Many people don’t know (and probably don’t care) that September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. It’s the one month out of the year that life insurance gets its time in the sun. I want to share some alternate uses for life insurance that many advisors never share with their clients to pump up this incredible product.
1. The Roth Alternative
The “Roth” IRA was created back in 1997, and it was set up to provide an individual with tax-free money during their retirement years. Other employer-sponsored retirement plans (401k, 403b, 457b, etc.) also adopted the Roth feature. Currently, if you have an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan that has “Roth” in front of it, you’re telling the IRS to tax the money that’s currently being contributed into that account. And, if you follow a few simple rules, you can receive your distributions tax-free during retirement.
There were only two problems with the Roth IRA specifically: 1) if you earn too much money, you are not allowed to open one, and 2) the contribution amounts are limited (2020 limits – $6,000 if you’re under age 50, $7,000 if you’re 50 and over). Income limits don’t apply to employer-sponsored plans, and the contribution limits are higher than an IRA, but they still have a cap.
With these problems known, people began to search for another way to invest their money for retirement. They hope to receive tax-free money during their retirement years, and the solution – a properly structured permanent life insurance policy.
2. Create Your Own “Bank”
You will not have to concern yourself with setting up a physical (or online) financial institution for starters. Also, for the sake of keeping things simple, this strategy involves you utilizing a properly structured permanent life insurance policy. Here are the primary reasons people consider creating their own “bank” or what some call the “family bank”:
- The cash value usually earns a much better growth rate than any solution you would find at your financial institution (High-yield savings/checking or CD’s).
- The growth, as well as distributions you take, are not taxed as long as a small amount of death benefit stays in force until you pass away
- When you borrow money, your full cash value continues to grow inside the policy despite any loans you have against the policy
For each of the alternate uses of life insurance I’ve shared with you, I highly recommend that you speak with a financial advisor or insurance agent. These strategies are not typically shared with the general public. Once you connect with a financial advisor or agent, you will now be equipped with some good material to discuss at your next appointment.
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Show me the way. I would like to be my own bank!