insurance

Traditionally, when you die, your heirs have to go through a legal process of distributing your assets called probate. You are said to have died intestate if you die without a will. When this happens, a judge has to approve everything, and all of...

I don’t like index annuities, and I especially dislike variable annuities with complicated riders that supposedly promise you’ll never lose money. With these products, you get lots of smoke and mirrors, high fees, surrender charges, very little...

As we get older and enter retirement, some decisions need to be made regarding insurance coverage. We know from our own experiences with elderly parents – and from what we read –  that long term care insurance makes sense. However, the premiums can...

One of the first things I realized when I started in this business was the need for long-term care insurance. It was clear then, and is still true today, that living longer increases the chances of needing assistance with normal activities of...

Life insurance agents created the financial planning community, and sadly their own was damaged in the process. Can recent regulation spur a rebirth? Needs-based selling, where an agent gathered pertinent client data, created a proposal, and...

With four kids to raise, I have always maintained a good amount of life insurance coverage. Over the years, I have made changes from time to time to take advantage of lower costs and newer plan designs. I like having permanent coverage with high...

Back in the 90’s I sold a lot of variable annuities. I worked for a large financial services company that strongly encouraged the use of variable annuities and there were some advantages. For one, it was a great way to gain access to multiple...

Buying and maintaining life insurance policies is a pain. On the surface, it seems like a pretty simple transaction but it is actually one of the most complex pieces to the Financial Fitness puzzle. Media bias and aggressive sales tactics...

The whole country watches today as the Supreme Court listens to arguments and debates the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Their decision will have massive political and business implications for many years to come, but the health...

Myth: Cash value life insurance is one of the worst financial products available. Truth: Many lives will be financially devastated by Dave Ramsey’s advice on life insurance. Dave Ramsey and his advertising client Zander Insurance make their case...