Recently a southern state spent $214 million over a four-year period to hopefully improve the reading proficiency of fourth grade students. The results were dismal.  According to the Nation’s Report Card, only 1 out of 3 of this state’s students improved their proficiency and their fourth graders fell from 39th place to 47th place nationally.[i] …

Continue reading “Back to the Basics”

A big complaint against life insurance is the supposed “huge” commissions an agent earns when you purchase a whole life insurance policy.  It’s been said that when dealing with money there are only two motives that drive your decision, “Fear or Greed.”  Those who oppose life insurance attempt to paint all life insurance agents as …

Continue reading “Fear, Greed and Commissions”

Anybody can lend money, but typically lenders are banks, credit companies like Visa, MasterCard and American Express, or retail stores that offer an in-store credit card.  The rate of interest that is charged by these lenders can vary widely depending on the type of loan, the credit history of the person (business) applying for the …

Continue reading “Why Interest Rates Matter”

If, as an insurance company, I want to reduce my risk associated with providing loans to policyholders who leverage their death benefit to take policy loans, I have two options.  I can, Force all policyholders to assume the risk associated with someone taking a policy loan against their policy, as in non-direct recognition companies. Or …

Continue reading “Direct or Non-Direct Recognition: What Difference Does it Make?”

Many wonder whose money you borrow when you leverage a Participating Whole Life Insurance Policy for a loan.  And the simple answer is, NOT YOURS. And that is one of the best reasons to use such policy loans to build equity. It’s been said that Warren Buffet’s father took him aside when he was around …

Continue reading “Where Does the Money Come From?”

Recently while traveling home from Phoenix we passed through Needles, California on Interstate 10 and noted that gas prices were $4.39 a gallon for regular unleaded.  Less than 5 minutes up the road, after we had returned to Arizona on highway 95, gas prices were $2.34 for a gallon of regular unleaded.  That is a …

Continue reading “How to Protect Your Money from Inflation”

2018…It was a year that recorded multiple historic highs as well as the largest single-day gain in history. But it turned into a loss for most investors. In fact, according to MarketWatch, 90% of the 70 asset classes cited in the Wall Street Journal posted negative returns for the year.  The previous worst time in …

Continue reading “The Worst Year Since 2008 On Investments”

So many had great expectations for a huge Bull Market to pull them through in 2018.   The sorry thing is, the bull never showed up.  Markets simply did not make higher moves that were sustainable. And so, the market of 2018 ended up almost where it started on January 2, 2018.  This has left many …

Continue reading “The 2018 Bull Market That Didn’t Happen”

My dad died on January 1, 2016. And Mom lost the income that came from his pension.  She also lost her Social Security but was able to continue receiving Dad’s. Even so, $1,100 and some odd change each month isn’t enough to live on.  And that is why as a married woman, you need to …

Continue reading “Why Life Insurance is So Important for Married Women”

In front of me is an Index Universal Life Insurance (IUL) illustration.  A prospect emailed it to us because his agent had promised he could receive $31,000 a year in retirement income annually for the rest of his life if he would pay a total of $183,000 in premium over the next twenty years. Here …

Continue reading “Universal Life Insurance is a Risky Purchase… just look at the Market Correction this Month!”