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Your questions

Why should I audit my policy?

Often times individuals purchased insurance policies with unrealistic assumptions. These policies may lapse if additional premiums aren’t paid. In addition, mortality rates have improved dramatically over the years. We may be able to either fix your existing policy or look at newer policies that may provide significant cost advantages and other benefits. Depending on your goals there may be an opportunity for you to either reduce your premium outlay or eliminate it completely without reducing the death benefit. A simple and objective audit will reveal your options. You may also be able to increase the death benefit without increasing the premium.

What makes M Financial unique?

M was founded on the principal that the affluent buyer is a better health risk than the general public because they tend to take better care of themselves and can afford better healthcare. In fact, this has been the experience over many years. As such, the insurance products designed by M for the affluent generally require lower premiums than what you can get elsewhere.

Why should life insurance be looked at as an asset class?

Not only can life insurance provide the least expensive source of cash to pay estate taxes, but it can also provide meaningful tax-free retirement income for extended periods of time. The after-tax IRR’s may be very compelling.

Why would I want to consider financing my life insurance premium?

Premium financing may be more cost effective and minimize your out of pocket cash flow, while keeping more cash available for other investments. For premiums in excess of $200,000, financing the premium should be considered as an alternative.

Should I consider purchasing a life insurance policy naming one or more charities, universities, or hospitals as beneficiary?

If you are charitably inclined, using life insurance for charitable purposes is a great way to not only continue your legacy, but also multiply the amount of your donation. Depending on how the gift is structured, you can get either a current tax deduction or a much larger estate tax deduction later.

I don’t live in the U.S., what life insurance options are available to me?

The life insurance products provided by M Financial are likely to be superior to those provided in other countries. Foreign nationals need to meet certain criteria to qualify for life insurance in the U.S. Quality insurance companies like Prudential, John Hancock, Nationwide, etc. issue life insurance policies for foreign nationals.

How do I retain and recruit key executives without using equity?

A restrictive executive bonus plan could be a great solution. Contributions may be currently deductible to the company. Different vesting schedules may be utilized. The plan can be structured as a defined benefit (i.e. $100,000 per year at retirement) or a defined contribution (percentage of a participants compensation). Contributions are far more flexible than they are in a qualified plan. There is no bankruptcy risk as there is in a traditional non-qualified plan, nor are there any 409A requirements.

What kind of life insurance should I buy?

Depending on your objectives and investment risk tolerance, the various types of life insurance policies are discussed in our Strategies section. They include term, whole life, universal life, indexed universal life, variable universal life, and no-lapse guarantee universal life.

My company has a group disability plan, but it only covers a small part of my salary. What should I do?

Group disability plans typically replace 60% of your salary up to a maximum of $15,000 per month. You or your company may consider implementing a supplemental long term disability plan which would be layered on top of your group plan to get you a much higher income replacement percentage. Additional advantages also include probability, guaranteed premium rates, and additional catastrophic coverage.

I am not insurable. What can I do to reduce my taxable estate?

Depending on the value of your estate and the number and health status of your children, there may be strategies to reduce your taxable estate even after all the planning you have done.

Does a deferred compensation plan make sense for my company?

Depending on the type of company and executive compensation levels, it may be something to explore. We have over 40 years of experience in the design, funding, communication, administration, and recordkeeping for these plans.

If I no longer need all of the death benefit, can I use my life insurance policy to provide additional retirement income?

Your life insurance policy may be a very tax efficient source of retirement income. If you have an existing policy, we can help you determine how much income you can take out of the policy while still keeping some of the death benefit in place.

I bought a life insurance policy 5 years ago and have not heard from my broker since. What should I do?

This is a common problem we see in the industry. The biggest concern is your policy could lapse. We developed a long term service model providing each client with a policy review on an annual basis. This eliminates the risk of lapsing and monitors the policy’s efficiency.