Life Insurance can be used in a wide variety of ways to solve a wide variety of planning issues. From a simple term policy to filling in the gap until retirement, to a complex premium financing case, life insurance can be utilized in as many ways as there are unique clients.

AdvisorServe is uniquely positioned to support the planning work you’re doing with objective solutions to your unique planning strategies. Our goal is to provide you, the advisor, with all the tools, resources, knowledge, and expertise you need so that you can position yourself as your client’s primary source for the insurance planning.

You might not be selling your client the insurance product, but you are in the best position to make the objective recommendations that they are relying upon you for. Here are a few of the areas that AdvisorServe can help support your practice when it comes to Life Insurance Planning:

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    Term Insurance

  • Term insurance is straightforward and easy to run quotes for. But everyone’s health is different, and different insurance companies treat different health issues well, differently. Choosing the wrong company can be the difference between a $2,000 premium and tobacco rates or a $500 premium and non-tobacco rates. Click HERE to submit a quote request and see how AdvisorServe can support your work.

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    Cash Value Insurance

  • Policies that are built to have a cash value represent the most complicated side of life insurance. These can come in the form of whole life, universal life, indexed life, and variable life. Usually these policies are meant to remain in force until a certain age, often to a safe amount of time beyond normal life expectancy. Cash value life insurance should be designed to meet client objectives not only with regard to the amount of death benefit, but also the way premiums are structured and how cash value is developed. These policies require active management much like what a wealth manager does with a client’s other investment assets.

    AdvisorServe can help you select, design, price, and underwrite cash value coverage in the ways that best fit your clients’ needs. And we are not restricted to using a primary carrier. We have access to most of the major carriers and will give you as many competing quotes as you believe are necessary to fully serve your clients. The winner can often be driven by the client’s health, since client health often impacts the pricing, even as it relates to specific carriers.

    As a result of our work, your clients can be assured that their coverage is competitive, well- structured, and most likely to serve their needs for year to come. Click HERE to schedule some time to talk.

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    Insurance for Estate Planning

  • Is your client facing possible estate taxes? Have you considered that the easiest way to deal with estate taxes may be to simply pay them? Utilizing life insurance to cover the upcoming estate tax bill has historically been one of the safest and easiest financial moves. Click HERE to schedule some time to discuss this strategy.

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    Funding Buy-Sell Agreements

  • Are you looking to fund a buy-sell with life insurance? Should you be using term insurance or permanent insurance? How about the structure of the buy-sell, is Cross Purchase a better way than Stock Redemption? AdvisorServe can help you navigate through these unique questions on a case-by-case basis. Click HERE to schedule some time to talk.
    Click here to view our Buy Sell Planning PDF
    Click here to view our Benefit of reviewing redemption buy-sell agreements PDF
    Click here to view our Special Purpose Buy Sell Insurance PDF

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    Retirement Funding

  • In recent years, life insurance cash values have become a very valuable source of tax free income during retirement years. Policies can be built to deliver significant income by minimizing the death benefit from the start of coverage and thus minimizing insurance charges. Funds paid into the policy as premiums are thus spared the normal amount of insurance charges, leaving them to grow tax free inside the contract. Cash values can be increased by dividends, interest, or investment results, depending on the contract selected. In effect, such policies are sometimes referred to as “Roth alternatives”. They are NOT Roth accounts, but their behavior is quite similar. After tax money in, tax free growth, tax free income out, if the policy is managed to avoid losing its tax status (non-MEC). Ultimately, if things are managed correctly, the death benefit is tax-free and taxes are totally avoided.

    AdvisorServe is very active in the construction of these types of policies. If you have a client who would like to create an additional source of retirement income that is income tax free. Click HERE to schedule some time to talk.

    Note: Income may be taken from a policy in the form of policy loans or a surrender of basis. Please consult with your advisor before taking policy loans, as they may affect the performance of the policy, including the potential for policy lapse, which could result in a taxable event.

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    Employee Benefit Funding

  • Many of your clients may be business owners who are looking for ways to attract and retain key employees. This can often take the form of noon-qualified deferred compensation, Section 162 Bonus Plans, and Split Dollar Life Insurance. In all of these arrangements, life insurance is uniquely positioned to be the preferred funding mechanism. Why? Life insurance enjoys certain tax benefits that ultimately can save an employer more in income taxes than the employer will pay in insurance charges, which are minimized to keep the advantage certain life insurance policies hold.

    It is also important to mention that non-profit entities, including hospitals, schools and ministries often have similar needs to compensate their top talent in tax-friendly ways. AdvisorServe is fully resourced to address these needs for your clients.

    We strongly recommend that any advisor reviewing an existing benefits arrangement or contemplating the design of a new arrangement contact us for the additional resources that could enhance your efforts to be a creative and key advisor in this area. Click HERE to schedule some time to discuss this strategy.

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    Policy Reviews

  • Without question, policies already owned by your clients need regular attention. You may be tracking death benefit, cash value, and premium already, but there is much more you can be doing for your clients. Declining dividends and declines in interest rates have made many policies underperform what is assumed. Such policies could even be in danger of lapsing well before the end of their intended duration. AdvisorServe can help you see whether your clients have properly funded policies before it is too late to make what could have been some mid-course corrections.

    Similarly, client objectives are not static. The coverage that was needed a few years ago may be more or less than what is needed today. Our policy reviews begin with the same thing you begin with – current client objectives. The assessment of these objectives might lead you to drop coverage or “repurpose” the cash value to alternative needs such as long term care coverage. A good policy review could also uncover unmet needs which could be far more important than what is currently in place.

    Advisors who address client insurance show that they are truly comprehensive advisors. And an incidental benefit that comes from a policy review is your ability to maintain the primary advisory position over life insurance agents who might otherwise meddle with the sound planning you have been offering your clients.

    The best part is that we do the work, pass our results to you, and you strengthen your client relationship. Policy reviews are a key endeavor among the best advisors. Click HERE to schedule some time to discuss this strategy.

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    Life Settlements

  • Most advisors have heard about life settlements, but few have been fully briefed on the topic, and fewer yet have been involved in a life settlement transaction. AdvisorServe is here to help with educational information and is fully capable to facilitate your efforts to help your clients in this area. Our deep resources help ensure that you as the advisor fully understand the process, and that your client is able to access a competitive group of institutional buyers which helps ensure they are receiving very competitive offers.