How To Choose A Term Life Insurance Policy 2023

Have you thought about what would happen to your family if you were to die too soon or unexpectedly? Making sure that your family can stay in their home without the stress of paying outstanding debt is important. But you want to make sure that taking care of this is affordable as well.

This is where a term life insurance policy can fit the bill. Term life is great in that it can fit into almost any budget as it is pure death insurance. Most of the time there are no bells and whistles like cash value accumulation or extra benefits. 

Term life insurance is, as the name implies, covers you for a determined amount a time, such as 10 years, 20 years or 30 years. The rate is locked in for that term and won't increase. We at Surf Financial Brokers, have one insurance carrier that offers a 40-year term which is great for younger people who want a policy that will stay the same price into their 60's. 

Which term should pick? That depends on what your needs are. Take into consideration things like your mortgage. If you have just purchased a home and have a 30 year mortgage, a thirty year term policy will be appropriate. But if you have just a few years left on your mortgage, you can lower the term. 

On the other hand, if you have small children, you may want to consider how long it will be until they are out of the house and on their own. We all know that kids aren't cheap and even if the mortgage is paid off, raising the children will still take money that won't be there if you were to pass away.

How much coverage do you need? The simple way to figure this out is to add up the total amount of the following:

• The balance on your mortgage. 
• Credit card debt.
• Balances on car loans
• Final expenses. When doing this I like to add in what I call "costs associated with death", which could be your medical deductible if you are in the hospital for a few days before passing away. And even though many have decided they don't want a funeral, there are those who do. I had a client who wanted to cover the cost of catering and an open bar. He wanted his friends to have a good time.
• Replacement of income. Figure in your annual income and multiply by 5 to help your spouse or significant other pay the expenses that will need to be addressed like car repairs or other emergencies that can pop up.
• Educational costs. If you have kids you may want to help them pay for college when you aren't around. 

It may look like a lot of money, and it probably is. Most people underestimate the amount of coverage they need, which can come back to bite your loved ones. If you aren't sure how much life insurance to purchase, use the calculator provided on our life insurance quoting tool. It will give you a more accurate number as to how much your family will need.

Another factor that may determine your term life insurance purchase may be a convertibility option. This means that at some point in the term the insurance carrier may allow you to convert to a permanent policy. I discussed this in a previous post. 

If you have any questions about purchasing a term life policy, drop us a note on our website. In the meantime, please stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

Who Are The 3 People On A Life Insurance Policy?

For most of us, buying a life insurance policy is a simple concept. We decide how much coverage we need, apply for the policy and name a beneficiary, who will receive the face amount when we die. But what if you have strange or unusual circumstances as to who the insured person is but someone else is paying for the policy?

There are three "people" involved in the purchase, not counting the agent of course. They are as follows:

1. The insured. This is the person whose life is being insured. When they die the policy pays out. The insured is the one who may have to go through a paramed exam, along with their medical records being looked at by the insurance company's underwriter. 

2. The beneficiary. This is the person who, as mentioned previously, receives the money at the time of the insured's death. You can name more than one beneficiary and the money will be divided by percentages. For example, Bill may get 40%, Joe may get 20% and Mary, who is obviously the favorite, will get 60%. 

It's important to keep your beneficiaries up to date. If you need to change a beneficiary, it is usually a simple process of calling the insurance company and having them send you a form. It can be done at any time. 

3. The payor/owner. These payor and owner are usually the same person, and in the vast majority of cases, the payor is the insured as well. However, on certain occasions, the owner may be a third party, like an employer. In these cases, the employer may offer to buy a policy on an employee as a perk with the employee's family as the beneficiary. 

Another example is when a parent takes out a policy on a small child. The parent is the owner, but when the child grows up and is a responsible adult, the parent can transfer ownership of the policy to the adult child, who now can pay the bill each month and change the beneficiary to their spouse or children. 

As you can see, the owner of the policy is in control of the policy. This allows them to make decisions with the cash value if the life insurance is a permanent policy, like whole life or universal life.

A few years ago I was working with a client who wanted to take out a policy on himself and leave the money to his church. Knowing that this was a version of a charitable donation, he thought he could just write off the premiums, but after doing a bit of research, we found out that the IRS frowned on this practice. 

