18 Sep 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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 when...
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11 Sep 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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...
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07 Sep 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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...
Read more → 04 Sep 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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...
Read more → 28 Aug 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
The circumstances surrounding the case weren’t unusual. A single grandparent wanted to purchase coverage on his five year-old grandchild. He loved his son and daughter-in-law, the parents of the proposed insured, but felt they might be tempted to access the cash values during tough times if they were...
Read more → 24 Aug 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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...
Read more → 14 Aug 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
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...
Read more → 31 Jul 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
Few American publishers have had or will ever approach the influence of Henry Luce in his heyday. Through the middle half of the 20th century, Luce founded and successfully grew a family of magazines whose content was a major factor in shaping the thought and activity of American society. He named them...
Read more → 24 Jul 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
There's the old story about the hungry chicken and the hungry pig who agreed to both contribute to a mutual breakfast. The chicken suggested they have ham and eggs, to which the pig replied, “That’s a contribution for you, but it’s total commitment for me!” When proposing life insurance we would...
Read more → 17 Jul 2018
Posted by Tom Virkler 
Many argue that the best Super Bowl halftime show took place in Jacksonville, FL, ten years ago. In a forum known for mediocre performances that fail to meet the hype and fulfill the expectations, the lights and fireworks opened on a band named Wings, led by one of the last vestiges of an earlier rock...
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