surrender charges are ideal for those policyholders using their UL plan as a means of sheltering funds from tax because:

1. Using low early cash values provides the means for the pricing actuary to inflate future cash values through investment bonuses, thereby enabling much larger cash values in later years.

2.
Surrender charges are used to suppress cash values and cash values are usually compared to a test policy during exempt testing. Therefore, the policyholder can deposit larger amounts into the UL plan in the early years and shelter more funds for a longer period of time. For more details, see the Rules and Regulations section later in this course.

Weekly Past Publication Article Sept. 24 - 2009

What is Investment Bonus In Universal Life Policy?

UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and to explain than traditional bundled permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the investment bonus in the universal life policy.

Investment bonuses are special rider guaranteed by the insurance companies for UL policy that does not exist in any other types of life insurance. As insurers are being forced to increase their COI charges to maintain product profitability, another way to make UL products more attractive for clients is to add or enhance investment and interest bonuses.


Since there are many different approaches to investment bonuses, understanding the interest bonuses of the UL plans before purchasing universal life insurance policy is essential because it will help you to determine how much fund is needed and the condition that the maximum investment bonus will be paid to your policy.

In fact, the size of the investment bonus paid varies from one UL product to another. The basic plans pay an additional percentage when the bonus is credited, while other more complex plans pay varying amounts depending on the credited rate in effect at the time of the bonus. Generally, a sliding scale formula is applied so that the higher the credited rate is, the higher the interest bonus will be.

A surrender bonus is
another feature in the UL plan that pays a bonus to the policyholder if they surrender the plan. It is not paid on a partial surrender or at death. It could be considered a refund of COI charges since the bonus is ordinarily equal to a percentage of the accumulated COI charges to date.


Weekly Past Publication Article Sept.-17-2009

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Universal Life Insurance

As we mentioned in previous articles
, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundled permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the tax advantage of the universal life policy.
There are
many factors that universal life policyholders must consider when deciding which investment options to choose within a UL plan. Guaranteed interest accounts, for example, are less risky than indexed accounts which have a larger potential rate of return.

1. Advantage
a) Most UL plans allow the policyholder to allocate deposits in a way that matches their risk philosophy. Such a plan may change its investment allocation as the policyholder gets older, negating the need for the policyholder to monitor the UL investment mix to ensure that it is consistent with the policyholder's investment philosophy as that changes.

b) Tax-advantaged status
Investments that invest in the insurance company's general funds, have advantage of preferred tax status,
no matter which outside index is linked to mutual fund accounts, if the actual funds is invested in the general fund of the insurance company, they will not be subjected to annual taxation. If the client would like to invest outside of the company's general fund, many insurers have segregated funds attached to their UL contracts and of course, any investment return of these funds is taxable annually.

c) Depending on the type of fund, the income may benefit from tax preferred status if the growth in the fund can be attributed to capital gains or dividends.

d) Used as a carrier fund or shuttle account to automatically receive proceeds from the sheltered accounts should the plan become non-exempt and the funds must be refunded.

e) Non-sheltered investment accounts allow a policy to become paid-up early, often as quickly as with one deposit.

f) If the UL plan can be registered, a non-sheltered account becomes a sheltered account as, once registered, it forms part of the policyholder's 401k or RRSP plans.

g) Investment returns accumulated in the universal life policy is tax free because they form part of life insurance, if payable to beneficiary upon the death of life insured.


2. Disadvantage
a) Funds invest outside of the company's general fund, many insurers have segregated funds attached to their UL contracts and invest outside of the company's general fund. Any investment return of these funds is taxable annually.

b) Limited choice of investments.

c) Investment return of funds withdrawn from universal life insurance policy are taxable.

Weekly Past Publication Article Sept.-10-2009

Understand Investment Options of Universal Life Insurance

As we mentioned in previous articles, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundled permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the investment options of the universal life policy. In fact, with the policy holder becoming more and more sophisticated, companies offering UL are increasing the number of their investment options to reflect the various investment types found outside of insurance policies. Here are the two main types of investment options offered within most UL insurance policies:

1. Guaranteed Investment Accounts
These type of accounts are available from daily interest accounts to 10 or 20 year guaranteed interest accounts
. They appeal to risk-averse clients who would like to see a steady guaranteed growth within their UL plans without worrying about the fluctuation of the stock market. They are much less risky than Indexed Accounts but they also offer less potential return.

The guarantee may be that the return within the UL will be no less than:
a) 80% of the return of the 5-Year government bond
b) Equal the 5-Year government bond less two percent
c) 90% of the return of the 5-Year government bond less one percent

In fact, most UL contracts may guarantee that the GIA return will never be lower than a certain amount, say 2%.

