Why Life Insurance Works so well for Retirement Income

Why Life Insurance Works so well for Retirement Income

Life Insurance used to generate retirement income is a slightly more advanced subject within the world of life insurance and financial planning. The stock jockeys hate it, and the life insurance agents love it. No surprise there. But is there something that life insurance brings to the table that is truly special? Or are you …

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Is Whole Life Insurance a Tax Shelter?

whole life insurance can be an effective tax shelter

When you read or hear the words tax shelter it probably doesn’t conjure images of using whole life insurance. But whether or not whole life is actually a tax shelter depends on how you define it more than anything. It’s not a tax shelter in any sort of the more shady ways that people discuss …

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187 What Should We Do When We Run Out of Other People’s Money?

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”

Margaret Thatcher

Not much that needs to be added to that quote. We are seeing what happens when the government devises plans that use flawed logic and a lack of mathematical fact.

Is it really a big surprise that the health care exchanges organized under the CO-OP program are failing? I'm pretty sure that every insurance expert or semi-expert in the known universe said it wouldn't work.

Turns out that you can't put a bunch of sick people together in a plan and have it remain solvent. There have to be healthy people in there too (paying premiums) to balance the risk. This is insurance 101.

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185 Amazing, Simple, Easy, Fair

Well, today may be the shortest full-length podcast we’ve ever recorded. You’re welcome for that little gift. Here’s what we discussed in episode 185: New research shows that 401k’s haven’t hurt retirement benefits A well-known market pontificator sounds an alarm The tax code gets “Trumped” (pdf download) As always, we appreciate your comments and suggestions for …

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184 Hey…Have You Heard About the “internet”?

We're back after taking a week off and wouldn't you know it…Gen Y still doesn't like being forced to talk to insurance agents at their kitchen tables? (sarcasm light on)

This is a story that never gets old to us. It seems like financial services industry just discovered that the internet is here to stay. Turns out no one is interested in going back to the “good old days”.

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183 Reduce Your Retirement Income or Pay Up

Today we’re back to your regular format. A veritable hodge-podge of news from the world of finance. Yes, we could’ve spent another whole episode discussing the volatility of the markets, but we figured there are plenty of other places you can go to hear all about that. And no one really has any answers when …

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182 A Discussion of Risk: Percentages Be Damned, I Need Income

Well, we take a week off from recording/producing the financial procast and the market decides it's going to fall apart. I wasn't aware that our podcast was the glue that holds it all together?

In light of that, and the fact that today marks the 3rd anniversary of our show, we decided to take a break from our normal show format. We dedicated today's show entirely to a discussion of risk.

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181 Cars, Houses and Yard Sale Knick Knacks

In episode 181 of the Financial Procast, here’s what we discuss: Money Flees U.S. stock funds SEC commissioners push for greater pricing transparency for bonds Variable Annuity surrender charges aren’t what some would have you think Rents rise to “crazy” levels An as a reminder, there will not be a new episode of the financial …

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