There is a report of a citrus farmer in Florida who has grown a grapefruit that looks exactly like an orange, except that it is bigger and yellow!
Sometimes the best planning solutions for our clients may also look different than what they request, but prove to be bigger and even better.
Many clients want to save more for retirement but have already maxed out on contributions they can make to available qualified plans or an IRA. What is a good alternative that you can suggest?
If your client is insurable, an overfunded UL policy is attractive for many reasons, especially when compared to another popular retirement vehicle, a Roth IRA! While offering similar features, the UL plan may be bigger and better.
Consider:
Plan availability – Anyone can fund for retirement with a life policy, despite the amount of their income.
Contribution deductibility? – No. Just like a Roth, funding is done with after-tax dollars.
Contribution limits – Funding is restricted only by the size of the policy.
Tax-deferred account growth – Just like any life policy.
Tax-favored supplemental income – Available through first-in/first-out withdrawals and policy loans.
Early withdrawal penalties – None! Account values can be accessed even prior to age 59-1/2 without tax penalties.
Plan self-completion! – The death benefit immediately achieves retirement planning goals for heirs in the event of pre-mature death, on a tax-free basis!
We can help determine the most effective product with the best premium/death benefit structure and the presentation ledgers you will need for your next opportunity. For support on all your business and estate planning case contact Tom Virkler, JD – Director of Advanced Markets, at 706-614-3796 or tom@cpsadvancedmarkets.com.
For What It’s Worth – It seems that comparisons to oranges are often difficult. Those in the know say there is no word that phonetically rhymes with orange.
What if you could offer your client the lowest premium on any Term or UL policy every time?
For years, Life Insurance carriers haven’t given their clients the option to offer the death benefit proceeds to be paid in any way but a lump sum. However, with new product advancements a few carriers now offer a flexible death benefit payment option than can provide an income stream for the beneficiaries, while significantly lowering the premium for the insured.
The Income Provider Option from a few of our selected carriers allows the policy owner to select a guaranteed annual or monthly income stream death benefit for payment to one or more beneficiaries.
How it works:
Not only will this Income Provider Option allow the policy owner to control how the benefits will be paid, it also decreases current cost of the insurance by providing graded premium discounts based on how long the income stream pays out. This endorsement is an extremely innovative and cost effective way to hedge against adverse underwriting or premiums above your client’s tolerance to get them the coverage they really need.
The Income Provider Option also presents the client with a great deal of flexibility granting them the ability to directly specify how the payments will be made to the beneficiary. Payments can be structured so that a surviving spouse receives a payment from the policy every wedding anniversary, or a grandchild receives a sizable birthday gift from a grandparent for a designated amount of years. This payment option can provide a lasting legacy and address the personal and sentimental value of the Life Insurance policy by ensuring the death benefit is paid the way the insured intended.
The Income Provider Option provides your client with two immediate benefits; first, it will give them peace of mind knowing their family will be cared for the way they intended, and second it will help lower current premiums, leaving them more discretionary income while they are still alive.
If you have a client in mind or would like to learn more about this great endorsement, please contact your dedicated Life Sales Associate.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, but many cases are slow-growing and highly manageable.
What active surveillance means:
For select individuals, doctors may recommend “active surveillance”—a structured approach that monitors the cancer closely rather than moving directly to treatment.
With favorable factors such as low Gleason scores, stable PSA levels, and consistent follow-up, carriers may still consider these individuals insurable.
Case study:
65-year-old male, nontobacco
$1 million of term coverage
Family history of cancer – mother died from pancreatic cancer at age 83
Prostate cancer diagnosed in 2021 – Gleason 6, clinical stage T2a, PSA 1.53
No treatment. Cancer has remained stable under active surveillance with follow-ups every 6 months
APPROVED at Standard Nontobacco class using healthy lifestyle credits
Bottom line: “Watching and waiting” does not have to mean waiting on coverage. With the right case positioning and carrier selection, our Underwriting Team can help secure the best possible outcome.
Have a case in motion? Our underwriting team is ready to help you navigate it faster—reach out today.
Every year, Mutual of Omaha conducts a cost-of-care study across all 50 states, and the latest results are in.