2. Indexed Accounts
The performance of these funds are usually linked to the performance of an outside index or mutual fund. They offer the policyholder the opportunity to participate in more aggressive and riskier investment types. Performance can be linked to:
a) The S&P 500 and other stock market indexes
b) European, Asian and Australian Index accounts or international index accounts that are tied to the performance of some type of world index.
c) Some indexed accounts use the return of particular mutual funds as the outside index.
The ways in which the return for indexed accounts is linked to the outside index counterparts also vary:
a) The contract may state that the return will be equal to the return of the outside index, less a percentage per year. For example, the return for a S&P 500 index account may be equal to the return of the outside index, less a certain percentage.
b) The contract may specify that the return will never be less than the return of an outside index, less a management fee. For example, an American Index account that guarantees its gain will be no less than the return of the S&P 500 less 2%.


Weekly Past Publication Article Sept.-03-2009


What is Minimum & Maximum Premiums in Universal Life Insurance?

As we mentioned in previous articles, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundled permanent life insurance products. In this article, we will discuss the minimum and maximum premiums of the universal life policy.
Most companies place contractual restrictions on the minimum and maximum deposits they are prepared to accept in the early years of a UL plan. As a policy holder, you have the right to choose any amount of premiums between the minimum and maximum premiums range. Generally the lower the minimum premium and the higher the maximum premium, the more flexible the UL plan is with respect to funding options.

1. Minimum premium
Many insurance companies allow only minimum premium paid as long as the premium is enough to cover the cost of insurance. Some companies apply the minimum premium restriction only for the first year of the policy. Others require that no less than the minimum premium must be paid in the first year and at least two times the minimum premium must be paid after two years. Yet others require that at least five times the minimum premium must be paid into the plan after five years. Of course, if the first year deposit is greater than five times the minimum premium, no future deposits would be contractually required.
Under universal life options, the policy holder can make a large initial premium and does not need any additional premiums again as long as the investment funds in the policy are enough to cover the insurance cost. In Fact, a higher minimum deposit requirement forces the policyholder to put more money into the plan in the early years to build up a fund value within the plan. This is the obligation of the insurance company to inform you when the additional premium is required, usually caused by depletion of investment fund in the policy.

2. Maximum premium
Maximum premiums are usually only a factor in the first policy year. In subsequent years, usually the only restriction is that the fund value or cash value of the plan be kept below the exempt line. Therefore, beyond the first year, maximum policy deposits vary with many factors such as credited rates, and past deposits as long as they do not force the policy to become non-exempt.
In fact most companies link a taxable side fund to their UL contracts. They are therefore, usually able to accept much larger deposits since any funds that are over the maximum are placed into this side fund where growth is taxed annually. When the accumulating fund drops below the exempt line, many of these plans automatically transfer dollars from the side fund to the policy fund, thereby maximizing the tax sheltering aspect of the plan in the process.


Weekly Past Publication Article August -27-2009

Types of Death Benefit of Universal Life

As we mentioned in previous articles, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products.In this article, we will discuss the types of death benefit of the universal life policy. The type of death benefit dictates exactly how much will be paid out upon the death of the insured in the future. The most common varieties of death benefit structures found in UL contracts are
1. Level
This death benefit remains level throughout the duration of the policy. This option is the least expensive since the risk decreases over time as the fund values increase.

2. Level plus cash value
This death benefit option pays out the balance of the cash value or accumulating fund along with the initial death benefit amount. This option provides a cost-effective means of providing clients with increasing life insurance coverage.

3. Level plus indexed
This death benefit increases annually by either a fixed percentage selected at time of issue or an external inflation index such as consumer price index.

The advantage of this death benefit is that the insured can have a fixed, increasing coverage amount, increasing either by the same percentage every year or by inflation

4 Level plus return of premium.

The return of premium death benefit option is similar to the indexed option. It has the same advantages and disadvantages. This type of death benefit has definite market appeal since the insured's heirs gets back whatever was paid into the plan with or without interest,plus the initial insurance coverage amount.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information, you can read the complete series of the above subject at my home page:

http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com

Weekly Past Publication Article August -19-2009

Types of Coverage of Universal life

As we mentioned in previous articles, UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products.In this article, we will discuss the types of coverage of the universal life policy. The following is a list of the various coverage types that are available in the marketplace today.
1. Single life
Single life plans are designed to pay a death benefit when the plan's only insured dies. This is the most popular coverage type sold today.

2. Multiple life
This plan is designed to provide life insurance coverage for more than one life. A death benefit is paid each time an insured dies. Each insured life can be insured for a different face amount.

3. Joint first to die
A joint first to die plan covers multiple lives ,typically it is used to cover two lives under one plan.
Some insurers will allow more lives . . . often up to five lives. It pays only one and first death benefit. The costs are higher than those applicable to each of the individual lives but still lower than the total mortality cost of the individual lives since only one death benefit is payable. Many insurance companies allow an option whereby the remaining survivor(s) of a joint first to die plan can purchase coverage on their lives without medical evidence or underwriting conditions at their attained age, as soon as the policy pays on the first death.

4. Joint last to die
A joint last to die plan covers more than one life but pays only one and last death benefit
. Joint last to die coverage provides an extremely low cost effective method of covering several lives under one policy, because the death benefit is paid when the last insured dies and the cost of mortality is lower than that applicable to any of individual insureds.