We found a workaround, though, by changing the ownership of the policy to the church, with the client as the insured. The bill for the annual premium would go to the church, who would contact the client. The client would cut a check for the amount of the premium as a "donation" to the church, which the church would use to remit the premium payment. The insured could then deduct the donation as a gift. Everyone was happy.

Knowing who is the insured, owner and beneficiary of your life insurance policy is important and, as you can see, they can move around from time to time. If you have questions, drop us a note in the comments section. In the meantime, stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

3 Ways To Set A Good Financial Example For Your Family

One of the most intriguing things I have learned in my many years of being a life insurance agent is how values are handed down from one generation of a family to the next. This is almost always true for everything, from work ethics to religious beliefs. Most notably I see it with financial practices. For example, parents who have bad credit will also have adult children who tend to be late paying bills, creating bad credit for themselves as well. 

One of the other areas where this is true is when it comes to life insurance. There are parents who don't buy life insurance because of various reasons, like thinking it's some sort of scam (yes, I've heard this!) or "Why do I need something I can't use?" (it's not for you, but for your family!). On the flipside of this, I have clients who know the value of life insurance because their parents had policies which paid out nicely. 

Sometimes they insists on buying whole life insurance because "that's what my mother said to buy", which is fine, but maybe a term policy is a better fit for their needs and budget. At least they're considering the purchase for their families. That's the first step in making sure that if something should happen their surviving loved ones will be financially secure.

I often hear stories from clients about how life insurance helped them. My wife is a great example. Her father passed away very unexpectedly when she was still in high school. He had a large policy that helped her and her siblings pay for college and pay many of the outstanding bills. We even used some to the proceeds years later to put a down payment on our home. Now my wife tells people how that policy was helpful, even though she doesn't sell insurance.

Too often, however, I hear stories of families struggling to make ends meet when one of the breadwinners in the family dies too soon. You can easily avoid leaving your loved ones all kinds of bills, like outstanding debts like mortgages, credit cards, car payments and funeral expenses. Shifting the burden of covering all those bills to a life insurance policy will give you and your family the peace of mind that lets you sleep well at night.

I often hear stories from clients about how life insurance helped them. My wife is a great example. Her father passed away very unexpectedly when she was still in high school. He had a large policy that helped her and her siblings pay for college and pay many of the outstanding bills. We even used some to the proceeds years later to put a down payment on our home. Now my wife tells people how that policy was helpful, even though she doesn't sell insurance.

On the other hand I also hear nightmarish stories about families struggling to pay bills and wondering if they can afford to stay in their homes because one of the breadwinners failed to take care of something as simple as buying a life insurance policy. 

About a year ago I met a young widow whose husband died suddenly in a traffic accident. He left a ton of debt, including payments on a muscle car that she eventually sold at a loss because he was upside down on the payments. Her son, a bright kid who was about to graduate from high school, told me "I probably won't go to college because we just can't afford it." He is having to go with his "plan B" which is to enter the military and use the GI Bill down the road.

Making the purchase of a policy can be the deciding factor in whether or not your family can afford to stay in their home, go to college, or just pay off any debt you may have incurred. And life insurance is much less expensive than you may think. Here are a few steps you can take to make you a hero long after you are gone.

1. Go to our website and get a quote. Find a policy that fits in your budget.
2. Not sure how much life insurance to get? Use the "calculate" button to see how much coverage will be needed.
3. If you see a policy you like you can start the application immediately. 

By letting your family know they are taken care of if something should happen to you will send a great message to prepare for the unexpected. It's that easy. And if you have a question, you can just drop us a note. In the meantime, stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

7 Times When You May Need Life Insurance

There are times in our lives when we need to start looking at purchasing a life insurance policy. These are events that can make a difference in our lifestyles, spending habits and social habits as well. And many times these changes do not only affect us, but our loved ones and business associates as well. 

With that in mind, here is a list of times when you should start to seriously look at life insurance.

1. Married or getting married. This is a no-brainer for most people. Becoming a spouse means that, for most people, purchases and financial decisions will be made jointly. Homes, cars, and other large purchases will typically be in both names, as well as credit cards, bank accounts and various other items. Should one spouse die too soon or unexpectedly, the surviving spouse will be obligated to pay off any debts.

A friend of mine was widowed several years ago only to find out that his deceased wife still had a balance on a credit card he was unaware of. In his state, he was legally obligated to pay off her debt. Luckily for him, it was not a lot of money, but if it had been it could have affected his credit poorly.