The cost of care services continues to rise. Current figures show the average annual cost for a home health aide is approaching $80,000. Assisted living costs have also increased, and a private room in a nursing home now carries an even higher annual price tag.
Mutual of Omaha has updated their cost-of-care tools to reflect these changes and help you guide conversations with clients about how they intend to pay for long-term care.
Cost-of-Care Calculator — See the current cost of LTC services by state and view what those costs might be 5, 10 or 20 years down the road. You can also adjust the inflation percentage from 1%–5% to model different cost scenarios.
Cost-of-Care Brochure — Use this brochure to help your clients understand the current cost of LTC services in their state.
We’re Here to Help
If you have any questions about the LTC resources or Cost-of-Care Study, please reach out to your LTC Sales Associate.
With the economy the way it is, most would agree that saving for retirement in these trying economic times can be challenging to say the least.
According to a CNBC study, 36% of American’s making over $100,000 a year, said they aren’t contributing a dime to retirement savings such as a 401k or IRA account.
Now imagine trying to save for retirement if you are too sick or hurt to go to work and earn an income. It quickly becomes next to impossible.
We have several carriers that offer solutions to help protect your client’s ultimate retirement goals if they were to get sick or hurt and could not work. One example is called DI Retirement Security.
DI Retirement Security allows your client to continue saving for retirement even if a disabling event should unexpectedly arise, by making a retirement contribution of up to 15% of their income or a maximum of $4,550 every month for the length of any long-term or total disability event.
Here are some sales approach tips:
Sell Individual DI Insurance and DI Retirement Security together
Approach clients who are at their maximum issue limits for Individual DI
Approach clients who are contributing the maximum to their 401(k)
Talk with business owners about providing DI Retirement Security as an employee benefit for executives and key employees
To find out more about how you can couple Individual DI Insurance with DI Retirement Security to help your client reach their ultimate goal of retirement, please contact your dedicated DI Associate today.
For advisors focused on improving retirement success rates, FIAs with income riders can be one of the most efficient ways to create dependable lifetime income. They help clients cover essential expenses with protected income they can count on, without direct market risk, mortality and expense charges, or underlying fund fees.
The key to evaluating FIA income riders is not just the rollup rate.
It is the combination of the rollup rate during deferral and the payout rate when income begins. The rollup rate builds the benefit base. The payout rate converts that benefit base into annual lifetime income. Together, they drive the final income number your client will receive.
That is why income efficiency matters so much.
A rider can look attractive on paper because of a high rollup rate, but if the payout rate is average, the final income may fall short. The strongest FIA income riders pair competitive growth during the deferral years with strong payout percentages at the age income is actually turned on.
For clients in their late 60s planning to start income in their early to mid 70s, one of our A++ carriers stands out with a 9% simple-interest rollup credit during the rollup period, and current payout schedules reach the mid-8% range for many relevant income-start scenarios. That combination can push guaranteed income levels to the top of the FIA rider competition for this planning window.
For advisors, the value is clear: no direct market downside exposure inside the FIA, no M&E charges, no fund fees, and a high level of guaranteed lifetime income clients can depend on.
When you combine protection, simplicity, and top-tier income potential, FIA income riders can become a powerful tool for helping clients build a more durable retirement plan and protect clients from sequence of return risk.
In the end, the best retirement income strategies are not just about accumulation. They are about turning assets into reliable income with confidence. For advisors looking to improve client outcomes, an efficient FIA income rider can help deliver exactly that. Contact us for your next income planning case. Together we can show you how these vehicles can better probabilities for retirement success.
Your clients need guaranteed life insurance protection today – but life changes, and so can your clients’ life insurance needs.
A unique feature on guaranteed universal life is a return of premium option, included at no additional charge within the policy, which provides clients with an exit strategy, giving them flexibility for their future.
How does this rider work?
Clients purchase a Guaranteed Universal Life (GUL) policy and make the required premium payments – the required premium is the amount that guarantees the death benefit through age 100. On the 15th, 20th and 25th policy anniversary, clients have a 60-day window where they have the opportunity to surrender their policy and get their premiums returned to them. If they don’t exercise the rider, there will be no impact on the policy.
4 Cash Benefits For Your Life Insurance Clients
For Retirement. A 45-year-old insured receives 20 years of death benefit protection and at age 65 receives her paid premiums back and uses the cash to supplement retirement income.