Weekly Past Publication Article August -06-2009

Understand The Cost and Mortality Components of Universal Life insurance ( COI)

UL plans are unbundled, the various components of the plan such as insurance charges and earned interest can each be isolated and quantified. Consequently, they are much easier to understand and explain than traditional bundle permanent life insurance products. Most UL policies are actually distinguished by differences in their separate components. In this article, we will discuss The cost and mortality Components of Universal Life insurance
1. Cost of insurance (COI )
a) Yearly renewable term ( YRT )
The cost of insurance increased every year with the actual increasing mortality risk of the policyholder. These type of universal life policy performs very well in the early years because the cost of insurance charges are low. However, they tend to suffer in later years when the COI charges become very large.

b) Level cost of insurance
A popular alternative to the YRT is the Level COI structure where the cost of insurance is scheduled to remain constant throughout the duration of the policy. The main benefit of this plan is that, although cash values are lower in the early policy years, the policy performs well if clients want safe for retirement. Since UL contracts are long-term protection vehicles, the later higher values are desirable.

c) Hybrid cost of insurance
They have high early policy values due to the lower initial COI, but they do not suffer from severe erosion of fund values later in the policy since ultimate risk costs are capped. Other contracts allow the client to essentially select the mortality component from their term insurance such as term 5, 10, 20, 100 . . . and then shape a UL contract around these COI rates, complete with tax-sheltered fund.

2. Mortality
a) Guaranteed mortality
A popular Universal life policy where the cost of mortality rate of insurance is guaranteed throughout the duration of the policy. The premium is higher than non guaranteed counter part. If they have purchased a UL plan with YRT COI, the amount deducted every year will be exactly as specified in the contract.

b) Non Guaranteed mortality
Since the insurance company is essentially passing the mortality risk on to the client, the initial mortality costs and quite possibly, the future costs can be substantially lower than those charged in a guaranteed contract. This type of plan's advantages is the significant upside potential in the way of reduced mortality costs, but the downside risk is limited by way of the guaranteed maximum costs.

Weekly Past Publication Article July -30-2009

Characteristics of Universal Life Insurance

universal life (UL) was introduced in 1981-82, in response to a historically high interest environment and a consumer awareness of the value of self-directed investments because traditional insurance could not compete with short-term interest rates.
Here are some characteristics as follow
1.
Account Value
The account value of a universal life plan is the sum of the gross values of all the investment accounts within the policy, including income, after deductions for the current month expenses.

2. Cash Surrender Value
The cash surrender value of a universal life plan is the current account value, less outstanding loans and surrender charges. Surrender charges are usually based upon a multiple of the minimum required premium for the policy back-end charges are larger than front-end charges.

3. Premiums & Contributions
Premiums are those amounts needed to pay the cost of insurance charges and other expenses for the policy. Deposits are those excess amounts that are of a pure investment nature.
4. Death Benefit Options
The amount of death benefit payable under a universal life policy is based upon 1 of 4 different options
a)
Level death benefit: Level coverage throughout the lifetime of the policy.
b)
Level death benefit plus cumulative gross premiums: Death benefit increases by the amount of each gross deposit to the policy.
c)
Level death benefit, indexed: The amount of death benefit increases, yearly, by a predetermined percentage.
d)
Level death benefit plus account value: The total amount of death benefit is always equal to the initial face amount, plus the gross account value. This is the most popular chose by 90% of universal life insurance policies' owners because
the gross account value is tax free.

5. Premium Flexibility
The premium deposits, plus accrued investment income, must be sufficient to pay for all expenses and deductions, so as to keep the policy in force, tax exempt life insurance contract, flexible premium.
Universal life is not for every consumer
It's flexibility tends to be reflected in much higher administration costs than are found in traditional whole life plans and the variable nature of the plan may make it unsuitable for those clients wanting guarantees.





Weekly Past Publication Article July -22-2009
What is Universal life Insurance

Universal life (UL) was introduced in 1981-82, in response to a historically high interest environment and a consumer awareness of the value of self-directed investments because traditional insurance could not compete with short-term interest rates. the life insurance industry's response was to introduce new money products, like universal life, whose investment returns would be based upon a pool of new short-term debt and not be weighted down by historical, low-coupon, long-term portfolio assets.

Unlike term and whole life insurances, this policy blends term insurance and an investment account into one contract. Also its premiums can be increased or decreased, paid when due or at unscheduled dates, or stopped entirely and restarted at the owner's will provided the policy value is adequate to maintain the cost of the insurance.

This type of policy is adapted well to satisfy the changing insurance and investment needs of its owner.
1. Flexible coverage
The prime attraction of the universal life policy lies with its flexibility
that allows owner of universal life insurance policy to increase or decrease the policy's face amount and evidence of insurability is usually needed for the increases. Its flexible coverage also established a life insurance contract that (subject to an insurability requirement) allowed the policy owner to:
a. Increase or decrease the face amount of insurance
b. Add more lives insured
c. Substitute one life insured for another


2. Flexible investments
Unlike traditional plans, where the policy account value was invested in a portfolio by the insurance company's investment managers, universal life offers the policy owner the option to choose the weighting of investment within the account value from a wide range of options: from savings accounts, to guaranteed term deposits, to funds that track specific market indices and mutual fund-like investments.