2. Parent or about to become one. A comedian once said that kids are like really expensive pets. Nothing could be truer. The estimated amount of money to raise a child in this county varies from around $175,000 to $250,000, depending on which study you read.  No matter which source you choose to use, the numbers are high. And if you are planning to pay for education costs, the numbers can be increased from 50-100%, depending on the school your child attends.

When I sit with a parent and discuss their life insurance needs we take into consideration the costs of raising a child as part of the overall plan. A single parent could be burdened with a huge financial issue which can be easily avoided with a life insurance policy. 

3. Purchasing a home. While most people think of buying a home as a good thing, it can be a huge expense. Maintenance, repairs, taxes, insurance and other expenditures will sneak up on many new homeowners. Again, why leave your significant other with shouldering all of those expenses when it can clearly be avoided. 

4. Changing jobs. Depending if you are getting a raise or taking a pay cut, you may have to adjust your financial plan, including your life and disability insurance. If you are getting a pay increase, you may start spending more money, which incurs more debt. Taking a pay cut may mean you still have debt to pay but on less money coming in. Either way, making sure your loved ones don't get stuck with those bills is what life insurance is for.

5. Retired or planning for retirement. Many times I see people who have outlived their term life insurance policy, which is a good thing, but they still need some insurance for their final expenses and maybe some money for estate taxes. In these cases, people usually look into Final Expense insurance, but that can be pricey. If you are still healthy, a Guaranteed Universal Life policy can save a lot of money and accomplish the same goal. 

6. Newly single. If you are getting divorced and are obligated to pay child support, the court may want you to buy a life insurance policy with your ex as the beneficiary. 

7. Starting a business. Opening a business can be an expensive endeavor, and whether or not you have partners, you still may want to look into a life policy. 

I met a nice lady a few years ago who was up to her ears in debt because her husband decided to open his own medical practice. She begged him to buy a policy to cover the debt he incurred with rent, equipment and payroll. He kept putting it off and a few months later, while cutting down some trees in their yard, a log fell on him. She was stuck owing money that could have been paid out.

The same can be true of business partners. If one dies, the other partner(s) may want to buy out the deceased partner's interest. Otherwise, they may end up with the widow as a partner, which may or may not be desired by either party. A buy/sell agreement funded with a life insurance policy can fix that problem.

As you can see, a life insurance policy can help you and your loved ones avoid many problems down the road. And it can be less expensive than you think. If you want to see how much a policy can cost head over to our site and run a quote. In the meantime, please stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

What Is Telemedicine?

Have you been in a situation where you are miles from home, perhaps on vacation, and a family member gets ill in the middle of the night? You don't have a family doctor nearby and you don't know if you should go to the local emergency room or not. Wouldn't it be nice if you could pick up the phone for some advice?

Telemedicine is a virtual platform that allows you access to healthcare professionals from any location. Whether at home, work, vacation or elsewhere, help is available 24-hours a day.

In many cases, it's unnecessary to wait in an emergency room or urgent care for diagnosis of minor ailments. With telemedicine you can consult a medical professional online or over the phone and receive personalized treatment. And if needed, the provider can call in a prescription* that can be picked up at your local pharmacy.

There are products out there that provide telemedicine services for about $10/month for individuals and $15/month for a family. My experience with these products has been in worksite settings, where an employer will offer it as a "benefit" and have the premiums deducted each pay period. Typically, after having a year or two the employees would cancel it because it, with most saying that the plan wasn't what they thought it was. I think they thought it was a substitute for a family physician or  even health insurance.

The interesting part of this is that most health insurance plans offer some sort of telemedicine as part of their coverage. Other outlets also have a telemedicine option available, like some pharmacies. With that in mind, most people who have health insurance may not need a stand alone plan. 

Recently, I had an interesting experience that I would like to share. I had gone to my physician for a routine visit, but it just so happened I was sick with cold and sinus infection. My doctor prescribed several drugs that I had never taken before to help with the cough and an ear infection that I didn't even know was there.

A day or two after taking these meds I developed a nose bleed. It was quite a mess and a surprise. I wasn't sure what was causing the nose bleed and thought that it may have something to do with the medications. I called my doctor's office and was told that the doctor would call me back later that afternoon. The lady on the phone was very formal and said something like, "I have you down for 5pm for a telemedicine appointment." To be honest, I thought nothing of it.

