When it comes to specially designed whole life insurance policies aimed at cash value accumulation, understanding the order of operations for your premium deposits is crucial. Should you prioritize paying your base policy premium first, or allocate funds toward the paid-up additions rider?
Here’s the breakdown:
Base Policy Premium: Initially, this may seem less efficient, but over time, it becomes incredibly effective. Every dollar invested here can multiply significantly due to the policy’s design, promising both a death benefit and a cash value equal to that benefit at maturity.
Paid-Up Additions Rider: Ideal for early cash accumulation in your policy, especially within the first ten years. As the base policy gains efficiency, consider whether continued contributions to this rider are beneficial beyond this period.
Policy Loan Interest: Addressing this next minimizes costs associated with borrowing against your policy’s cash value. It ensures that interest payments stay manageable and may even be returned to you as tax-free dividends, though this isn’t guaranteed.
Policy Loan Principal: Lastly, reducing this directly enhances your policy’s cash value accessibility. While it doesn’t compound, paying down the principal expands your equity, making more funds available when needed.
Understanding these steps ensures you make informed decisions about your policy’s financial management.
To explore tailored whole life insurance solutions designed for cash value growth, schedule your free strategy session today. Remember, it’s not about how much money you make, but how much money you keep that really matters.
Saving for retirement isn’t just about putting money aside; it’s about ensuring that your savings can support you throughout your retirement years. In today’s financial landscape, where balancing current lifestyle needs with future financial security is crucial, understanding how to maximize the efficiency of your savings becomes paramount.
The Current Retirement Savings Landscape
Across America, many households grapple with the challenge of preparing adequately for retirement. Fidelity’s 2022 Retirement Report reveals sobering statistics: the average 401k balance is $112,000, which falls far short of what’s needed for a comfortable retirement. Even more concerning, only 55% of Americans are actively participating in any form of retirement account.
If you’re among those diligently saving for retirement or have substantial savings, it’s essential to consider how to protect and optimize those assets. Saving in qualified retirement accounts defers tax payments until withdrawal, posing uncertainties about future tax rates and financial security.
Efficient Retirement Planning Strategies
Financial advisors like us can assist by focusing on two key strategies:
Enhancing Investment Returns: Often involves seeking higher returns, typically requiring higher risk tolerance. While potentially lucrative, it’s crucial to weigh the risks carefully.
Optimizing Financial Efficiency: This approach centers on leveraging your existing assets more effectively, whether through lump-sum savings or optimizing cash flow. The goal is to align current spending with future financial needs while maintaining liquidity and control.
Our Four-Step Approach to Financial Efficiency
Identify Inefficiencies: We start by pinpointing areas where your financial resources may be underutilized or misallocated.
Break Inefficient Habits: The toughest step involves discontinuing practices that hinder financial growth or security.
Save Strategically: Redirect resources into vehicles that offer both immediate utility and long-term security, ensuring you can meet current needs while preparing for the future.
Leverage Assets: Implement strategies where your money works for you, ensuring you maintain control over your finances rather than external entities.
How We Can Help
We specialize in safeguarding and enhancing your wealth through personalized strategies. Our goal is not only to grow your wealth but to empower you with financial efficiency and control. Whether you’re planning for retirement, aiming to protect your assets or secure your family’s future, our strategies are designed to align with your goals.
Life insurance often gets a bad rap when it comes to financial planning. Many consider it solely as a tool for providing a death benefit, overlooking its versatile capabilities. In this blog, we’ll delve into five lesser-known benefits that life insurance can offer, shedding light on its potential beyond traditional perceptions.
1. Credit Line Access
Did you know that your life insurance policy can serve as a credit line? Unlike traditional banks, where access to funds can tighten during economic downturns, your life insurance policy offers a unique advantage. You can tap into this credit line whenever needed, providing financial flexibility and the ability to seize opportunities that others might miss.
2. Emergency Fund Substitute
Emergencies can strike at any time, from unexpected home repairs to medical or financial crises. Instead of relying on high-interest credit cards, your life insurance policy can act as an emergency fund. Accessing this fund allows you to address urgent needs without compromising your financial stability or incurring hefty interest charges.
3. Long-Term Care and Critical Illness Support
Facing a long-term care event or critical illness can be financially daunting. Thankfully, many life insurance policies offer riders that allow you to access the death benefit to cover such expenses. While there may be costs associated with utilizing this benefit, having the option can provide peace of mind and vital financial support during challenging times.
4. College Tuition Funding
Saving for your children’s college tuition is a priority for many parents. While 529 plans are commonly used, life insurance policies offer an alternative avenue. The cash value within these policies doesn’t impact your family’s contribution to the FAFSA application, providing a strategic way to save for education without affecting financial aid eligibility.