All universal life contracts are subject to annualized expense charges of various natures that are deducted monthly, on a pro data basis
a) Provincial or State premium taxes
b) Mortality deductions
c) Rider charges
d) Annual administration fees
e) Insurance mortality deduction
Increase or decrease each year or level term rate.


Weekly Past Publication Article July -16-2009

Characteristics of Universal Life Insurance

universal life (UL) was introduced in 1981-82, in response to a historically high interest environment and a consumer awareness of the value of self-directed investments because traditional insurance could not compete with short-term interest rates.
Here are some characteristics as follow
1.
Account Value
The account value of a universal life plan is the sum of the gross values of all the investment accounts within the policy, including income, after deductions for the current month expenses.

2. Cash Surrender Value
The cash surrender value of a universal life plan is the current account value, less outstanding loans and surrender charges. Surrender charges are usually based upon a multiple of the minimum required premium for the policy back-end charges are larger than front-end charges.

3. Premiums & Contributions
Premiums are those amounts needed to pay the cost of insurance charges and other expenses for the policy. Deposits are those excess amounts that are of a pure investment nature.
4. Death Benefit Options
The amount of death benefit payable under a universal life policy is based upon 1 of 4 different options
a)
Level death benefit: Level coverage throughout the lifetime of the policy.
b)
Level death benefit plus cumulative gross premiums: Death benefit increases by the amount of each gross deposit to the policy.
c)
Level death benefit, indexed: The amount of death benefit increases, yearly, by a predetermined percentage.
d)
Level death benefit plus account value: The total amount of death benefit is always equal to the initial face amount, plus the gross account value. This is the most popular chose by 90% of universal life insurance policies' owners because
the gross account value is tax free.

5. Premium Flexibility
The premium deposits, plus accrued investment income, must be sufficient to pay for all expenses and deductions, so as to keep the policy in force, tax exempt life insurance contract, flexible premium.
Universal life is not for every consumer
It's flexibility tends to be reflected in much higher administration costs than are found in traditional whole life plans and the variable nature of the plan may make it unsuitable for those clients wanting guarantees



Weekly New Publication Article July -09-2009
Life Insurance - Why it is a Must Have in Your Financial Planning

There are at least four very good reasons to include life insurance to your financial strategy:

Reason 1: Take today a group of 100 people at the age of 25. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA Publication No. 13-11871, April 2000) 16 of them already died when the group reaches the age of 65. The number of people who needs to be supported by family and charities at that age is 66. The remaining 18 are financial independent. Just 18% are independent! This is way too few, none of us wants that our kids have to take the burden of supporting us after we have retired.

Reason 2: The study shows that 18% are financial independent, but how does the Social Security Administration define financial independence? The definition is: The annual income of a household or person greater than $30,000. That is not much! To get a feeling how low that amount really is, lets take look at the annual median income of all 58 Californian Counties. Only four of them have currently a lower median annual income than $30,000. This means, if you retire in California at 65 and you are financial independent (according to the SSA standard) you will probably have less income in more than 93% of the Californian counties than the median household there. So there is a good chance that you will not be able to spend your retirement in the "Golden State", together with so many other people who lived and worked hard here their entire life, even if you "are" financial independent.

Reason 3: We have all heard and read the stories of 80 year old retirees who have to start working again because their 401(k) or 403(b) or any other IRA plan has gone down significantly in value. This did not just happen to retirees. No, unfortunately everybody experienced a loss in their retirement plans. Why? Because the Stock market, in which most of the retirement plans are invested in, is unpredictable. More than just one study has proved this fact. Even experts, like Jim Cramer from "Mad Money" on CNBC didn't see the recent collapse of the Stock market coming, and he makes his living from watching the stock market and referring stocks to his viewers. The question that rises is: if he can't see a crash of that magnitude coming, how can your stock broker or financial adviser? The answer is simply, they can't.

Reason 4: We all know that life insurance never performs as well as a fund, a CD, a single stock or any other stock traded paper can. But this is and can be a very good thing that works in your favor. Because it means that life insurance is a safe and steady financial investment. You can rely on your life insurance, it will hold its value and therefore protect your investment. It builds an immediate estate. Even if you just paid one premium! Can you say that from any other financial product?

In order to be financially wise, you should always build your financial independence on a solid life insurance basis.

Click here for a complete list of the annual median income of all 58 Californian counties.

Thomas R. Hermschulte is an Financial Advisor and Representative of Mutual of Omaha http://www.MutualofOmaha.com

We currently offer our clients a free consultation to overlook their financial situation and offer free advice in these economical stormy days.

If you want to learn more what we can offer for you, contact me:

thomas.hermschulte@yahoo.com
2601 Main Street, Suite 960
Irvine, CA 92614

Cell: 714.330.1899

Weekly New Publication Article July -16-2009

Characteristics of Universal Life Insurance


Weekly Past Publication Article July -02-2009

Whole Life Insurance and Cash Surrender Value

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Under whole life insurance, the premium would be more than enough to cover the risk; the difference would be invested to form policy reserves, to subsidize what would otherwise be an inadequate premium in the later years: This concept still remains the basis for calculating premiums for all permanent insurance contracts.

