Indexed Universal Life: Combining Life Insurance and Market Potential

Indexed universal life (IUL) insurance is a unique type of life insurance that blends the security of a guaranteed death benefit with the growth potential of the stock market. It's a popular choice for people who want to protect their loved ones financially while also building cash value for the future.

Here's a closer look at some of the key benefits of IUL insurance:

• Growth Potential: Unlike traditional life insurance, IUL policies allow your cash value to grow based on a market index, such as the S&P 500. This means your cash value has the opportunity to grow significantly over time, potentially outpacing inflation and other savings vehicles.
• Downside Protection: IUL policies typically come with a floor rate of interest. This acts as a safety net, ensuring your cash value never loses money even if the market experiences a downturn.
• Flexibility: IUL offers flexibility in terms of premium payments and death benefit amounts. You can adjust these elements as your life circumstances change, ensuring the policy remains aligned with your needs.
• Living Benefits: Many IUL policies offer living benefits riders. These allow you to access your cash value while you're still alive, for purposes like critical illness or long-term care.
• Tax Advantages: The cash value in your IUL policy grows tax-deferred. This means you won't pay taxes on any gains until you withdraw the money. Additionally, any death benefit payout to your beneficiaries is typically income tax-free.

Here are some additional points to consider:

• Complexity: IUL policies can be more complex than traditional term life insurance. It's important to understand the features, fees, and riders associated with a policy before you commit.
• Costs: IUL policies typically have higher premiums than term life insurance due to the potential for market growth and added flexibility.
• Not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: While IUL offers the potential for higher returns, it's not a guaranteed path to riches. The stock market can be volatile, and there's always the risk of losing money.

IUL can be a valuable tool for those seeking a comprehensive insurance and savings strategy. However, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. If you're considering IUL, it's important to consult with a qualified financial advisor to determine if it's the right fit for your financial goals and risk tolerance.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. Please subscribe to this blog!

Great Cycle Challenge - Cancer Bike Ride

As September was Life Insurance Awareness Month, we failed to mention one of the other interesting items that took place involving a couple of our associates. 

The Great Cycle Challenge began in 2015 and has quickly become one of the biggest cycling events in the country. People of all ages, abilities and from every state across the country set themselves a personal riding goal and challenge themselves to pedal to fight kids' cancer. For 2020 the challenge took place in September. 

In the previous 5 years, the riders from all 50 states across the country had ridden a total of 18,831,130 miles and raised a total of $24,615,507! That money goes to support research to develop better treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.

Two of our very good friends participated this year and both did fantastic. Donna Cash, a retired school administrator in North Carolina, set a goal of 300 miles and to raise $500. Donna, who is a colleague of ours and an all-around awesome person, rode 303 miles and shattered her goal with $668. Good job!

Jeanne Doran, one of our Surf Financial partners in crime, also rode in the event. Going above and beyond the call of duty, Jeanne rode a total of 455 miles and raised $2615. Congratulations to both of these amazing people and a hearty thanks for helping a good cause.

I spoke to Jeanne last week and let her know what a great job she did. As cancer has touched all of in some form or fashion, we discussed what a great way the bike ride was for getting the message out about kids' cancer, as well as other cancers too. 

That's when Jeanne and I realized that we offer cancer insurance plans and those plans should be part of our messaging also. 

I've related the story in the past of the gentleman whose son was receiving cancer treatments in a town nearly two hours away. Since the father was having to take time from work to travel with his son, their financial situation was dire. At the last minute the father's employer remembered that there was a cancer plan in place and it literally saved the day. 

Most people purchase their cancer plans through work, which is fine and convenient. However, if you are self-employed, a small business owner or, like us, an independent contract employee, you may not be eligible for a group cancer plan. Not to worry, because we offer an excellent plan that is available on an individual basis, and is still quite affordable. 

Through the years we have heard stories from clients who will tell us how much their cancer plan came in handy when they were receiving treatments. Yes, their medical coverage picked up the bulk of the hospital and doctors' bills, but there were still a lot of out-of-pocket costs associated with cancer. Co-pays and coinsurance are just the beginning. Travel and lodging expenses if treatments are out of town can add up, and not everyone is eligible for the Ronald McDonald House. Of course, the loss of income can be detrimental to the financial stability of the patient's family. 

