What’s good for the goose is good for the gander; or so we are told.  But adages aren’t always truisms, so unfortunately the conventional wisdom behind them must be applied categorically and with ginger – especially when building financial justification for a case.  The coverage guideline a carrier...

You only need to look at your last paystub to be reminded that, as long as taxes are around, what you “get” is not usually what you “get”.  But the nice thing about the death benefit on a life insurance policy is that the amount you see on the contract is what you get . . . maybe. The most...

By the end of the story the pigs have begun to walk upright and they carry whips.  Promised improvement in conditions for other citizens have been forgotten.  And the Seven Commandments that were to serve as the foundation for the common democracy have been reduced to just one: All animals are equal,...

Why is it good to have a runner on second base?  Two reasons:  first, he’s in “scoring position” where a well-placed single will drive him home; and second, he can see the signals the catcher is giving the pitcher and pass them on to the batter.  In this subtle game of refined skills, anticipating...

Okay, let’s start with a few premises and see where it leads:  Love is blind/ Marriage is an institution/ Love and marriage go together/ Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind. I don’t know if Aristotle would approve of the structure of that syllogism, but it does illustrate that...

The most common strategy that wealthy and healthy taxpayers use to fund against unavoidable anticipated estate tax liability is to purchase life insurance in an irrevocable trust; funding the trust with gifts so the trustee can pay the premiums. Transfers to the trust can be protected from gift taxation...

In the past the word culture referred to a society’s accumulated knowledge and its time-tested and proven body of values and principles which each generation must pass on to the next if the ongoing continuity and success of the community was to be assured.  But much like paper currency, words lose...

Gifting is an important tool in designing many types of Advanced Markets cases.  Gifts can create opportunities but may also generate complications for producers and clients. Questions you may be asking are, “How will knowing more about the gift rules help me in my career?” or “How will gifting...

Little Harold ran into the kitchen where his Mother was preparing dinner and said, “Hey Mom!  You know that antique vase on the stand in the front hall that has been handed down from generation to generation?”  When she looked up he reported, “Well my generation just dropped it!” The transfer...