If a policy owner decides to terminate a permanent insurance policy, the insurance company will return to the policy owner an equitable share of the accumulated policy reserve, called the policy's cash surrender value and the insurance company is released from its future obligations under the contract.
Although
cash surrender value is guaranteed and stated in the policy, in the 1st and 2nd years, a cash surrender value usually is unavailable, because the cost of putting the policy into force more than offsets any cash surrender value , and the period is too short for the company to earn enough interest on the premiums to compensate for these costs and in subsequent years, the cash surrender value may be less than the policy reserved for a number of reasons:
a)
The government sets standards for policy reserves that may result in the required reserve being higher than what the company accumulate from the premium charged.
b)
Expenses, which the company incurs when the policy is issued.

In the case of whole life policies, the policy reserve increases from year to year as the life insured gets older, at very advanced ages in most policies equals the sum insured.
With a whole life insurance policy, premiums are payable at the same amount each year from the date the policy is issued until the life insured dies, unless the policy owner wishes to discontinue paying premiums and surrenders the policy for its cash value, or takes extended term or reduced paid-up insurance.
Whole life insurance is especially useful where there is a need for lifetime protection against financial risks, such as retirement expenses, final expenses and for the maintenance of dependents, if the policy owner dies before reaching retirement age.


Weekly Past Publication Article June -25-2009

Term Insurances


Term insurance policy is the oldest and popular form of life insurance. Under term insurances, the insurance company promises to pay the sum insured, if the life insured dies within the period specified in the policy (5, 20, 15, 20 year term insurances) if the life insured is alive at the end of the period, the policy terminates on that date and the life insurance protection ceases.

There are 4 types of term insurance
1.
Increasing term
The sum of insured increases automatically every year and the annual premium generally increases in step with the increases in the face amount of insurance coverage. A policy might be used to protect the value of a key employee in an organization, where the employee's salary is expected to increase every year.

2.
Decreasing term
It is an endowment plan having below characteristics
a) Level premium
b) Fixed term period
such as the 20th anniversary of the date of issue
c) Sum of insured decrease every year
d) Cash value increase
A decreasing need might also be to guarantee additional monthly income until the youngest child is through school.

3.
Fixed-period term
Term insurance policies are commonly issued for specified periods, such as 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 year. they are often issued to terminate at a specified age of the insured, generally at age 65. Very few traditional term insurance policies ever pay out a death benefit. Fixed term insurance is good for people just starting a family without a lot of cashes and assets.

4.
Term to 100
Premiums paid in the early years are significantly higher than for other types of term policy. In the long term, term to 100 premiums established at the life insured's young attained age will likely be much lower than the attained age premiums charged to those policy owners in their 50s and 60s, under renewable term plans. The biggest single advantage of term insurance with shorter periods has always been its low initial annual premium cost. Term to 100 plans do not usually have any cash surrender values.


Weekly Past Publication Article June -19-2009

Types of Life Insurance

A life insurance policy is evidence of a contract between two parties; one party is the life insurance company and the other party is the policy owner. In this article, we will discuss types of life insurance.
There are 3 Types of life insurance
1. Term Insurance
Term insurance is the oldest form of life insurance. In the term insurance policies, the insurance company promises to pay the sum insured, if the life insured dies within the period specified in the policy; if the life insured is alive at the end of the period, the policy terminates on that date and the life insurance protection ceases. term insurance has the following characteristics
a)
Increasing term
b) Decreasing term
c) Fixed-period term
d) Renewability and convertibility
e) Re-entry Term
d)
Term to 100 plans

2. Permanent insurance
During the early policy years, the premium would be more than enough to cover the risk; the difference would be invested to form policy reserves, to subsidize what would otherwise be an inadequate premium in the later years: This concept still remains the basis for calculating premiums for all permanent insurance contracts.

3. Universal life
Unlike a whole life policy, its premiums can be increased or decreased, paid when due or at unscheduled dates, or stopped entirely and restarted at the owner's will-- provided the policy value is adequate to maintain the cost of the insurance. Flexibility exists in the options to increase or decrease the policy's face amount; evidence of insurability is usually needed for the increases. This policy can be adapted to satisfy the changing insurance and investment needs of its owner; because it generally has few long-term guarantees, however, a universal life policy should be reviewed regularly.
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Weekly Past Publication Article June -12-2009

Characteristics of Term Insurance

A life insurance policy is evidence of a contract between two parties; one party is the life insurance company and the other party is the policy owner. Under a term insurance policy, the insurance company promises to pay the sum insured, if the life insured dies within the period specified in the policy; if the life insured is alive at the end of the period, the policy terminates on that date and the life insurance protection ceases.

