Sunday, April 29, 2007

Structured Settlements Offer Advantages over Lump-Sum Payments

A structured settlement, which offers injury victims cash payments through a long-term annuity as compensation for their damages and medical expenses, offer a number of possible advantages over payment in a lump sum. While the lump sum of money payment is the traditional manner for responsible political parties to pay accident claims, the structured settlement offers payments over the span of an agreed-upon period of time. This length of clip may span from respective old age up to the residual of the life of the injured party, depending on the badness of the accident, the amount of money involved, and the understanding reached between the two parties. Depending on the specific fortune of the case, structured settlements can have got numerous advantages over a lump-sum payment: They are tax free. Thanks to a 1982 change in the Federal Soldier Soldier tax code, payments on a structured settlement are free of state and Federal taxes. The paying political party finances the settlement through the purchase of an rente which earns the interest to fund the continued payments. This is not the lawsuit with a lump-sum payment, which the injured political party must put themselves. Any interest earned on those investings are taxable. They are potentially safer. Most people who come up into a large sum of money of money suddenly happen that they are quite popular with long-lost relatives, unscrupulous purveyors of investing schemes, and good, old-fashioned thieves. By receiving payments in substantially smaller amounts, the donees of a structured settlement have got far fewer concerns about having others take advantage of them, which could go forth them both poor and without adequate medical care. They are simply less trouble. It’s hard adequate to set to changes in your life if you are seriously injured without having to also take the new duty of investment and managing a large sum of money of money. Not only must you put the money, but you must put it wisely, knowing that it must go on to fund your life and/or wellness care expenses. The regular payments of a structured settlement, along with their tax-free status, simplify twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours life considerably.While they are not ideal for everyone, particularly those who are experienced investors or those who need a large sum of money of money at once for contiguous medical disbursals or the purchase of a home, structured settlements can offer a simpler, safer payment solution for many people who are victims of an accident or injury.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Structured Settlements - Should You Sell Yours?

In recent years, it have go more than common for victims of accidental injury who accept a settlement from the at-fault political party to accept a structured settlement instead of a lump-sum payment. With a structured settlement, the injured political party have payments over an agreed-upon length of clip – five years, 10 years, or even a lifetime, rather than receiving payment up presence in a lump sum.There are advantages to this for both parties. The injured political party may necessitate changeless medical care, and the regular payments of a structured settlement warrant that income will be available to cover the medical expenses. For the paying party, the settlement can be paid by buying an annuity, which allows an upfront payment to accrue interest, thereby producing a larger long-term yield from a minimum investment. In many cases, a structured settlement is viewed as a win-win state of affairs for both parties.There are limitations on structured settlements that may not lawsuit everyone. Once you hold to accept a structured settlement, you cannot trade it back in for a lump sum of money payment, nor may you utilize it for collateral for a loan. What if you desire to purchase a home and pay cash? What if some other unexpected disbursal come ups up and you simply make not have got the cash available? Under certain circumstances, you may be able to sell your structured settlement to a 3rd party.There are companies that are interested in buying structured settlements for investing purposes. Perhaps one or more than of these companies have already contacted you. They will hold to pay you a lump sum, in cash, in exchange for you signing over your hereafter rente payments to them. Be aware that any political party that offers to purchase your rente is interested in doing so for investing purposes. They wish to do money on the transaction, and for them, that net income will be spreading over the long clip that it takes to have all of the payments that represent the settlement. Once you compound the factors of time, interest, inflation, and the purchasing party’s profit, you will happen that the offer made to you will look quite small. The amount you have will be an amount equal to the present day value of the settlement, minus whatever sum of money the investors necessitate for their net income on the transaction.You should also cognize that some states forbid the sale of structured settlements, that some insurance companies who manage the rentes forbid sales to a 3rd party, and that you will probably need to travel to tribunal to arrange the sale. In addition, there may be tax considerations involved in the sale, and the taxes owed on large sums of money of money are not insignificant. If you are interested in merchandising your structured settlement, you will definitely desire to discourse the sale with an attorney and a tax advisor beforehand.While structured settlements are designed to profit those who have them, there are modern times when it may be desirable or necessary to sell them. If you are considering merchandising your settlement, do certain that you weigh all of your options carefully. Once you hold to sell, you cannot get it back.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

What Your Insurance Agent Doesn't Want You to Know

About a year ago my fiancé determined to venture forth and set up some retirement planning. She wanted to do this on her own so that she could feel the sense of accomplishment that would accompany a viable plan for her future financial needs.