If you would like some information about our cancer plan, check out this video. And if you would just like to contact us for rates or other information, feel free to schedule a phone appointment. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy. 

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. And please subscribe to this blog!

The Disability Waiver of Premium

You have decided to purchase that life insurance policy you have been thinking about. Now you have the peace of mind knowing that if you were to die unexpectedly your family could stay in there home, your kids will have the money to go to college if they wish, and your spouse will be able to handle everyday expenses. But there's one thing that is still nagging you. What if you get sick or hurt, and are unable to work? Will you be able to keep paying for that life insurance policy?

The last thing you need at that point is to have your life insurance pulled out from under you. But there is good news. Most life insurance policies have an optional Disability Waiver of Premium (WP) that you can add on when you purchase your policy. What the WP does is insure that if you are disabled and can't pay your premiums, the insurance company will pay the premium for you. Basically, it's insurance on your insurance. 

In a previous post, I told the story of my client who purchased life and disability policies at the urging of her husband. A few years later she was seriously injured in a house fire and her disability policy paid as it was supposed to. When she recovered she called me one day to ask about her life insurance policy. "They haven't drafted out of my bank account. Is my policy cancelled for non-payment?" she asked.

The answer was that the policy was still in force and that the WP of premium was triggered because we used the same insurance company for both policies. When she went on claim for her disability policy, the company cross-referenced her life policy and began paying her premiums for her. She didn't even realize she had the WP on her policy. 

When you take out a life insurance policy make sure to ask about the WP. It's usually very inexpensive and can give you the peace of mind that if you were to be sick or hurt and unable to work, your life insurance will still be in place, giving your loved ones the security you want.

Let us know if you have any questions and feel free to subscribe. And of course,stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, as well as a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient.

Get You Some Insurance and Relax

The Greek word for "insurance" is "asfalisi", which literally means "security".  Not like a security guard, but more like a security blanket. In other words, insurance makes us feel secure knowing that if something bad should happen to us, like an accident or health crisis, our bills will be taken care of and so will our loved ones.

People love to "get away from it all", with trips, vacations, hobbies or music. We all need something to take our minds off of the everyday issues we deal with, from work to family, traffic to bad neighbors. There's a lot of stress out there and some in the medical community point to this stress as the root of a gamut of medical problems. And the cause can be those nagging little voices in the back of our heads letting us know if we get sick or hurt, we still have bills to pay.

Are you the breadwinner of the family? What would happen to your loved ones if you were to die too soon? Could your spouse and children stay in their home? What about debt? Who is going to pay those bills? Can the kids go to college? And what about those day-to-day expenditures, like when the refrigerator breaks down or you need a car in a pinch?

Sure, you could do something like a GoFundMe page, but why not avoid all of that by purchasing a life or disability insurance policy from now?  And with a pandemic all around us now is a great time to call us at Surf Financial Brokers and have a conversation.

We hear people always say that life is too short to suffer through all the aggravations and stress. Let us help you get a little more peace of mind with coverage that is affordable. And stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, as well as a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient

My Own Life Insurance Story Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous post, my father's passing was left us in a lurch. It wasn't sudden or unexpected, as he had been suffering from the effect of Parkinson's Disease for years. And even though I have been a life and health agent for years, he ignored any of my pleas to let me take a look at what he had in place. And with him living in Fayetteville, NC while I lived two hours away and my sister living seven hours away, it was more than difficult to keep an eye on his affairs.

His beneficiaries were horribly out of date. Yet he managed to keep these policies up to date, either paid up or still making premium payments. Always trying to impress us with his financial intelligence, he screwed up when it came to something simple like life insurance. 

And worse, he put his family, my sister and I, in a situation that needed to be cleaned up. I can foresee myself spending hours on the phone with these carriers trying to sort out death claims that will eventually be paid to his estate. At this point we would be satisfied to cover his funeral costs, which were in excess of $13,000. (Did I mention he had an equity line on the house that he was using to pay his monthly bills? Another surprise!)

A horrible thought crossed my mind. What if he had died 40 years earlier? His insufficiently low face amounts would have probably forced us to move from our home. College would have been a "maybe" for me. My mother, who was a great home maker but had few marketable skills, probably would have been forced to enter the job market. 