1.
Increasing term
Increasing term insurance might be employed in situations where the liability being protected against is both temporary and increasing; for example, such a policy might be used to protect the value of a key employee in an organization, where the employee's salary is expected to increase every year. With this type of policy, the annual premium generally increases in step with the increases in the face amount of insurance coverage.

2.
Decreasing term
A decreasing term policy or rider provides for the payment of a fixed monthly benefit from the date of the life-insured's death to a fixed future date, such as the 20th anniversary of the date of issue. Such a decreasing need might also be to guarantee additional monthly income until the youngest child is through school.Generally, premiums for term insurance policies are for the same amount for each and every year of the term; this is also the case for decreasing term policies.

3.
Fixed-period term
Term insurance policies are commonly issued for specified periods, such as 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 year; they are often issued to terminate at a specified age of the insured, generally at age 65.

4. Renewability and convertibility
This right to convert without evidence is provided in the term policy, regardless of changes in health or occupation. Renewable term insurance normally is identified as such at the time of application. You must understand that, at each renewable period, the premium goes up, because the person has got older.

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Weekly Past Publication Article June -04-2009

Life Insurance and Estate Planning

As we mentioned in previous articles, estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing wealth before death of an individual or a group of owners known as an estate owner including married couple. It's aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Life insurance always play an important role in estate planning because of its tax-free statutes.

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1. Life insurance is a primary vehicle to protect your family and loved ones in case of sudden death and it provides a liquidity asset in estate planning.
2. Even though financial security is diminished as children grow older, the need to protect the estate's assets against any unnecessary tax paid is increased upon the death of the estate owner.
3. In most cases, life insurance is the cheapest way to protect your family's financial security and provides liquidity assets to cover the deceased person's administration cost and income tax must be paid for any unpaid gains such as stocks and property appreciation.
4. Life insurance paid out is usually tax-free.
5. It is guaranteed by the insurance company by it's cash reserve and by insurance-guaranteed funds up to $300,000.
6. In Canada, life insurance is guaranteed by Assuris which is a non-profit organization with members from all major insurance companies up to 85% or $200, 000, which ever is less.
7. Since life insurance is a form of pooling risk, it pools from a number of small contributors to compensate for those who suffer a loss, therefore it minimizes the risk of bankruptcy.
8. Many insurance companies invest their reserve funds conservatively.
9. Finally, life insurance always serves its purpose of creating an estate or perverse estate assets.


Weekly Past Publication Article May -29-2009

What Is Administering the Estate in Estate Trustee ?

Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual or a group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. In case there is no will, upon the death of decreased person then decreased asset will be administrated by estate trustee.

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I.Definition
Estate trustee is someone who appointed by the court to administrate the decreased assets after an application is made by one of the next of kins to the court in case of no will.

II. How it works
1) In case of no will, upon the death of decrease, one of the next of kin who is over 18 year of age and nominated by majority of other next of kins to the court for appointment of the applicant as a estate trustee.
2) It is time consuming, since the court need 2 to 3 weeks for this appointment.
3) The applicant is approved by the court to administrate the asset of the decreased person is known as estate trustee without a will.
4) The applicant who will become estate trustee with out a will may need to be bonded by 2 persons. Normally, it may require to be handled by professional lawyer office.
5) The administration and distribution of decreased assets will have to follow the State or Provincial laws.
6) All assets in joint tenancy with the right of survivor will automatic go to the surviving person.
7) The administration of estate trustee with out a will may be costly because of inexperience and sometimes may request the help of professional lawyer.
In case of no agreement between next of kins of the decreased person to nominate one of the next of kin to become estate trustee, it may increase complexity of decreased assets administration. The court in such case may appoint a public trustee to handle the asset distribution according to the State or Provincial law.

Weekly Past Publication Article May -22-2009

Who can be An Executor ?

Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual or a group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. If you are chosen as an executive in a decreased person will, here are your duties.

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1. Definition of Executor
As we mentioned in previous article, an Executor is the person named by decreased person before his or her death in the most recent will and he or she has the responsibility to administrate the deceased’s estate.

2. Who can be an executor
There are many concerns when you decide to choose someone as an executor in your will, here are some examples.
a) Your executor in a will should be someone is trustworthy and respectable to your family. He or she should know and agree to carry your wishes upon your death.

b) Your executor must be able to read, write and speak English fluently and capable to perform the duties of an estate executor. Requesting other people to translate or interpret the will is costly and make the matter more complex.

c) If you think your estate is complex enough or you suspect your will may cause some controversy among designate beneficiary, you may consider to name a professional executor, such as a trust company or lawyer to carry the duty upon your death.

c)Your executor should be someone who you have known for many years so that they can carry his or her duties without causing any interfere or delay with your wish.

d) Remember that person was named in a will as executor is under no obligation to serve. You make sure you have discussed your wishes with that person beforehand so he or she understands the duties as an executor and is comfortable with the performance of those duties to avoid any unnecessary delay of your estate administration.

e) Make sure you also appoint an alternate executor in case the primary executor is unable or unwilling to perform those duties at the time of your death.

f) Your executor should of course be someone healthy and likely to outlive you.

g) You may wish to appoint professional to act as your executor if you anticipated controversy or conflict among beneficiaries.


