For years, we've all been taught that bonds are the "safety" valve to the otherwise stock-heavy allocation of our retirement/investment portfolios. And for years, we've argued that this was largely unproven as all of us have been living through extraordinary times where bond ETFs and mutual funds haven't faced the pressure of rising interest rates.  But the tables have turned over the last year to 18 months. Interest rate policy has shifted, and bond funds (ETFs and mutual funds) are reaping the sour harvest. The notions about bonds being more stable and safe are not holding.  In this episode, we look at specific data that may surprise you. Did you ever think you'd live through a time when the value of an investment-grade bond-focused ETF would experience a 17% loss in a calendar year? 2022 was one of those years.  ____________________________ If you're looking for an asset that provides similar average returns to bonds over time without the risk of losing money year-to-year, perhaps you might be interested to see how whole life insurance compares. We have more than 30 years of combined experience assisting clients with whole life insurance that achieves that result, and we'd love to work with you. Please click here to contact us and have us work for you to get the right policy set up this year. 

Do You Still Think Bonds Are a Flight to Safety?

The Insurance Pro Blog Podcast releases new episodes each week that support professional life insurance agents and financial planners who seek to better understand how cash value life insurance, in particular, might work for the benefit of their clients.

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If you've bumped into the buzz that IULs are a bad bet, this episode is for you. We're going straight to the heart of the most common critiques. Rising costs? Let's talk about why that doesn't have to be the scare it's made out to be. The complexity of IULs? We'll break it down into plain speak. And those illustrated rates that seem too optimistic? We'll shed some light on what they really mean for your policy. We're here to have an honest conversation about what's been said about IULs and to give you the lowdown on how these policies actually work. Whether you're weighing your options for your financial future, or you're in the business and want to give your clients the full story, this episode is your chance to get a clearer picture. ______________________________ If you'd like the chance to see how an indexed universal life policy might work for you, please click right here to get in touch. We can help you figure out if it might be a good thing for you.

All the Arguments Against Indexed Universal Life Insurance Are Wrong

Are you considering using your whole life insurance policy as a source of retirement income? While ledgers and assumptions made by agents can be misleading, the process of distributing money from a whole life policy is not as complicated as it may seem. In this episode, we'll dive into the practical aspects of using your whole life policy for retirement and help you navigate the potential stumbling blocks. First, let's talk about the assumptions that agents often make when presenting ledgers. They may assume a constant income stream, a fixed loan rate, and a known dividend scale. However, in reality, these factors are likely to change over time. To ensure the sustainability of your retirement income, you must maintain a reasonable distribution rate. Typically, this is around 5% of the cash value when income begins. Beware of ledgers that show results exceeding this withdrawal rate, as they may be based on overly optimistic assumptions. The process of taking money from your whole life policy is relatively straightforward. You can make periodic requests or set up an automatic EFT distribution through your insurance company. In some cases, leaving the money in the policy until you need it and making periodic withdrawals can be more beneficial than taking a large lump sum at the beginning of the year. If you choose to take distributions through loans, you'll need to monitor your loan balance. Also, be aware that loan interest accumulates and is added to the policy at the end of each year. But what if you have an old whole life policy that wasn't purchased specifically for cash value? Can you still use it for retirement income? The answer is yes, but the withdrawal figures may differ, and you might need to work with an agent to determine the appropriate withdrawal rate. If you've lost touch with your original agent, be prepared to pay out of pocket for assistance from a new agent. In this episode, we'll guide you through the practical aspects of using your whole life policy for retirement, helping you make informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls. Tune in to learn more about how to unlock the potential of your whole life policy and secure your financial future.  ___________________________  If you'd like to explore what a whole life policy could do for you and potentially provide a source of retirement income, please click here to get in touch with us. We help people from all over the country do this every day. 

How Do You Actually Use Whole Life Insurance to Create Retirement Income?

What's old is new again. The U.S. Department of Labor has revived its "Fiduciary" Rule after 7 years. This rule was originally discussed and proposed in 2015-2016. However, it was tabled after Trump was elected, and the DOL dropped it. The new rule is no less confusing than the original. Perhaps even more so.   In today's episode we discuss some of the details as we understand them. More importantly, we opine about the absurdity of making rules to enforce ethical behavior. It just doesn't work and it never has.   ______________________  If you'd like for us to help you find the right cash value life insurance solution, or you're in a transitional period from your working years to retirement, please click here to contact us. We love helping listeners and even more when they become our clients.   

The New NEW DOL Fiduciary Rule

We started talking about whole life insurance on the internet way back in 2012. At the time, the popular sentiment among the ever-growing cadre of financial bloggers was to attach all types of cash value life insurance--including whole life insurance. It was as if they had ripped a page out of Dave Ramsey's playbook, and their arguments were as thin as a communion wafer. The incentive was clear. The bloggers were incentivized by advertisers that were largely in the "buy index funds and ETFs" because they always outperform cash value life insurance. We've never argued against the "outperformance" argument. However, that argument is incomplete and reduces everything to a rate of return. In our opinion, it's a lazy perspective and ignores the deeper and multi-faceted reasons why someone would choose to own whole life insurance.   Our bigger point today is that you would have thought that all these bloggers would have impacted cash value life insurance sales/policy growth over the last 10+ years. But we're sharing some data in this episode that contradicts that directly.  Listen to hear the details. ________________________________ If you think that owning cash value life insurance might be a viable option for yourself, please click right here to talk with us. We help clients all over the U.S. every day get their own policy set up. 

Whole Life is Winning the Fight Against the Bloggers

Are you curious about the actual performance of an Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policy? In this episode, we dive into the details of an IUL policy put in force 9 years ago and address the common arguments against IUL. You'll learn about the static interest rate assumptions used in IUL illustrations, the concerns about cap rates, and how this policy has performed over time. Despite the assumption of a 6.3% static index credit at inception and the cap rate falling from 12% to as low as 7.5%, the policy has exceeded its original projection of $183,119, with an actual cash value balance of $198,960 to date. We'll discuss the average applicable cap rate for the life of the policy, the average index credit since inception, and the frequency of the index capping out. You'll also discover the guaranteed bonus the policy will receive starting after the next policy year and how it compares to the performance of whole life policies issued simultaneously. We'll explore the potential for the policy to continue outperforming its original projections and the options available to the policyholder now that the policy is nearly out of surrender. Tune in to learn more about the actual performance of an IUL policy and gain valuable insights into this often-debated topic. ________________________ If any of this sounds interesting and you're curious about how a policy like this might work for you, please click right here to get in touch with us. We welcome the opportunity to have a brief chat. 

Do You Still Think Bonds Are a Flight to Safety?

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