5. Volatility Buffer in Retirement
Retirement planning involves navigating market fluctuations. Your life insurance policy can serve as a volatility buffer during these uncertain times. Its cash values, unaffected by market swings, offer stability when supplementing retirement income. This strategic approach helps safeguard your portfolio from potential downturns, ensuring a more secure financial future.
Retirement is the ultimate goal for many of us. The dream of being able to stop working and still maintain a comfortable lifestyle is what keeps us planning and saving. One of the most common tools for retirement planning is the 401k, or its counterpart, the 403b. These government tax-qualified plans offer attractive benefits like tax deductions on contributions and tax-free growth until withdrawal. However, before diving headlong into your 401k contributions, it’s crucial to ask some important questions.
1. Tax Implications
Contributing to a 401k allows you to defer taxes on your contributions and earnings until retirement. However, keep in mind that every dollar withdrawn during retirement is fully taxable as ordinary income. This can be a significant drawback if tax rates are higher when you retire, potentially resulting in paying more taxes than you saved initially.
2. Early Access
The rules surrounding 401k withdrawals before age 59 and a half can be restrictive. While there are provisions like 401k loans, accessing your funds early can come with penalties and taxes, leading to double taxation in some cases. This lack of flexibility can be problematic if unexpected financial needs arise before retirement.
3. Inflation and Buying Power
Considering the impact of inflation on your retirement savings is essential. Will the dollars you withdraw in the future have the same purchasing power as today? Factoring in inflation can help you set realistic savings goals to maintain your desired lifestyle in retirement.
4. Future Tax Environment
Tax laws are subject to change, and future tax rates may differ from today’s rates. Planning for potential tax increases or changes in tax regulations can help you prepare better for retirement and avoid unforeseen tax burdens.
5. Control and Flexibility
One of the critical aspects to consider is control over your retirement savings. With 401ks, you are subject to government regulations, and accessing your funds can be challenging and costly before retirement. Maintaining control and flexibility over your retirement income can provide peace of mind and financial security.
In conclusion, while 401ks offer valuable tax advantages and retirement savings opportunities, it’s essential to weigh the potential drawbacks and limitations. Understanding the implications of contributing to a 401k and considering alternative retirement savings strategies can help you make informed decisions and secure your financial future.
If you’re unsure about your retirement planning or need personalized advice, consider scheduling a Free Strategy Session with us to discuss your goals and options. Remember, it’s not just about how much you make; it’s about how much you keep that truly matters.
Are you a firm believer in the mantra that “cash is king”? It’s a common adage, deeply ingrained in many of us, advocating for the virtues of paying cash and avoiding debt at all costs. We’re told to clear our mortgages, credit cards, and student loans as swiftly as possible, freeing ourselves from the clutches of external financial burdens. But what if this belief, seemingly prudent on the surface, is actually holding us back?
The financial landscape is complex, and often, the seemingly straightforward advice of paying cash for major expenses needs a closer examination. Yes, there’s merit in reducing debt and not being beholden to lenders. However, the larger financial picture demands a nuanced approach.
We challenge the notion that financial success hinges solely on owning products or being debt-free. The reality is far more intricate. How you use your money and financial tools is what truly determines your long-term wealth accumulation, financial stability, and the legacy you leave for future generations.
Let’s delve deeper into the concept. Paying cash for purchases might seem like a sound strategy to avoid interest payments to financial institutions. However, it’s crucial to recognize the opportunity cost of paying cash – the interest you could have earned on that money if it were strategically invested or utilized differently.
Every financial decision involves a trade-off. By paying cash, you may save on interest paid to lenders, but you’re forfeiting the potential interest you could have gained. This unseen interest, lost unknowingly, could have been a valuable asset for your financial future and that of your heirs.
Our approach focuses on maximizing your financial potential while maintaining flexibility. Financing purchases intelligently, leveraging specially designed whole life insurance policies for cash accumulation, allows you to benefit from the power of compound interest. Instead of depleting your resources with each purchase, you’re continuously growing a pool of money that works for you.
With a structured financial strategy, you can navigate life’s inevitable expenses – whether it’s a vacation, major household purchase, education costs, or unexpected emergencies – without compromising your long-term financial well-being. By understanding the intricacies of interest, borrowing, and wealth accumulation, you can make informed decisions that align with your financial goals.
We’re here to guide you through this financial journey. Our personalized strategies empower you to optimize your cash flow, make strategic purchases, and build a robust financial foundation for yourself and your family.