These are the reasons why agents like myself ask a lot of questions when we sit down with a family to discuss life insurance coverage. And a good agent will get an answer and continue to drill down for more answers. It may seem annoying and a bit invasive at the time, but the process of discovery is necessary to make sure that families can stay financially solvent if the breadwinner dies unexpectedly.

Life insurance agents sometimes get a bad reputation. I get it. However, the vast majority of us are genuinely concerned for our clients. We know that people have budgets, yet they also have families who will be in trouble in someone dies too soon. The question to ask yourself if this: If I were to die tomorrow, will my family be okay?

Even though my sister and I are adults and have our own families, we never expected to be on the hook for my father's final expenses. Nor did we think we would be having to sort out a tangled web of life policies. The main problem was lack of communication. My father dismissed our entreaties to go over his finances. We weren't vultures waiting for him to pass to inherit his vast empire. But we did want to be aware of potential landmines that could have been eliminated. Now we are dealing with those landmines.

The moral of the story is as follows. Let your life insurance agent help you. Take into account final expenses and the "cost of dying", as well as any outstanding debts. And even though we hear horrible stories in the news concerning elder abuse and financial fraud, most adult children are caring and should be trusted. 

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. And please subscribe to this blog!

The Doctor Who Won't Listen

Have you ever seen those so-called "financial experts" on television. They have books and infomercials all about changing your financial situation by following their plan. Heck, one isn't a financial expert at all, but a travel agent. But the best part is that no matter what your situation is, their generic advice is going to set you on a path of financial success!

The truth is that people are not in the same situation. A wealthy couple with a large estate to leave their heirs has a different set of problems than the single mother struggling to pay her bills. And just telling them both to "buy term life insurance and invest the difference" makes no sense.

Imagine for a minute if you went to the doctor and all he talked about was a new wonder drug that was awesome and could treat a serious condition.  The only problem is that you don't have that condition.  At first you are polite because the doctor is very enthused about this new drug, but soon you become irritated because you need help with something else. The doctor won't have any of it and insists that you follow his orders. 

If this happened in real life that doctor would be run out of town on a rail and deservedly so. If an insurance agent were to sell their clients the same policy, despite whether they were young or old, employed or laid off, healthy or sick, they would be guilty of  "financial malpractice".

We in the insurance industry can become guilty of the same thing as this doctor.  We find a product, for instance a disability policy, and start investing our time (as well as the client's) into that product, instead of listening to the client and finding out what they really need.  In the end, the client isn't happy and the agent doesn't make the sale.

There's a better way, but the client has to meet the agent halfway. Many people don't want to discuss their personal situations with someone they barely know. And there are those who only want to talk to strangers. They feel as if they'll get a more objective opinion. Either option is good, but let your prospective insurance agent know what's going on. Issues like business succession, special needs children and budgets can help your agent get a better feel of the situation and help you remove potential landmines in your financial gameplan.

In our agency we take the approach that we have to ask questions. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth, but in the end, we do what is right by the client. And one way is by having a full suite of products that can help. Some people may not need long term care, but they may have a need for a Short Term Home Health Care plan. Or a cancer plan. Or disability insurance. 

We have helped clients from Charlotte to Charleston to Richmond and even in the state of Maine. They know that we are not going to prescribe a generic solution for all of their pain points, but will take the time to learn what their needs are and how to address them. And all of this is done without pressure. 

One way we make it easy is by making our calendar accessible. Set your own appointment and we'll give you a call to get you started. This is another reason we have been called the "coastal Carolina insurance experts". 

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast.

Special Needs Trust

It seems like the topic of special needs planning drops into my lap every 3-4 months.  Occasionally when discussing life insurance needs with a family, I'll learn that there is a special needs child in the picture. Each time the topic comes up, I learn a little more about how folks are using a mixture of community organizations, local government agencies and private funds.  Like a snowflake, all situations are different, but in many cases they can be handled nearly the same.

Let's look at an example.  A middle-aged couple has 3 kids, one of which is autistic.  While it is assumed that one of the other two kids will take responsibility for their sibling down the road, nothing is written in stone. And a myriad of things can go wrong. The siblings may not want, or be able to care for their special needs brother or sister.  Mom and Dad can care for the child up to a point but someone is going to have to care for them as they get older.  And what happens when Mom and Dad pass away?

Most importantly, special needs kids grow to become special needs adults.