Not having a background in life insurance she contacted a long time friend and asked for a referral. Promptly, the lady turned her over to her son in law. He's the best insurance agent in town. He'll take real good care of you. You'll be safe and protected working with Fred (not his real name)

So Fred called her and made an appointment. At the appointment she asked him for advice and what plan would be best for her.

Don't worry he told her. I'm a financial planner. I have just the plan for you right here. You'll have money in the future and you can put $300 a month into the account. It's just like a savings account her told her.

It's simple and safe and you can trust me to look out for your best interests.

She did and signed up for his :"plan:". About a year later she asked me if she needed to add $300. every month. Being in sales, her commissions fluctuate and some months there is an abundance of extra cash, other months, not so much.

Having no idea what plan she had I asked if I could look at the paperwork. The "plan" she had did require her to deposit $300 monthly or substantial penalties would attach. I contacted the insurance company that the plan was written through and they informed me that if she wanted to surrender the "plan" she would lose up to 50% of all the money she had deposited.

Without a surrender, a failure to keep adding funds could impact her credit and she could forfeit the entire amount. So I was told.

Smelling a rat I pursued a cancellation and full refund. This was not easy and took several strongly worded letters, written in legalese, to get any results.

The lady and son in law became angry. Why would she do this to Fred? Fred will have to pay for this out of his own pocket! Fred is such a nice guy, and so forth.

A little further checking and I leaned that Fred earned almost half of the $3000. that my fiancé had sent to this "plan".

A cancellation would probably require a refund of commissions on his part. And my fiancé was barraged by angry calls and pleas top leave Fred alone. Enough was just enough.

My gal got her refund but it was not an easy task. Fred and his mother in law were disappointed. Poor Fred would have to find another sucker.

Don't let this happen to you. Be sure that you fully understand what you are getting when you buy an annuity or any life insurance related product..

The financial future you protect will be your own.

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

How Could I Save Some Money On Life Insurance?

Before you buy...

There are many different things that you can do in order for you to save some money when you are choosing your life insurance, but this does not always mean that you are going to start out by paying a lower premium right from the beginning. A top priority should be for you to look for and choose a policy that will fit all of your needs. If you happen to buy a lower premium that comes with all of the wrong benefits you are not choosing money, this is just a waste. Besides these things, there are a few other things you can do to keep some extra money in your pocket.

Many different companies are selling life insurance. You should limit those companies to two of them whom have the highest ratings among 2 or even more rating companies agencies. Choosing a shaky company just because you like their lower premium is not the best buy. You should look around in order to get an idea of the premium you may be inclined to pay. Many different quote services available on the Internet can help you with this matter, or you can always ask a broker to get estimates for you.

Part of researching this would be for you to figure out which rate class you fit best into. Many companies who sell individual life insurance contain many prices classes that are different, they usually come in preferred(non tobacco), standard(non tobacco), preferred(tobacco) and standard(tobacco). There are a small amount of people whom have certain histories or health conditions that can possibly disqualify them for even the standard rates. Most of the people who fit into this group are offered the decision to choose insurance through impaired risk or non standard rates.

It may be a good idea for you to consider group insurance. You could do this by possibly considering to participate in your employer sponsored life insurance program, even if you will need to pay into this. Most of the time your employer will subsidize the costs of their group insurance, so this way it is usually less expensive than an individual policy. Without needing to prove good health you could even receive a pretty good level of coverage, for certain people this can be an advantage. They usually deduct any payments you owe through your payroll, which is convenient most of the time. Furthermore, be sure that you compare individual and group rates, because depending on health status and age sometimes group insurance does not always save you money. When you are comparing individual to group life insurance, keep in mind that when you have $50,000 or more in group life insurance that IRS tables will consider how much it can cost to maintain the amount over fifty thousand and will charge you a taxable income for that amount.