Recently, we spoke with a client who had considered starting four years ago but didn’t feel ready. Now, he’s eager to begin, realizing that waiting only delayed his financial growth. The key takeaway? Start where you are. You don’t need a fortune to start; you need a comfortable amount that fits your budget and allows you to progress without stress.
Start small by redirecting a portion of your cash flow into your policy. Over time, this money becomes more efficient, giving you access to funds for various needs like debt repayment, vacations, or investments. The goal is to start without biting off more than you can chew, ensuring a sustainable financial strategy.
Assessing each situation individually is crucial. We guide you to avoid overcommitting and help you make informed decisions that align with your goals. Our goal isn’t just to start a policy but to empower you with financial control and flexibility.
Once you start, you’ll see the benefits firsthand. Think of it as a forced savings account that grows tax-deferred, giving you access to funds when needed. It’s about regaining control of your finances and being prepared for both challenges and opportunities.
Do you have a lump sum of money and you’re wondering how to get the most out of it? Well, one option could be a CD. But another option could be an annuity. Have you ever wondered what the differences are, what the pros and cons are of each of these products?
Recently, one of our clients inherited a lump sum of money from her mom. However, she wasn’t sure what to do with the money, she knew that banks were paying a reasonable rate of return on short-term CDs right now.
For example, a six-month CD may be paying out 6%. So naturally, she questioned, Is this a good deal or is there something better for my situation? And to that, we brought to the table the question of a fixed annuity.
You see, the bank was actually crediting them 6% for a six-month CD. Why was the bank paying that much for a short-term CD? And the answer is really simple. If and when interest rates go back down, the bank doesn’t want to be caught with a long-term commitment at a higher interest rate. So the bank’s given themselves some wiggle room, meaning a short duration to get out of the contract and this is because banks generally don’t keep the money around.
When a depositor puts money in the bank, the bank doesn’t let it sit there. They turn it over. And how do they turn it over? They turn around and they loan it to somebody. And a bank will generally loan a dollar that you put on deposit 8 to 10 times. Going out, coming back, going out, coming back, and they just rinse and repeat.
So because the bank doesn’t have the money on hand, they have to sort of suck you in so they don’t get caught with long-term interest rate risk. The bank is offering a much higher rate for a short duration so that they can keep turning it over. And more importantly, when the interest rates go down, the bank isn’t going to be caught with a long-term commitment.
Let’s contrast that with an annuity, specifically a single premium deferred annuity. This is a fixed annuity that locks in the interest rate over, let’s say, three, four, or five years. Because let’s face it, these products are actually paying out similar interest rates to the bank’s CD. But generally, the rates will be higher for a short-term annuity and lower for a longer-term annuity.
In other words, short-term interest rates are actually higher than long-term interest rates. And consequently, what’s happening is insurance companies as well as banks are incentivizing people to take shorter duration annuities because the interest rates are higher. So this is how these financial institutions sort of limit their interest rate risk.
But this goes back to the original question, why should this client take an annuity versus a CD? The annuity might be paying 5% whereas the CD is paying 6%. What’s up with that?
And the answer is simple. You’re locking in a reasonable rate of return for an extended period of time. Would you rather have 5% over three years? Or would you rather have 6% over only six months?
Basically with the CD at the bank. The bank is transferring that interest rate risk back to you. So ultimately, what happens is people say, yeah, well, but after six months, I could renew it at 6% again. Well, maybe you can. Maybe you can’t. It depends on what the interest rate environment is at that time. But here’s the point.
You know, three years ago, if somebody came in and said, hey, I’m looking for a fixed annuity, they might be getting two and a half, maybe 3% if they were lucky. Now they’re getting close to 5%. So they could walk in for five years at an interest rate that’s like 60% higher than what the rate used to be three years ago. That’s a pretty good deal. Again, you’re locking in for a longer period of time.
Now, of course, there’s this other issue, which is do you need access to that money? And if you do, then this may not be the appropriate way to address this issue. But a huge benefit of an annuity versus a bank CD is it’s tax deferred.
Once you put your money in that annuity, it’s growing on a tax-deferred basis, meaning it’s not taxed until you access the money. Once you do access it, the interest will be taxed as ordinary income. However, with a bank CD, your interest is taxed all along the way. And that’s something a lot of people don’t consider.
So really with an annuity, you make the decision as to when you want to pay the tax. You could take an annual distribution of interest only and therefore pay the tax at that time. You can defer the interest each and every year until the annuity is finished and then pay the cumulative tax at that time. Or, you can roll over that annuity into another fixed annuity and defer the tax even still. But, the key is you have the choice.