At 5pm my phone rang and I spoke to the doctor who assured me the medications were not the cause of the nose bleed and that I more than likely had burst a blood vessel by blowing my nose and coughing so much. The call lasted all of about five minutes.

A couple of weeks went by and I got a bill in the mail for $74. Confused, I called to ask why I had a bill when my doctor office copay was $20 which I had paid that after my appointment. "No, that bill is for the telemedicine call," I was told. Apparently, that call was billed differently and my insurance only covered about $30 of the $104.

I learned a valuable lesson. Make sure that you know what you are being charged when you pick up that phone to talk to your doctor. 

*Providers can not prescribe narcotics and some other medicines that are restricted by law.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

What the Big Deal With Replacing My Policy?

A few weeks ago I was with a client who needed some extra life insurance. Actually, she needed quite a bit more, and we found a very suitable policy that fit right into her budget. She was happy with it and decided to proceed with the application. I began asking all the questions and everything was going well until we came to the question about replacements. Why was the insurance company so interested in her current coverage and whether or not she was going to replace it with the new policy? 

You see, when you apply for a life insurance policy, the company wants to know if you already have coverage, and if so, which company is it with and are you going to keep it and just get additional coverage, or will you be replacing it all with the new policy? The insurance company isn't being nosy, but actually they are looking out for your best interest. 

The reason for this is that life insurance typically pays a large commission to the agent, around 70-80% for the first year, depending on the policy. After that first year, the agent's commission drops dramatically to around 5%. With this in mind, an unethical agent may try to replace your current policy to sell you something that will pay another large first-year commission.

This practice is known as "churning" as in "churning up fresh commissions" and is frowned upon by the industry, and in some states is illegal. 

The issue is that the replacement may not be in the best interest of the client. Replacing the policy with another may result in higher premiums, but that unscrupulous agent doesn't care. But the insurance carrier does, which is why they have added additional forms to the application packet asking all of those questions about your current policies. In essence, the insurance company wants to make sure that the agent is doing the right thing by you.

It's not just life insurance where this occurs either. Several years ago I was introduced to a very nice lady who had an issue with an annuity. She started out with about $250,000 that she had put into an annuity. The agent would call her every couple of years and tell her that he had something better, and would move her money to another annuity. Each time he did this he made a nice fat commission. 

But something else was happening as well. The move would cost her thousands in surrender charges and early withdrawal penalties. She showed me a folder with all of the paperwork and the agent must have moved her money at least three times. 

We called the current company where her money was housed and I asked what amount of money was there. She was down to about $85,000 and if I were to move it she was going to lose an additional $10,000. I recommended that she stay put and to stop answering calls from that other agent. 

When I let her know what that the agent's commission was (My estimate was around 7% each time he moved her money) she said, "Every time he talked me into changing companies I probably bought him a new car." She was right.

As you can see, those crazy questions are on the application because the company is looking out for you best interest. If you have any other insurance questions you would like answered, leave us a note in the comments section. And in the meantime, please stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

What Keeps You Up At Night?

One of the hard parts of being an insurance agent is getting people to have an honest conversation when it comes to their finances and how their situation affects future decisions. Some clients either don't want to discuss their goals or simply have not taken the time to figure out what their goals are. 

There have been many times when I have sat down with someone and asked, "Where do you want to be three years from now?" The look on the client's face is priceless. They really don't know. I'm not trying to embarrass them or make them feel bad, but the point of the conversation is that many people are just meandering through their financial issues, paying bills as they come in and buying stuff when they have money put aside.

Just as you would think, most people don't have a clue what their goals are. They say that they haven't really considered it before. Here's an exercise you can do (it's the same one I use with my clients) and it will help you make a game plan.

Take a sheet of paper and put today's date at the top. Next to that, put the same date but three years from now. Underneath the dates make three columns, with headings "Personal, Professional, Financial". Under each heading just write what you want to happen within the next three years. 

There are no wrong answers. I've had people give me all kinds of answers from saving $100,000 (financial) to owning a new boat (personal). One lady who was a cosmetologist put "open a cosmetology school" under the professional heading. Knowing what the goal is helps tremendously but that is just the first part of the conversation. 

Then I ask what would happen to that goal if the client were to die unexpectedly or to become chronically ill. Will they still be able to reach those goals if a potential landmine were to get in the way?

Every once in a while one question will get the client to open up and that question is "What keeps you up at night?" As a husband and father, there have been many times when I have lain in bed thinking about retirement, sick family members, paying for my child's education and a long list of other issues that can, and probably will, show up down the road. It can be overwhelming.

Another part of this is that people will hear advice, through friends or the media, which may sound good, but may not be applicable to their situation. One of my pet peeves is "financial gurus" giving generic advice. A single dad who makes under $50,000 a year and has a sick parent will have an entirely different situation than a married couple who have a six-figure income and no debt. Much like fingerprints, no two financial positions will be the same.

When I sit down with someone and they say they want a 20-year term life insurance policy for $100,000, I ask questions like:

• How did you decide that was the amount of insurance you needed?
• Will that cover any debt you have, including your mortgage?
• Will that amount replace your income?
• What do you want to accomplish with that amount of coverage?

Sure, this line of questioning can make someone feel uncomfortable, but my job is to make sure that the client gets what they need. Taking the time to get an accurate number for the face value of a life insurance policy will make sure that the client is getting what they actually need.

Don't let this stuff stress you out. Sit down with your agent or make a phone appointment to discuss how you can do what is best for you and your family. And in the meantime, please stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

What Is The Convertibility Feature In Term Life Insurance?

People who buy term life insurance usually do it because it is extremely affordable and it fits well within their budget during their working years. At some point down the road, however, a permanent policy that can build cash value may seem more attractive. Perhaps the insured can afford to pay a bit more or they just don't need as much coverage. In other words, situations change.

Most term life insurance policies include a stipulation that one can "convert" the policy to a permanent policy, either a universal life or a whole life, within a specific time frame. Instead of purchasing a new policy, one can convert all or some of their current policy, which is much easier. That is because with a conversion there are no health questions or exams. Yes, the new policy will be based on the age of the insured at the time of the conversion, but that would be the same if one were to purchase a new policy.

Without having to worry about health questions, one can convert their policy regardless of changes in health. For example, say you purchased a 20-year term policy 10 years ago, but since then your health has declined significantly. A heart attack, cancer or diabetes would probably keep you from getting a new policy or have one issued at a higher premium . However, you could convert some or all (depending on the insurance carrier) of the face amount without being concerned if your current health situation will affect the rates.

In other words, if you were healthy when you bought the term policy, the new permanent policy will be priced as if you were still healthy, even if you are not.

Why do people want to convert a term life policy? The first reason is to lock in on a premium that will not increase. At the end of the policy's term period, the rate will jump up dramatically and will do so each year. This becomes an "annual renewable term" (ART) which in essence is a series of 1-year term policies. No one really wants that. 

On the other hand, permanent policy will stay the same price as long as you continue to pay the premiums. No more having to worry about outliving your life insurance.

Another reason people will convert a term policy is to start building some cash value. That money grows inside the policy tax-free and can be used down the road for all kinds of purposes*. The earlier one converts the policy the faster the cash value grows. 

The important point is too find out when you purchase a policy as to what your options are. Some carriers will only let you convert in the first 10 years while others will allow for a conversion anytime before the term ends. 

Also, find out what kind of policies you can convert your term policy to. You may not want a traditional universal life policy and that may be your only option, while other companies only have whole life. These are good questions to ask your agent, or drop us a note and we'll help you out. 

Know what your options are when purchasing life insurance! 

*Depending on the amount of cash that has accumulated in a policy, the funds can be either surrendered (cashed out) or borrowed. Surrendering the cash value could have tax implications, but getting the money in the form of a loan is a great way to use the funds for a retirement supplement. Any outstanding loan amounts will be deducted from the face value of the policy at the time of death.

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

How Does The Disability Waiver Of Premium Work?

For many people, buying life insurance is a chore. Having to research the different types of policies, from term to whole life, as well as dealing with an agent and maybe even scheduling a paramed exam, can make the whole experience is less than enjoyable. And don't even start with the litany of "optional riders" that can be tacked on to a policy, increasing the cost and leading to more confusion.

But before you decide you don't want any riders, let's take a look at a few of them over the next few posts. You might decide which ones will work well for you in the long run. 

In this post I want to discuss the Disability Waiver of Premium (WP), which is available on nearly all types of life insurance, as well as other insurance plans too. Generally speaking, this rider makes sure that if you (or the payor of the policy) become disabled and are unable to work, the premiums will continue to be paid so that your policy does not lapse. Think of it as insurance on the life of your policy.

One of my favorite clients and I were discussing this rider one afternoon and he said, "I never thought of this before, but the last thing you need if you can't work is for your life insurance to get pulled out from under you. That's when you need it most." He was correct.

This rider is usually so inexpensive that I will urge clients to take it, as the cost is inconsequential. For example, a policy that may cost around $30 each month will see a premium increase of less than a dollar. Seriously, this is never a deal breaker. I have even worked with agents who don't even discuss it with the client and tack it on anyway. 

I have a client who purchased a policy from me about 10 years ago. A few years ago she was in a very bad accident that has left her permanently (as far as I know) disabled. Since we had added her WP rider on at the time of the application, she does not have to make any premium payments until doctor says she can go back to work. Every six months or so she receives a form from the insurance company (I get copied on all of this) that she passes on to her physician. The doctor completes the form saying that she is still disabled and she continues to get her life insurance paid for. 

Here's where things get really interesting. After discussing this situation with the insurance company, I found out that if the term of the policy ends (in her case it was a 20 year term) and she is still disabled, they will convert the policy to a permanent whole life policy for her at no charge. Needless to say, she was very relieved to hear this when I passed the information along. 

I have worked with other carriers that will convert in the middle of the term if someone is permanently disabled. The most interesting case was a fellow agent who took out a policy on his son when the boy was very young. Around age 4 the boy was diagnosed with autism and the father was able to get the WP to kick in and convert at the same time. 

The point of all this is that I don't want you to dismiss the rider when it can offer great value in a time of need. Discuss all of this with your agent or drop us a note on our website. In the meantime, please stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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 Cost of Waiting

People generally don't want to have to take on a new monthly bill, especially if it is for something they do not plan on using, like life insurance. But putting off the purchase of a policy can cost you more money in the long run.

Life insurance, as well as disability and other types of insurance, are based on your age. As we get older the rate goes up until you "lock in" on a rate. Life insurance rates are based on risk, and the risk of you dying each year goes up as you age, thus making the premium increase. Buying life and disability insurance when you are younger can save you money in the long run while giving you the coverage you need in case something should happen to you.

This is the first reason why you should not put off buying insurance. As we age our health declines. Unless you are one of the few people who decide, in the midst of a mid-life crisis, to get back into shape, your health will more than likely get worse as you age. 

I currently have a client who is in desperate need of more life insurance, but her health issues have made it nearly impossible to find a policy for her that fits in her budget. Over the last 20 years that I have worked with her and her family, she has had tremendous weight gain which has brought on an onslaught of other issues, like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and joint pain. 

If she had taken a serious look at a policy when I first met her she would have had the coverage she needs now. Unfortunately, her best bet down the road will probably be for a "guaranteed issue" policy which will cost her a lot of money for just enough to bury her.

Leveraging your good health can be a great way to keep your insurance costs down. It also helps when overfunding a life insurance policy for accelerated growth inside a cash value policy. Permanent policies, like Indexed Universal Life (IUL) can be used for things other than the death benefit, like long term care expenses, chronic illness and a retirement supplement.

Another reason to buy early is to protect your loved ones. Just because you are young doesn't mean you don't have responsibilities. The sudden and unexpected death of a young parent can be even more catastrophic to a family's financial future because young children are involved, as well as the fact that the mortgage payment is mostly interest, leaving little to know equity in the home. That means the burden of making a mortgage as well as funding the educations of the kids could end up on the shoulders of a single parent.

Consider this for a moment. A permanent life insurance policy can be paid up early, so if a young person buys a policy that is paid up in 10 years (or at age 65), that piece of the financial puzzle is taken care of before old age and bad health sets in. And you won't have to deal with it later.

The same is true with most other kinds of insurance. Many cancer plans, for example are based on the age of the insured when the application is taken, thus locking in that rate for as long as one keeps the policy. Take advantage of your good health and young age. You'll be glad you did in the long run and so will your family. 

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

Can I Take Out A Life Insurance Policy On Someone Else?

Every once in a while I will be having a conversation with someone who wants to know if it is possible to insure someone else, like an acquaintance. When this happens I don't really know if they are kidding or not, but I ask if there is some sort of relationship there between the two of them. Usually the answer is "no, you can't" which seems simple enough but people ask why.

Can you imagine the madness that would ensue if people just went around insuring the lives of people they didn't know but "looked sick"? And if insurance companies had to pay those claims they would be out of business quickly. 

There are some guidelines (and reasons for them) when it comes to insuring other people. One of the basic rules for this is that there must be an insurance interest. In other words, before you take out a policy on someone else, you must have a relationship, either familial, personal or financial, with that person. Of course we can take out a policy on a spouse or child, as people do that all the time.

And if you borrow money from a financial institution or an individual, they may require a policy to secure the loan. That is considered acceptable as well. 

Another piece of this is that most states forbid insuring someone over the age of 16 without their knowledge.  But if the insured is over 16 they must sign a form acknowledging they are being covered. This rule applies even if the insured is your 18 year old child.

Back in the old days big companies would buy life insurance policies on all of the employees, with the company being the beneficiary. The thought process was that if the employee died there would be "transition costs" associated with finding a replacement. These Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI) policies became controversial when family's in need began learning that the death of their loved one was profitable to their deceased loved one's employer.

The issues arose (as well as lawsuits) when the insureds were no longer in the employ of the company. At that point, any insurable interest went out the window. In the early 2000's several of these types of legal issues got some news publicity which shined a light on how many large corporate companies were secretly adding to their bottom lines.

Nowadays, COLI's are still used, but not covering every employee, including the janitor. (They were actually called "janitor policies" because of this). More often than not, COLI's are used to cover the lives of the top brass, like the board of directors or top executives, who are supposedly fully aware of the policy. I have even heard that the beneficiaries of the policies are split among the company and family members. That sounds much fairer.

With all of that said, here is a short list of people you can insure:

• Family. When the life insurance agent asks what your relationship is to the insured, immediate family is a no-brainer. Be aware that there are limits on insuring children but otherwise you should be okay.
• Former family. As in ex-spouses. If there are children involved the court may order that you maintain a life insurance on your former spouse to help with expenses if the former spouse should die.
• Parents. Yes, they are family but they may have let their life insurance policy lapse or expire and a final expense plan may be the best answer.
• Business partner. Buy/sell agreements are usually written up between business partners to help ease with the transition of responsibilities when one of the partners dies. These agreements are usually funded by a life insurance policy so one partner can buy out the deceased partners ownership. 
• Key employees. Key employees are the ones who contribute significantly to the business or may have some highly specialized skill. These people are difficult to replace and if they die unexpectedly the company could take a financial hit.

If you have any questions about any of these scenarios, ask your agent or drop us a note in the comments. In the meantime, stay healthy!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life, disability, long term care, cancer, accident and other insurance coverages in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. 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!

Who Brings Your Family Money When You Die?

Last year when my father passed away, I found myself as the executor of his estate with many responsibilities. In addition to finding a realtor to handle the sale of my father's home and hiring contractors of various sorts for quotes and repairs, I was also on the hook for making sure bills got paid. Where was that money supposed to come from?

Unfortunately for me, my father had not updated the beneficiaries on any of his life insurance policies in over 40 years, which is insane and downright criminal. All of his named beneficiaries has died way before him, including my mother who had died nine years earlier. That left us creating his estate's bank account with the little cash that was in his checking account and waiting a few months for the policies to pay to the estate instead of his heirs. 

In that time, I realized that when someone dies there are a lot of people with their hands out wanting money. Here are a few: 

1. Contractors. As previously mentioned, we had to figure in the cost of repairs and upgrades to the house. Some we dealt with and others we passed along to the prospective buyers because they were just too much for us to afford.
2. Attorneys. Our attorney let us know from the beginning of the process what the estimated bill will be at closing, so I have to make sure that money is on hand when we need it.
3. Accountants. Be prepared to pay someone to handle your deceased loved one's tax preparation for up to 2 years (if they died before filing the previous years taxes plus the preparation of tax forms for the years in which they died), plus possible estate taxes. 
4. Funeral costs. I've mentioned before how my father pre-planned his funeral but didn't pre-pay. In other words he made a wish list. Inflation took it's toll from the time he chose his casket to when he would actually use it. 
5. Lien holders. This was one I didn't expect but a deceased person still may have debts to be paid off. My father was taking money from a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) which we were unaware of until his death. We settled up with the bank after the sale of the house but I can imagine other people have all kinds of debts that need to be taken care of with cash.
   

Of course with everyone coming forward and asking for money was stressful, however the one bringing us money to take care of these things was the insurance company. When all the others have their hands out, one is bring the much needed check. 