Last but not least, make sure you are taking good care of yourself. Figure out what class rate you are going to be grouped into and if possible consider making certain changes to your lifestyle. Things such as not smoking, keeping your weight healthy and making sure that you exercise, this way you may be able to qualify for a rate class more to your liking.

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

Insurance Leads, Try the Phone Book!

I have seen every possible lead proposition and they all are almost the same, might as well cold call. I really love the sales organizations that offer you free leads and then their famous training system is always included. You know the one I am talking about, the YOYO system

YOYO, You're on Your own!

I have been there and I know what it is to suffer through not having enough leads. I have found that many of the leads generated are done so under "semi fraudulent" marketing schemes. The lead provider will ride on the coat tails of a nationally known group who is offering an important piece of information. The return envelope usually is to a Washington DC drop box who then forwards it on to the user.

The problem is our expectation as salespersons; we all want the "hot" leads. But there really do not exist. The leads are only a possible door opener and a chance to meet someone who we can build a relationship with as access to a sale.

A better approach is to accept these leads for what they are and focus on a solid follow up system that drips the prospect to position them for a continued relationship as times change and their situation change.

YOYO, use it to build your personal sales career catered around your personal goals. Find a lead source and use it as the door opener follow it with a system to keep in touch.

Over the years I have used these direct contact lead sources very effectively because I have used them for what they are. They are a door opener and that is all they are. I had to depend on my other marketing approaches to make them a viable option.

My favorite lead generation sources are Kramer and Americas Recommended Mailers (ARM) and others have reported satisfactory results with CIS. If you want a terrific do it yourself program from a great professional look up Russ Jones at pmrsystem.com.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

How to Find the Cheapest Whole Life Insurance Quote Online

Whole life insurance covers you for your entire life, not just for a specific period or term. Because your premium stays the same until the policy is paid for, it's important that you find the cheapest whole life insurance quote.

Look Online

The Internet is your best source for finding the cheapest whole life insurance quote. With insurance comparison websites you can complete a questionnaire about what kind of insurance you want. The websites will ask such information as:

* Your age

* How much insurance you want

* Whether you smoke

* Whether you work in a hazardous occupation

* Whether you have any risky hobbies

* Whether you have any health conditions

Once you complete the questionnaire you'll get fast quotes from multiple companies. You can then easily compare the quotes and choose the best one for you. (See link below.)

When you get your whole life insurance quotes, look for companies that offer no-load or low-load whole life insurance policies. These policies may be the cheapest choice for you because they include little or no sales commissions.

Save on Your Whole Life Insurance Quote

Because whole life insurance builds up cash value, it can be an expensive form of insurance. However, there are ways you can save on your whole life insurance:

* Check the price of several insurance amounts with the same company. Sometimes more insurance actually costs less. For example, a company might charge $1.00 per $1,000 of coverage up to $249,999, but 90 cents per $1,000 of coverage over $250,000. So it would cost less to get $250,000 worth of coverage than $245,000.

* Change your habits. If you stop smoking and lose weight, you can save up to 50% on your premiums.

* If you have a health condition, look for a whole life insurance company that specializes in people with that condition.

* Ask about hidden fees. For example, your insurer might charge you to set up an automatic payment plan.

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Saturday, April 14, 2007

How to Find Affordable Universal Life Insurance Rates

Looking for universal life insurance? Here's how to find affordable life insurance rates quickly and easily.

Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance is a modified, flexible form of whole life insurance. Part of your premium goes toward insurance coverage, while the rest is invested to increase the policy's cash value.

Benefits of Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance is the most flexible of all life insurance plans:

* It lets you choose the amount of protection you want, increasing or decreasing your coverage as your needs change.

* It lets you control the amount and frequency of your payments. If you have extra cash, you can pay more and the extra money grows tax-deferred. If you're short on cash, you can pay less and let the policy's accumulated cash value pay the remainder of the monthly charges.