Now, one other thing to consider, not specifically for this client, but if you’re under age 59 and a half. Taxes aren’t the only thing to consider. If you access money in an annuity before age 59 and a half, that money may also be subject to the 10% penalty. Because these products are structured for retirement purposes.
So let’s go back to the original question. Should they be doing a CD or an annuity?
Well, it depends. It depends on their situation and how they plan on using that money. And it depends on how much control they want. So the moral of the story is, like always, it’s not only about comparing interest rates. We have to look specifically at your situations, your goals, your objectives, and how you plan on using the money.
If you have a lump sum of money you’d like to discuss a way to earn a reasonable rate of return and avoid risk in doing so. Hop on our calendar for our Free Strategy Session and we’d be happy to speak to you about your specific situation.
And remember, it’s not how much money you make it’s how much money you keep that really matters.
Are you thinking about implementing the infinite banking concept? But you don’t quite understand why it takes ten years to recapture the money that you put into the policy.
One of the most common complaints we have when speaking to people about the infinite banking concept is that they’re not going to have all of their money back for a full ten years at least.
So you may be wondering, Yeah, why does it make sense to put money in a whole life policy? That’s a lousy investment. It’s going to take me so long to break even and then earn a rate of return on that money.
So let’s go back to the basics.
Nelson Nash originally had four cardinal rules as it related to infinite banking, and his first rule was to think long term. You see, Nelson was trained as a forester. He was trained to think 70 years in advance. And as he would say, I’m not going to be here to see the fruits of my labor. But somebody will and they will benefit handsomely by my good judgment.
So first and foremost, you’re being future thinking. You’re not thinking about the death benefit. You’re thinking more so for the cash availability. And it’s just like planting a tree. You plant a tree and it takes a long time to see that tree grow, but all of a sudden, one day, you go out in the backyard and my gosh, you’ve got a tree that’s taller than you. And that’s the way it is with life insurance. There’s a start-up cost. Nelson used to say it’s sort of like starting a business. Very few people start a business and become profitable on day one.
The fact of the matter is time takes time and you’re not going to wake up one day and just have a pool of money sitting in a life insurance policy. Now, in some cases, there is availability to be able to put a large sum of money within the policies. But it’s still going to take time for that money to grow and compound. But the key here is to be able to access the money everywhere along the way. As your policy becomes more and more efficient with time, you’re able to access more and more of that cash value.
Yes, it might take ten years to realize a profit on that policy. But you don’t have to wait ten years to get your money as the cash value appears, you could borrow most of that or borrow against most of that cash value and deploy it in your life.
Whatever you decide to do with that money is completely yours. And here’s the key, however you decide to pay back that money to the insurance company, that’s your decision as well. That’s what Nelson realized by using the life insurance company’s money borrowing against the equity in your policy puts you in control of the financing function. And that’s the bottom line. That’s the golden rule. That’s the reason to be. That’s the reason why we recommend this concept because it puts you in control.
Americans are being squeezed from many, many different directions. Inflation is up. It costs more for goods and services. Our pay is down. Our revenues are down. Our profits are down. Inflation is eating into everything. Interest rates are higher. It costs more money to borrow from the banks and the credit companies than it has in over 15 years.
It’s affecting our health. It’s affecting our relationships. It’s affecting our ability to run our companies or do our jobs. It affects everything because it’s always top of mind.
But, there’s a way out of this. There’s a way that you could now be in control of this process rather than being controlled by this process. And that’s what the infinite banking concept can bring to you.
A question that you may have, if you’re thinking about implementing the infinite banking concept, is why on earth would I be paying interest to access my own money?
One of the core principles of implementing the Infinite Banking concept, using a specially designed whole life insurance policy designed for cash accumulation, is utilizing policy loans, leveraging the life insurance company’s money to make major capital purchases, whether that be a car, a wedding, or an investment where you can earn an external rate of return.
You see one of the things we sort of take for granted, or I think more appropriately we ignore, is the fact that we finance everything we buy. What do we mean by that? If you want to make a purchase, everybody thinks there are only two ways to do so. You could finance borrowing money from a bank or a credit company, and therefore paying interest to the bank or the credit company for the privilege of using their money.
The second way you can make that purchase is to pay cash. And what most people fail to take into consideration is the opportunity cost of using their cash. In other words, they know that if they take a loan, they’re going to pay 5 or 6 or 10% interest. But what they don’t take into consideration is the fact that if they use their cash, they could have earned interest on their cash. And guess what? That’s called opportunity cost.
Any way you look at it, you are paying or financing that purchase. You’re either going to finance through a bank or self-finance by paying cash. We have a saying here at Tier 1 Capital, you’ll never see the interest that you don’t earn on the money you used to pay cash to make a purchase.