The duties of an executor is to carry our estate administration and to ensure the decreased person final wishes are respected and is allowed to charge a 2.5% fee on capital disbursements or on capital receipts.

Weekly Past Publication Article May -16-2009

What is The Estate Setlement in a Will

Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before the death of individual or a group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Choosing an executor is importance to ensure that someone who you trust will help to perform duty of estate settlement upon your death.

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I. Definition
Estate settlement is also known as estate administration. It is the form of handling the decreased person assets by an appointed executor or executors. If the deceased did not leave any testamentary dispositions then the dispositions can be proceeded.
II. How it works
Estate settlement includes the following
a) Testamentary dispositions and will probated
Written, holographic will will have to apply to the court for probate before assets can be gathered by the executor and only most recent will has legal value.
If the deceased did not leave any testamentary dispositions then the dispositions can be proceed. Any testamentary trust in a will must be closely examined and resolved.
b) Notifying public
The purpose of this notice is to inform the heirs, creditors and debtors to the estate of the existence and identity of the liquidator.
c)
Inform the federal and estate or provincial governments of the person's death.
It is necessary if the decreased person is receiving pension incomes from the federal and estate or provincial government
d) Identifying the beneficiaries
c) Gather all decreased person documents
All documents are gathered including life insurance policy, birth certificate, decree of divorce and other related to decreased person documents.
Only the death certificate and the copy of the act of death are legally recognized.
e) Create an estate account
So all assets can be deposited into that account
f) Gather all deceased person assets
All assets including stocks, bond , property, etc. will be calculated if necessary using arm's length to determine the asset values.
g) Notifying public after all assets of decreased person are gathered
Identifying all debtors, such as credit card debts, personal loans, etc
h) File income tax for decreased person
File income tax, any taxes owed by the decrease should be paid
i) Pay off all debts
j) Other settlement if need
Such as
family patrimony and the matrimonial or civil union regime are there for married spouses or spouses in a civil union.
k) Pay out remaining


Weekly Past Publication Article May -08-2009

What is an Executor In The Will

Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual or a group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate is passed to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Choosing an executor is importance to ensure that someone who you trust will carry your will intention after your death.

I. Definition
An executor in the will, normally is the lawyer or someone you trust who will carry your intention in the will.

II. What is executor responsibility
Since you have named someone as your will executor, in general, the executor will gather up all your assets and after paying all your debts, she or he will distribute the remaining assets to the beneficiaries.
1. Paying funeral expense
The funeral expense usually paid out from the assets of the decreased, although sometimes the executor consider the wishes of the deceased's relatives.
2. Paying all other debts
The executor is also responsible to pay off all the debts of the decreased person including all credit cards and charge cards, personal loan and other debts through decreased assets.
3. Notifying all beneficiaries who are named in the will.
4. Submit the necessary probate documents to the court to get probate before an executor can handle the deceased’s estate.
5. Notifying the government pension office, if the decreased person is receiving pension payment before his or her death.
6. File the income tax for the decreased person and pay all income tax if owed by decreased estate and get a tax clearance.
7. Distributing the remaining assets to estate beneficiary.
Remember certain assets do not need to probate such as RRSP and insurance paid out from life insurance policy. Please beware of 6 months deadline of variation act that allows decreased child or spouse to apply to the court for changing the terms of the will.


Weekly Past Publication Article May -01-2009

How to Draw Up A Will

As we mentioned in previous articles, estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual of group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Drawing up a will is a must for people who want to distribute their assets in their own way upon their death.
1. Collect your assets
You must talk to your accountant, financial adviser and any financial institution that you have investments with them, so you can collect all updated statements of your asset including
stock of assets, possessions, and any other money that would form part of your estate.

2. How you want your estate to distribute
After knowing how much is worth in your estate, you can make an accurate distribution to your beneficiary, if you would like to have a straight assets distribution. It is advised to put the assets distribution in percentage instead of list of asset so you can avoid the fluctuation of certain assets and unfair to one of the beneficiaries after your death.

3. Have 2 persons to witness your signature
Remember the person who you want to witness your signature must have a sound mind and at least at the age of majority. You may want to have a lawyer to notarize your will or you may write your will in long-hand, also known as a holographic will which does not require to be notarized by lawyer or witnessed by any people.

Remember that your will must include
1.
your present address,
2 A statement that previous wills made by the you are revoked

3. Direction to pay funeral expenses, debts, and taxes before estate is distributed to your designate beneficiaries.
4. The appointment of an executor.



Weekly Past Publication Article Apr -25-2009

Legal Capacity of A Will

As we mentioned in previous articles, estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual of group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Legal capacity of a will is one the process necessary in estate planning to ensure that the estate is distributed as the estate owner wish or otherwise the will is null.

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I. Definition
Legal capacity of a will is a law of the state and provincial government that helps to make a will valid.