If you do decide to invest in a universal life insurance policy, be sure you plan to keep the policy for at least 15 years. It will usually take that long before you are eligible for any return on the policy.

Affordable Universal Life Insurance Rates

When you buy life insurance, you want a policy that will take care of your family's needs without costing an arm and a leg. The easiest way to find affordable universal life insurance is to go to an online comparison website.

Once there you'll be asked to fill out a simple form that will allow you to tailor you life insurance to your needs. You'll get fast quotes from multiple companies, then you can choose the best rate.

Some websites even offer a chat feature that lets you talk online with an insurance expert and get answers to all your questions (See link below.)

Get the Company's Rating

You're counting on your insurance company to take care of your family in case of your death. Therefore, you want to choose a company that's safe and reliable. Before you decide on a company, go to the A.M Best website (ambest.com) to check the company's financial rating.

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Life Insurance Is So Important For All Families

Life insurance is so important for all families to have, especially those with young children. It should be a natural thing to do to make provision for your family in case something unforeseen had to happen to you. You will have peace of mind once you have purchased a policy and you know that you have done your duty towards your family.

It is so easy to check the insurance companies online and read all the information about these policies. You can get a quote online within minutes of waiting and then apply for the policy as well. This can all be done without leaving your chair. When the policy is issued to you within a short while it will be valid as soon as you receive it.

Life insurance is a necessity for all families with young children. This is to protect your children against financial devastation in case the unforeseen happened to you and they were left without the main bread winner to provide for them. This could alter their lifestyles completely. The policy serves as a financial umbrella over them.

Getting an insurance policy is something that has to be done if you are in a position where people depend on you. Whether it is your family or a business partner this financial covering will give you peace of mind as you do not know what the future holds.

Once you are satisfied with this you can apply for the policy online as well. Once you have received it and you are not completely satisfied you are given thirty one days to return it and your premium will be reimbursed. You can then start all over again selecting another policy. The only problem with buying insurance online is that you may only purchase insurance up to a certain value. Anything over this value you will have to purchase from a broker.

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Monday, April 09, 2007

AARP Long Term Care Insurance

The AARP insurance is a long-term policy that rises above common coverage of Medicare. These plans help you to discover solutions to care for your loved ones. AARP insurance covers anyone over the age 50. These policies will provide you with benefits, such as membership. Membership benefits often mean that you only pay less than $100 annually. Your spouse may also benefit from these insurance plans.

These long-term insurance plans often give you benefits and discounts. The policyholder sometimes has access to homeowner coverage, health coverage, and auto coverage. In addition, the policyholder may receive services from online, such as music, travel, grocery savings, computer savings and other benefits.

AARP supplies the policyholder with advocacies. The advocacies are often in Washington, which these people will represent you. The representation will cover purchased safety, Medicare issues and social security issues.

This long-term insurance provides you with advocacies that give you advice on living healthier. You receive plans for financing, protection over purchase, living healthier advice and tips for parents in taking care of their loved ones.

Because cost increases occur annually, especially in nursing home care Medicare will only provide minimal care to the patient. The patient must pay the remaining balance of his or her care from his social security benefits. AARP insurance steps in to battle this problem.

The long-term care insurance protects the policyholder's investments as well as their savings. This policy will preserve your freedom. Unlike common Medicare, this plan enables you to opt for any nursing home you choose. In other words, Medicare recipients only qualify for selected nursing homes as required by the providers.

You have a broader option in AARP insurance. This long-term plan covers payments or expenses of your healthcare that you receive at home, in spite of who you have as a caregiver. This plan will also cover nursing home expenses, adult care, or any facilities that provide care for elderly.

You have other benefits with the long-term insurance policy. You can opt for flex plans that will accommodate your needs. If you are on a strict budget, AARP insurance providers will find a plan and coverage to fit your needs.

Common Medicare does not cover extensive needs in healthcare for the older generation. This is a huge problem, since many elderly people are not getting the health care they need. Too many people die earlier because of this problem.