For College Costs. The insured bought two permanent policies and currently has young children. One of the policies was a GUL policy with the refund option available. When the children are at the age to attend college, the death benefit needs of the family change. He can surrender his GUL policy in year 15, 20 or 25 and use the cash to help pay for the child’s college education.
For Business Planning. The insured owns her own business and has a key employee, Tom. She purchases a GUL policy to protect her business if Tom died unexpectedly. In year 18 of 20, Tom resigns – and two years later she will receive all of her premium payments back.
To Pay-Up Another Policy. A 55 year old has a need for $5M in life insurance. He purchases two GUL policies, one for $2M and another for $3M. When he turns 75, he no longer needs as much coverage. He surrenders the $2M policy and uses the cash value to pay up the remaining policy. The insured still has $3M of insurance with no further premiums due.
Contact your Life Sales Rep for more on how the return of premium option can positively impact your clients and your business.
NT-proBNP… sounds intimidating, right? Like something that immediately sends a case into underwriting purgatory.
But here’s the truth: it’s just one guest at the party—and it shouldn’t get to control the music.
This blood test can flag potential cardiac stress, even in clients who look perfectly healthy on paper. And yes, when it comes back elevated, it can make carriers raise an eyebrow. But elevated doesn’t mean eliminated—and that’s where strategy (and we) come in.
Our Underwriting Team doesn’t panic over one lab result. We zoom out, look at the full picture, and ask the right question: Does this number really tell the whole story? Then we help position the case with the right carrier—and sometimes, we push back when the first offer misses the mark.
Let’s Talk Real Life
49-year-old male
$4 million term case
Tobacco user
Blood pressure, controlled and behaving nicely
NT-proBNP: Elevated
Initial offer: Standard Tobacco
At first glance, the carrier played it safe. Totally understandable. But we weren’t ready to accept that as the final answer. Our Underwriting Team stepped in, took a closer look, and said: “This client deserves a second look.” We highlighted the strong parts of the risk and advocated for the bigger picture, then secured an updated approval at Preferred Tobacco.
An elevated NT-proBNP doesn’t mean your case is doomed—it just means it needs the right strategy. Bring it to us—we’ll help you tell the full story, fight for a better outcome, and turn “maybe” into placed business.
Originally, the primary reason LTC Insurance was created was because it would help cover the high costs of a nursing home. But over the years, the policies have changed dramatically.
Now LTC Insurance is a comprehensive product that helps cover the cost of a variety services.
Consider the real-life Long Term Care example of Joe
He had helped care for both his parents for many years. So, he decided to purchase LTCi to help protect his family from the same responsibilities that he had with his parents.
Later in life, Joe developed an advanced stage of diabetes and several health problems occurred, including blindness and the amputation of his leg. His LTCi policy helped him stay at home by paying for renovations to his home, including ramps and grab bars.
The care coordinator helped walk Joe and his wife through the types of care he needed and provided a referral list of care providers in the area. His wife was able to receive caregiver training and a home health care nurse visits during the day while his wife is at work. LTC Insurance helped Joe stay in his home and have the care he needs.
There are many reasons to obtain Long-Term Care coverage, that can benefit both your client and their family.
To learn more, contact your Long-Term Care Specialists today.
Modern day Disability insurers are forever fearful of accidentally over-insuring their clients. This is particularly true when dealing with highly compensated clients.
In the past, the income replacement percentage was often subjectively determined by a particular carrier’s underwriter.
As of late, the Council for Disability Awareness has tried to modernize the approach by implementing a statistical analysis approach that determined the need to replace at least 65% of income.
Traditional carriers often meet and sometimes surpass the need for low to middle income earners, but fall short with incomes greater than $150,000.
Whether your client is generating a modest income or is highly compensated, there is an essential need to provide adequate income protection to help sustain an individual or family’s lifestyle during periods of non-productivity or severely diminished cash flow due to a short or long-term disability.
By stacking additional income protection on top of the coverage the traditional carriers provide, the client’s ability to maintain their current lifestyle turns from fiction to reality.
Contact your dedicated DI Specialist today to learn more about how you can offer your clients a complete income protection plan.