A Special Needs Trust is typically the answer.  First and foremost, I highly recommend you find an attorney who has a couple of these irrevocable trusts already approved by a judge.  As an attorney friend of mine said when discussing this topic with me, "Do not let an lawyer 'practice' on your client!" Especially since the trust is "irrevocable", meaning it will nearly impossible to make changes later. 

A Special Needs Trust works like this:  The trust is established but without any money inside. The money comes from a second-to-die life insurance* policy on the parents.  The logic behind this is that if one parent dies, the surviving parent can still care for the child.  At the death of the second parent, the life insurance policy is paid to the trust which then can help support the special needs child/adult.
The key to all of this is planning.  As I stated earlier, all cases are different, however taking the time to prepare can really lessen the stress and financial burden down the road.

A second-to-die policy is usually less expensive than a traditional life insurance policy because the insurance company does not have to pay out the benefits until two people die, instead of one. Yes, both will have to go through the underwriting process, so if one of the parents is in poor health it can easily throw off the affordability factor. In my experience, most of these parents are younger and it is a non-issue.

I have learned that there is a community of special needs parents. These great people network and willingly share the resources and information they have acquired with each other. However, whenever I talk to them not all are aware of the special needs trust or may have heard bits and pieces of information. In my community of North Myrtle Beach, SC, I have tried to find local attorneys who have had special needs trusts approved by the courts (again, no practicing!) and keep them available for referral. In turn, the attorney recognizes my role in the process as well. 

If you have questions or additional information to share, please do so in the comments section, or drop us a note on our website. And feel free to book a free consultation with us to speak over the phone. As always, please stay healthy.

*We suggest a second-to-die guaranteed universal life policy.  For more information, contact us through our website at Surf Financial Brokers.  

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast.

Cold Calling In Insurance (and other places)

When I first got into sales professionally I was taught to cold call and the mentality that went with it. I was selling accident plans door-to-door in rural areas of North Carolina and the hours were grueling. We'd have a meeting in the morning of a local diner and then spread out to assigned areas throughout the county.

Dropping by someone's home unannounced was the nature of the work, and many times the people were home. If someone was home, I'd go through my spiel only to be told that they wanted to wait for their spouse to come home and discuss it over. The whole scenario was dumb.

Through all of this I learned that how to introduce myself to total strangers, how to persevere through a lot of rejection, but most importantly, not to be afraid of the cold calling process. Knocking on doors was easy if you could handle people not wanting our product.

A few years later I sold office supplies for a small company. With just a few accounts I had adopted from a previous salesman and barely any knowledge of the products, I had to develop my own strategy to build a clientele. Using my experiences from the world of accident plans, I methodically worked one office building at a time, walking in with something in my hand to give out other than a business card. I would distribute our new catalog, or a sale flyer that I designed myself (this was before everyone had a computer with a word processor).

Working B2B was so much easier than calling on people in their homes and my success rate was above average when you consider the resources I was given. People were happier to see me at their businesses than their homes.

That office supply company was okay, but there was no room for growth and I didn't want to be an old guy asking people if they needed paper clips. I eventually got back into insurance again, but I decided to call on businesses to grow my book of business. Many times the sales calls result in individual policies, so it all works out.

Cold calling has gone by the wayside for most people nowadays. There are other ways to get clients, but I still use those basic skills to work a room or networking event.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, as well as a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient. 

New Year, New Insurance Plan

As we enter 2020, one of the things we should put at the top of our list of resolutions is making sure that our families are taken care of if something should happen to us. A review of our current plan can fix any potential landmines that could impede our goal.

Years ago I met a guy, we'll call him Chad, who was a confirmed bachelor. We talked for a while and he decided that he had no use for life insurance. We parted on friendly terms and I let him know I would be keeping in touch. About a year later, I called him and everything had changed. His brother had died and Chad was now the legal guardian of an 18 year old boy who had some severe learning disabilities. Chad was blindsided by this change of status and we set him up on a life insurance plan to provide for the boy if Chad should die.



By checking up on Chad instead of forgetting about him, we resolved a potential problem. Chad knew he needed to do something, but kept putting it off until I called him. It all worked out.

The moral of this story is that we should use the beginning of the New Year to make resolutions, but to also follow up on our old ones as well.

Happy New Year and let us at Surf Financial Brokers know if we can do anything to help you plan your family's financial security.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, as well as a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient.