Older Americans struggling with debt, holding little cash

The Surprise ‘Expiration Date’ On Life Insurance Policies

The Wall Street Journal recently brought attention to a problem that is quietly impacting the estates of Americans who are fortunate enough to realize their 100th birthdays: the expiration of the life insurance policies they believed to be permanent assets.

The “Senior’s Right to Know” Movement Gains Momentum: What if a Senior No Longer Needs their Life Insurance?

This summer, the State of Florida gave a jolt to the growing “Senior’s Right to Know” movement in America – and all registered financial consultants need to be aware of these latest developments.

Brace Your Baby Boomer Clients

As millions of baby boomers continue their mass exodus from the workforce to retirement, they are already coming to grips with the reality that investment returns in the coming years are unlikely to keep pace with those of recent history, as illustrated by the modified projections recently used by Calpers and other major institutional investors. Now comes a new study that adds insult to injury: the principal driving force for these depressed returns is none other than the baby boomer generation itself.

CFP Board Proposal to extend fiduciary duty could improve awareness of life settlements

This summer, the Certified Financial Planners (CFP) Board is proposing some bold changes to their fiduciary standards. Many of the approximately 77,000 CFPs in the United States could be impacted.

An Important Discussion to Have with Clients

Take a fresh look at your clients’ whole or universal life insurance policies, especially if they were purchased years ago and use that evaluation exercise as an opportunity to engage your clients in a dialogue with their heirs about whether the policy still aligns with their strategic objective in purchasing it in the first place.

Beyond the IRA: Remember Life Settlements

On the surface, it would appear that individual retirement accounts are a popular choice for Americans, with roughly one in three U.S. households owning at least one IRA. But a study just released by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College suggests that IRAs may not be working for retirees the way they were intended.

Proposed Tax Bill Would Clarify Tax Treatment of Life Settlements

In May 2009, the IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2009-13 addressing the tax implications of a life settlement to the seller of a life insurance policy. H.R. 1262 was recently introduced to remedy the shortcomings of this revenue ruling.

Helping Your Clients Afford a More Expensive Retirement

An article by LISA's President and CEO, Darwin Bayston discusses how you can help your clients afford a more expensive retirement.

Life Settlement Opportunities for Business Life Insurance

Life settlements are frequently viewed, primarily, as an option for personal life insurance and estate planning policies that are no longer wanted, needed or affordable. However, business-owned policies or personally owned business purpose policies can also make excellent life settlement candidates, yet these policies are often overlooked.

A Life Settlement and Replace Strategy that Remains Viable

The days of selling a policy in a life settlement and replacing it with a new one are mostly gone, but one variation on that strategy can still work in the right situation.

5 pitfalls to avoid when assisting clients with a life settlement

There is a peculiar paradox in the financial advisory world: Ninety percent of seniors who lapsed a life insurance policy would have considered a life settlement had they been aware of the possibility. Yet 65 percent of financial advisors have never recommended a life settlement to a client, but claim they would do so under the right circumstances.

The life settlement market is heating up

A number of factors have reignited the life settlement market with both consumers and investors showing rising interest.

Exploring Life Settlements? It’s always best to work with a LISA member

A life insurance policy is one of the most valuable assets many Americans will ever own. Unfortunately, far too many consumers are unaware they have the right to sell a life insurance policy through what is known as a life settlement transaction. As a result, billions of dollars worth of life insurance is “irrationally lapsed” each year.

Demystifying the Secondary Marketplace for an Unneeded Life Insurance Policy

Four out of 10 U.S. financial advisors have only a limited familiarity with life settlements or are entirely unfamiliar with these transactions, according to a 2015 survey published by WealthManagement.com.

Shattering a myth about life settlements: 5 advisor benefits

In addition to the benefits to clients, financial advisors themselves can benefit from working with their clients to pursue a life settlement.

Schedule a Post-Retirement Financial Checkup

Most of us are familiar with the retirement planning shortfall in America, but at the same time there are millions of Americans who do a great job preparing for their golden years. They work hard, save with discipline and do their best to stick to a plan that will allow them to achieve their financial goals. If you are one of these retirees, congratulations! But don’t let the financial planning stop now. In fact, after you’ve entered retirement, it’s more important than ever to give your finances an annual checkup.

4 creative ways to tackle rising health care costs when planning for retirement

No matter how hard you worked or how much you saved, the sad reality of today’s economic landscape is that the rising cost of health care can quickly eat away at your retirement fund.

How to Rescue Seniors from Lapsing Life Insurance Policies

LifeHealthPro’s sister platform, BenefitsPro, reminded us on Sept. 12 that our industry needs to evolve to meet the needs of a graying population. Roughly 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day, a group that accounts for 28 percent of the U.S. population.

Life insurers: boosting earnings on backs of senior policy owners

Last weekend, the New York Times cast a national spotlight on an emerging problem that many of us have watched unfold quietly in recent years. The Times reported on the recent “skyrocketing” of life insurance premiums demanded by many life insurance carriers and traced the roots of this problem to “a crisis moment for a business once considered a bedrock of financial stability and an industry that supports the retirement of millions.”