II. What makes a will valid
a) Age
Since
most state and provincial government defines a certain age for people have the legal capacity to create a valid will. In most states and provinces, the age is set at 18, meaning anyone 18 or older has the legal capacity to create a will. However, a few states set the age lower, but in Canada most provinces have an age of majority at 19.
b) Testamentary capacity
Testamentary capacity is defined as a person's legal and mental ability to make a valid will.This means the person must have a sound mind and memory or disposing mind and memory. Since The requirements for testamentary capacity is minimum, it is up to the estate owner to make a will valid without being contested upon his or her death.

c) Testamentary intend
Testamentary intend means that the person who make the will have the intention to instruct what you want your estate to be distributed. You make sure that your have a clear intention of what you want your wealth to be distributed to avoid any unnecessary will contest up on your death.
d) Will formalities
The general formalities of wills include the following
i) Attested will
It is a witness will. It must be signed by the estate owner and witnessed and signed by those witnesses.
ii) Holographic will
It is hand written by estate owner. Holographic will is not required to be witness.
iii) Nuncupative will
Nuncupative will also known as oral will or verbal will, it must have two witnesses. Oral will usually uses when a person who is in terminal illness and unable to draw a proper written will.

Weekly Past Publication Article Apr -17-2009

What is A will ??

As we mentioned in previous articles, estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual of group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Drawing a will is one the process necessary in estate planning to ensure that the estate is distributed as the estate owner wish.

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I. Definition
A will is a legal document that gives someone the power to act as your financial representative after your death and directs how your assets should be distributed.

II. Development of a will
1.
Legal capacity to draw a will
a) To make a legal will, the testator must be over 18 years of age
or the person must be married or in the military.
b) Testator must be in sound mind.
c) The will is not made under influence of other people
2. Draw up a will
Indicate all assets in the will and how do you want want them to be distributed and have the lawyer to
notarize it. You may also draw a will with your hand writing with no requirement of witnessing or notarizing.
3. Others include in the will
a) Address of testator
b)
A statement that previous wills made by the testator are revoked
c) The direction how assets are distributed after taxes and expenses are paid
d) Name the testator's executor and guardian
4. Signing and witnessing
a will must be signed at the end by the testator and is witnessed by 2 sound mind person
simultaneously. In case of holographic will witness is not required.

Weekly Past Publication Article Apr -11-2009

Universal Life Insurance and Estate Planning

Estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual of group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner. The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Life insurance if one of the vehicle that can ensure that because life insurance is tax free on hand of beneficiaries.

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I. What is universal fife insurance
Universal life insurance is one of most flexible life insurance that has been around since the early of 1980 and has been used in estate planning process . It contains 2 components: life insurance and investment funds.
1. Life insurance normally used to protect the policy insured's family or company in case of sudden death of the insured. It may be used in estate planning because of its tax exempt status. Since it is tax free, it can use to pay for tax and other expenses that might eat away the estate owner wealth upon his or her death.

2. Investment funds
Investment funds are the most important figure in the universal life insurance policy. The maximum amount is predetermined every year according to state or provincial law. Any growth of the maximum amount deposited into the universal life insurance policy is tax free upon the death of the life insurance.

3. Registered investment funds
It works like other registered pension plan but it is principle guaranteed by insurance company up to 100% upon the death of policy owner.

Upon the death of policy insured, The assets held under his or her mane must be liquidated including any deferred investments, capital gain and tax must be paid before assets can be distributed to the estate. If universal life insurance is one of vehicle was used in estate planning, the life insurance and investment funds are paid to beneficiary tax free can be used to pay for any estate tax, leaving the much large portion of wealth to the estate. That is main reason, it has been used successfully in assisting estate planning.

II. Other figures that benefit the estate owner
1. The investment fund can provide addition income for the estate owner while he or she is alive. Any withdrawal is taxable in the same year
2. Funds can be withdrawn anytime
Universal life investment funds can be withdrawn any time, if it is requested by the policy owner
3. Registered funds can be additional income when your retired


Weekly Past Publication Article Apr -03-2009

Life Insurance and Estate Planning

As we mentioned in previous article, estate planning is the process of accumulating and disposing of wealth before death of individual or group of owner known as estate owner including married couple. It aims is to maximize the wealth of the estate owner.

I. Life insurance
The most important goal of estate planning is to make sure that the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries while paying the least amount of taxes. Life insurance is one of the vehicle can ensure that because life insurance is tax free on hand of beneficiaries upon the death of the estate owner.

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II. How it works
1. The proceeds from the insurance can be used to pay off any probate, taxes and fees and leaving the accumulated wealth of your estate for intended beneficiaries.

2. Under universal life policy, growth of assets in your life insurance policy is tax exempt. The proceed of life insurance plus fund values will be not be taxed on hand of your designated beneficiaries and it can be used to pay off the debts of your estate that accrue at your death.

3. While you are a live, the fund values that are not registered can be withdrawn anytime. Funds that are registered can provide additional income when your retired. Since the funds can be withdrawn anytime, it give some security in case of emergency needs.

4. Life insurance in group plan not only can be used as enhancing employee benefit packages, providing coverage to protect against loss due to the death of a business partner, it also can be used as a strategy to minimize corporate taxes.

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