Concerns – DBS

Standby Survivorship Trust an Alternative to an ILIT for Insureds Desiring Control

Situation: The uncertainty of the estate tax laws has created a dilemma for many taxpayers, estate planners, and insurance professionals. Should moderately high net worth couples take action today to shelter a significant amount from estate tax (under the $12.92 million exemption) by making a large gift; or should they hold off making a large […]

6 Reasons Women Need Long-Term Care

Long-term care planning is important for everyone, but it is arguably most important for women. Why? Longevity and caregiving. 1) Women live longer than men. Women outlive men by about five years on average. Women who are married tend to outlive their husbands. A woman born in 1960 has a life expectancy of 73 years, […]

Stretch Demise Mandates Beneficiary Review

Read our print-friendly PDF version With the passage of SECURE 2.0 and the opportunities it provides, financial professionals are reminded of the changes made in the original Act. In addition to making other changes to retirement plans and IRAs, SECURE 1.0 changed the rules on distributions for deaths occurring after December 31, 2019. Stretch Distribution […]

President Biden Signs SECURE 2.0 Legislation as Part of Spending Legislation

By Terri Getman, JD, CLU, ChFC, RICP, AEP (Distinguished) On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the more than 4,000-page spending bill. In addition to funding the government to September, the legislation included provisions of what has been called SECURE 2.0. The SECURE 2.0 package is full of popular reforms that have been […]

Who Cares? You Should – The Status of State Long-Term Care

By Terri Getman, JD, CLU, ChFC, RICP, AEP (Distinguished) Situation: Public policy makers face a problem – how to pay for the cost of long-term care for people who are no longer able to take care of themselves. With the chances of needing long-term care services exceeding fifty percent for individuals turning 65 today, the […]

Men are from Mars & Women from Venus in the LTC Universe

Situation: A financial representative called her dedicated DBS Case Design Analyst with concerns about balancing the life insurance and long-term care goals of a married couple. Her client’s husband refused to attend a planning meeting to discuss long-term care, but always attended meetings in the past. The client was very interested in discussing long-term care […]

A Business Does Not Need to Die At the Death of a Key Employee

Read our print-friendly PDF version Businesses are born when the market has a need and someone has a great idea for meeting the need. A product or service is developed and offered to the public. Over time, the skill, knowledge, leadership, and experience of the business’s key people make it possible for it to grow […]

What Are the Most Popular Life Insurance Based Nonqualified Plans?

The post-COVID resignation boom has brought employee retention issues to the forefront. With turnover rates on the increase business owners are keenly aware of how difficult it is to attract and retain key personnel. The competition for superior technical, managerial, and executive talent is so fierce today that business owners are constantly faced with finding […]

Key Person Coverage: A Simple Concept with Underwriting Challenges

The hardest part in working with business owners is getting them to set aside time to talk about their life insurance. However, once the business owner agrees to meet with the financial professional, the next most difficult challenge may be determining the face amount of coverage and then getting the insurance carrier to issue the […]

Key Employee Life Insurance Checklist

Read our print-friendly PDF version The purpose of key employee life insurance coverage is to help indemnify a business for the loss of a key employee’s skills and experience in the event of the death of that person. Death benefits or cash values may be used to help recruit and train a replacement, to pay […]