There's no "one size fits all" answer for deciding who should own a life insurance policy that is being used for estate planning purposes. But, these considerations can help you compare beneficiary-owned and trust-owned policies to get the discussion started.

Unique businesses need unique plans, which includes creating plans that allow business owners to fund retirement. Use this reference sheet to learn three strategies to monetize a closely held business and the advantages and disadvantages for each approach.

Sometimes it can take a little preparation to help an insurance carrier see the worth of a key person. By understanding what carriers are looking for, it’s possible to justify high face amounts on key person policies. This article will guide you through financial underwriting justification.

Clients who are philanthropic often own IRAs or other qualified retirement assets which carry potential tax problems. Naming a charity as the beneficiary of an IRA or including an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) may provide a more tax-efficient wealth preservation plan.

Many things keep business owners up at night, including taxation and protecting against the loss of key employees. Corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) can help with both. In this solution, we'll look at COLI as an institutionally priced cash value life insurance product.

Although a deferred annuity is great for accumulating retirement funds, it's not an efficient vehicle to transfer wealth. Deferred income may be subject to income or estate taxes at death. Using annuity maximization, assets from the annuity can be repositioned to maximize value.

Estate planning is an important part of tax diversification, and life insurance can be an effective resource for achieving it. This example illustrates the benefits of the strategy with projected values and client options for coverage.

This discussion outline helps establish a need for business owners to create a guaranteed issue life insurance program. Common needs are buy-sell for businesses with a lot of stockholders or members, key person business protection or key employee benefit packages.

High-net-worth clients who want significant amounts of trust-owned life insurance create potential estate tax exposure. In this case study, the individuals loaned the trust money, with the trustee investing loan proceeds and making annual premium payments on a large policy.

Currently, an estate is not subject to the federal estate tax until it exceeds $12,920,000 (double for married taxpayers). In 2026, the current exemption will sunset, effectively cutting the amount in half. This piece looks at four options to protect your client's legacy before that happens.

Your high-net-worth clients earning attractive returns on their portfolio may be reluctant to liquidate assets to pay for life insurance. But this strategy can be used to substantially reduce out-of-pocket costs for life insurance and increase potential income.

It's possible to avoid the taxation of employer-owned life insurance. The general rule is that death benefits paid from a life insurance policy subject to IRC Sec. 101(j) are taxable when received. In order to avoid taxation, clients must qualify for one of several exceptions.