If you are searching for healthcare coverage then AARP is the route you may want to take. Rather than worrying over your aged parent, you can rest knowing that your loved one is getting the care that they need.

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Friday, April 06, 2007

Life Insurance: Protection After Death

No one wants to think about death. No one wants to think about leaving their family and friends behind. No one wants to bother thinking about the details of a funeral, burial or cremation, or about leaving this earth at all. For many, death is just not going to happen to them; they're going to stay here for ever.

Unfortunately, people do die and they leave their families and other loved ones behind. Often, those left behind, are left bills, the need to deal with funerals, and burials or cremation, and wills. Those left behind don't have the ability to just forget about all the funeral expenses; they have to put their lives on hold and their wallets on the line.

Leaving this life isn't something anyone wants to think about, but it will happen, and you'll want to be financially prepared to help your family out.

The Blessing of Life Insurance

Today, the cost of a funeral can be more than the cost of a car. Many people just don't have that kind of money laying around in preparation for the unexpected. There are very few people in this world who actually have the ability to save up money for the emergencies of life. Those that can afford to hide away piles of money should do so. Those who don't should get life insurance .

Life insurance is a policy that a person purchases in order to ensure that, once they're dead, their families won't be stuck paying for an expensive funeral. In some cases, a life insurance policy is large enough to, not only pay for the funeral, but also leaves some financial support for the family of the departed.

To the children of someone who dies, a life insurance policy can be a "lifesaver". Not having to worry about where their going to get the money for the funeral, for the burial, and for the mortgage on the house is a weight off of their already burdened shoulders. Having someone you love die can be a hard blow, having to deal with their financial mistakes once they're gone, can be even harder. Purchasing life insurance is one way to ensure that not only you, but your family, will be taken care of in the event of your death.

Leave Your Family Something Other Than Debt

If you die in debt, your debt does not die with you. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that once they are dead, debt collectors have no one to call. Debt collectors are completely within their legal rights in calling your family in order to collect on your debt. Purchasing life insurance is one way to save your family from your financial mistakes. If you have accumulated tons of debt in your lifetime that you have not been able to pay off, do not make your family do it for you once you are dead.

More and more, life insurance is becoming a life necessity. Not only is it a way to clear your debt once you are dead, but it is also a way to give your family peace and comfort once you are gone.

Life insurance is important; do not leave earth without it!

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Monday, April 02, 2007

Think Of Gathering Instead Of Accumulating For Annuity Sales

Client Gathering

Our goal is to extend our marketing effort with new relationships. These relationships should be with agents who have experience with selling products in the senior market. This vision is to build an interactive client base through the process of client gathering.

Client gathering is much different than client building which is a term associated with large career life insurance companies such as New York Life, Prudential etc. Client Building was a concept by which the agent grew with the client and as the client increased net worth and insurance needs changed the agent was there to provide the insurance products. Studies have shown that this concept when followed to the end would have provided a relationship with 7 direct sales and 20 indirect insurance sales over the course of the agent's career. This type of selling is arduous and expensive plus it is not especially profitable. It is however profitable for the insurance company because it allows for the careful spacing of different age brackets of the insured. The agent in effect has used his career and effort to make certain the insurance company has hedged itself against changes in attitudes by a single person by spreading out the risk over many different people.

Client gathering is much different. Client gathering is collecting people at the end of their careers when their accumulation process is ending and the need for stabilization becomes the goal.

That is what we do, stabilize.

Everyone at one some time of their lives needs to run to safety. Safety falls into three possible categories.





• Banks or financial institutions


• United States Treasury


• Insurance Company Annuities



Our goal is to assist the client into repositioning their assets into the most stable positions while earning the best possible yield. This is done by educating the client on the benefits they will enjoy with each of these products.

The process of education centers on understanding how the client feels about their life and how their assets could be used to accomplish their goals. By understanding how a prospect feels about their personal assets allows us to determine exactly how safety and security can play a part.

When a prospect decides that safety is the more important goal with their finances then providing stabilization becomes the most important agenda.

Stabilize for safety.

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