With traditional banking, we typically park our money down at the local bank. However, we’re not earning any interest on that money, are we? The bank is though. They’re able to loan out that money at whatever rate of return they deem necessary. As many as 9 or 10 times for each dollar deposited.
So what does that mean? If you finance and have a bank account at the same bank, Which money are they actually lending you? And how are you being compensated for it? People deal with banks every day, and they accept that as normal.
And then we present them with the idea of, “Hey, why don’t you cut the banker out?” Set up your own pool of money that you will always earn interest on using the cash value of a life insurance policy. But you see, they have these preconceived notions of what life insurance is. And a red flag goes up and they’re like, No way. Life insurance is bad. Bank, good.
And then they come back and say, “Why in the world would I ever pay interest to get my own money from a life insurance company?” Well, here’s why, it ain’t your money. Your money is still in the policy earning interest on an uninterrupted basis.
The insurance company is putting a lien against your money and giving you a separate loan from their general account. That’s why you’re paying interest. You’re paying interest to get the insurance company’s money. You’re using other people’s money to make your money more efficient.
At the end of the day, if you’re accessing money, whether you’re financing or paying cash, there’s a cost to accessing money.
If you’d like to make your money more efficient by utilizing a specially designed whole life insurance policy designed for cash accumulation, schedule your free strategy session today. We’d be happy to talk about your specific situation and how this concept fits.
And remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.
Are you nearing retirement and considering implementing the infinite thinking concept, but have the feeling that it’s too late?
I was talking to a guy this week who’s nearing retirement in only six months at age 58. He came to me with concerns about how to take his buckets of retirement assets and also implement the infinite banking concept with a policy. He wasn’t sure how the two worlds fit. When it comes to retirement money during the accumulation phase when you’re saving up and building up your pool of assets. It’s easy in the matter of all you have to worry about is saving. However, as you get closer and closer to retirement, the focus shifts from saving to: “How do I make sure these assets last and last me my entire lifetime?”
So you go from a mindset of “I’m willing to take some risk because I have some time to recapture any momentary losses” to a mindset of “I can’t afford to have any losses because retirement is right in front of me.”
As he’s nearing retirement and as anyone’s nearing retirement, you have to consider that your income is going to stop. And in this family, his income was $145,000. Now his wife is going to continue to work for an additional four or five years. But then her income’s going to stop also. We need to make sure these assets are going to last as long as they do.
So the real question is how do you make his money as efficient as possible so that he can reach all of his income and retirement goals?
Implementing the infinite banking concept in this person’s case could mean something very simple. Giving him permission to spend down his assets. Spend down those assets without worrying about sacrificing his wife’s livelihood should he pass before her and also his livelihood should she pass before him. Additionally, we could lock in a legacy piece for their two daughters.
So let’s think of this in two steps.
Step number one is to set up a policy on him so that his wife has survivor income generated from the death benefit in his policy.
Step number two is purchasing a policy on the wife which will give her permission to spend down all of the assets to supplement her retirement income and her survivor income needs without jeopardizing the legacy for their children.
Now we can’t forget that these are specially designed whole life insurance policies designed for cash accumulation. So what does that mean in this case? Well, by transferring some assets from these retirement income accounts, and using that money to fund life insurance premium, you’re moving money from at risk and forever taxable to safe money that’s never taxable, that you have access to, full liquidity use and control over so that as life goes on, you still have access to that money. And even after accessing that money, you’re not interrupting the compound interest curve on that safe pool of money.
And in our discussions with this couple, we found a few things. Number one, they want to travel. Well, they can borrow against their life insurance cash value to pay for their trips and then pay back those loans using their retirement income.
The other thing they want to do is every four or five years, they want to buy a new car. Again, they could buy the car by borrowing against the cash value of the life insurance and then make those payments back to the policy to replenish for the next vacation or the next vehicle.
So there’s a lot of things that they can do. And by the way, this is making their money more efficient because they’re not losing the opportunity cost by paying cash. Neither are they losing opportunity cost by financing directly with a bank or a credit company.
Another thing to consider that these policies can be used for is a volatility buffer. Since all of their money is in investments. There is risk associated with investments by nature. If for example in a down year, a year where the market went down, their account value went down, they still need to generate income because their income from their jobs has been turned off. They could instead borrow money against their life insurance policy so they don’t have to have a double negative in a year.
So there are a lot of reasons when you’re on the threshold of retirement where life insurance can really come into play and make your retirement better.
If you’d like to get started with an infinite banking concept policy, a whole life policy designed for cash value accumulation, schedule your free strategy session today.
And remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.