Think about your family for a minute and consider them being in a situation like that. Having to handle funeral directors, lawyers and other bill directors while grieving is a tough situation to put them in. You can avoid it by making sure you have enough life insurance available for them to handle easily and without going into debt or needing a GoFundMe page. 

To help you determine how much life insurance coverage you need, we have included on our quoting software a calculator. It asks for numbers regarding your debts, including mortgage, as well as how much savings you have put aside. You may find out that you don't need as much as you previously thought.  

If you have questions about making sure your life insurance will ease the burdens on your loved ones drop us a note. In the meantime, please stay 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!

How Can I Help My Kids Avoid College Debt?

The cost of going to college has soared in the last 25 years. For kids who who need financial help, loans are the first, and often last, resort to pay for an education. So if you have kids or grandkids or are the legal guardian of some college bound children, here are a few tips that may help ease the burden.

There are several things to consider when planning to fund your kids' education.

1. How much of the cost do you want? Some parents want to pay the full cost of tuition, while others say they want their children to at least pay some portion. I've had clients tell me they refuse to pay any of the costs. 

One of my clients used the last bit of logic with me one day, stating "I paid my way through college and she can do the same." I asked what the parent paid and found that father's tuition was never more than $500 a semester. Today, his child is looking at over $2000 each semester. When we added in books, room and board and other living expenses, that cost was closer to $5000. It was an eye opener to the parent who said, "I don't have that kind of money." Should we expect an 18 year old to have it?

2. No one has a crystal ball. I've heard parents say things like "My kid will get a football scholarship" or "She's going to Harvard". Mind you, the child is barely walking.  It's great to have hopes and dreams for your child, but be realistic.

Even though your child may still be in diapers you can still start a small savings account with some discipline. That means that you may have to treat it like a monthly bill and throw an extra $50 or $75 in each month. If, for some reason, you feel your child is not college material, you can use those funds for other expenses. On the other hand, if your child starts showing signs of brilliance in grade school you can move that money to a college savings plan gives tax breaks like a Coverdell IRA or a 529 plan.

3. 529 plans are great, but have drawbacks. For instance, when applying for financial aid or a scholarship, you have to disclose any and all college savings plans. If your 529 is loaded, it could keep you from getting that scholarship. Also, if your child doesn't go to school, you can transfer the funds to another child, but if used for something other than education expenses, expect a tax penalty on those monies.  Finally, remember that those funds are typically invested in the stock market. If your child is ready to go off to school and the market drops, that when you'll remember the...

4. Two-bucket approach. Some folks will partially fund a 529 plan and then have a second "bucket" of money, usually an overfunded cash value life insurance policy (see the next entry). If the market drops, you can use the life insurance cash value to pay for a year or so of college until the market rebounds. If you die, the death benefit can be used for college funding as well. Also, you don't have to disclose life insurance when applying for financial aid.

5. Life Insurance. Whole life has been sold for years as a "forced savings plan", which is a good concept but may be too conservative for the kind of growth you made need. If a parent is healthy and doesn't smoke (this is life insurance after all, so there is underwriting involved), we typically suggest a Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policy. With an IUL you can "over fund" it by paying additional premiums that are capped by the IRS. 

I recently had an appointment with a single father whose daughter was in the first grade. He truly wanted to help her fund her education (as much as possible) so we looked at an IUL on him. The cash value grew well up to age 18, when his daughter would be going to school, but the cash value grew even more between the ages of 18 and 22, when she would be (hopefully) graduating. Since repayment of college loans wouldn't start until she graduated, she could secure loans and repay them all at once when she left school by using her dad's policy.

6.  Roth IRA. Did you know that you can withdraw money from your Roth IRA for education costs without a tax penalty? And if your kids don't go to school, you can use that money for your retirement.

In this economic environment we are experiencing currently budgets are tight. For those who are fortunate enough to have a little bit extra each month it can be tough to decide where to allocate it. Most of us who are "forward thinkers" are trying to plan for several things at once, like our kids' educations, retirement planning and more enjoyable things too, like that once in a lifetime vacation.

I once had a conversation with a client who had enough in the budget to pay for either retirement or college funding.  She said, "My child can borrow for college, but no one is going to loan money for my retirement."  She had a point.

If you have questions about helping to fund your child's education, let us see if we can help out by booking an appointment from our website. In the meantime, stay 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!