I recently watched the fabulous movie It’s a Wonderful Life for the umpteenth time.  I must admit it gets me every time I watch it.   With my apologies to Frank Capra, here’s another version of the movie: George Bailey has spent his entire life helping the folks of Bedford Falls.  His dream of traveling the […]

Finding a Good Life Insurance Policy While Using the Internet

If you have been procrastinating about purchasing a term life insurance policy, the cost of waiting is going to get more expensive.  Up until 2008, term price wars reduced term insurance premiums by about 30%, according to Donna Kinnaird, president of Swiss Re Life & Health America, Inc.  in an interview in National Underwriter magazine, […]

One question that comes up fairly regularly in filling out a life insurance application is who should my beneficiaries be and what’s the difference between a primary and contingent (or secondary) beneficiary? A beneficiary is a person or entity entitled to receive the death benefits paid under a life insurance policy.  A beneficiary can be […]

Unless Congress gives us a last minute reprieve, the Federal Estate Tax will revert to the rates in effect on January 1, 2001.  This means that any estate greater than $1,000,000 will be taxable at 41%, while estates worth more than $3,000,000 will be taxed at 55%.  Estates greater than $10,000,000 will incur an additional […]

I often speak of health issues when talking about life insurance.  The topic of health is relevant to the subject of insurance, as your health has a direct effect on your risk of mortality and, therefore, on your life insurance premiums. Two of the biggest factors in determining health class are tobacco use and build […]

Prior to 2006, the death benefits from corporate or business-owned life insurance policies were generally tax-free.  After August 17th, 2006, laws were changed to allow for income taxation of death benefits on these policies issued after this date. The legislation affected business of all sizes and types where life insurance policies were purchased by a […]

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “the only guarantees in life are death and taxes,” I guarantee that I would be a very wealthy man.  I imagine, what with the current economy and years of failed promises by politicians on both sides of the aisles, more folks are uttering […]

Many U.S. households are at risk: LIMRA’s 2010 life insurance Ownership Study has found that 30 percent of U.S. households (35 million) have no life insurance protection at all. Many U.S. households are under-insured: Only 44% of U.S. households have individual life insurance, according to the Trends in life insurance Ownership study, which is conducted […]