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The delivery of TAX-FREE LIFE INSURANCE proceeds is one of the most powerful social and economic forces in our country. What a shame that so many people don’t understand or appreciate its value.


As you carefully read this post, you’ll be better able to make wise and forward-thinking decisions regarding your LIFE INSURANCE.

By far and without exception, a life insurance claim is the most sobering and rewarding aspect of my profession as an insurance agent.
Sobering in that it reminds me of the brevity of this life and the certainty that it will end for all of us… eventually.
Rewarding because it’s an opportunity for me to deliver: A stay-at-home mother to children and the promise of a quality education for them, a paid-for house and a debt-free existence to the family, or a comfortable retirement for a weary widow.

It’s ONLY with the incredible power of LIFE INSURANCE that these are possible. When it comes time for you to consider this valuable cornerstone to your financial plan, you’ll want to make some very informed and calculated decisions.

Let me walk you thru some of them to help you make the ones that are best for you.
If you’ve read any of our other reports, you’ll know that even though insurance has been part of our culture for over 100 years, to most people – It’s still a just a mystery. And because they don’t understand it, a lot of people think they’re being “ripped off” by the Insurance Industry; aka “The Club”
 
I want to end that for you.

I'm an industry "insider": A licensed member of “The Club”
I’ve been inside the insurance business for over 25 years and I know it like the back of my hand: From policy to claims and back again.
I've sold insurance. I've bought Insurance.
I've studied it and I've learned that there's "good insurance" -- and there's "not-so-good insurance".
All insurance is "created equal".
Let’s take a quick trip with your imagination.

Picture yourself gone. Yes, I mean GONE, gone! Kind of morbid, I know. So if it makes it easier, go ahead and picture your exit as some grand, heroic or adventurous one. Maybe you went out skydiving or chasing wild horses in Wyoming. Or possibly you saved some kids from drowning when a school bus plunged into the lake. Either way… you’re gone.

Now -- Just ask yourself a few of simple questions.

  • Are there some bills left to pay? Funeral? Credit cards? Maybe a car? Or possibly a gambling tab out at Viejas Casino?

  • Is someone going to suffer without your income?

  • Is there anything to which you’d like to leave a legacy? Possibly you’d like to start a scholarship fund for some special group or just kids who need it. Maybe you’d like to have a small part of funding Meals-on-Wheels or grant some wishes come true through Make A Wish Foundation. Or maybe you’d like to leave something for your church. The possibilities are really endless.

If you answered yes or will be answering yes to any of those in your future, then LIFE INSURANCE is something you should seriously consider.

LIFE INSURANCE IS USUALLY THE LEAST EXPENSIVE WAY TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE ITEMS.

“How is that possible?” you ask.

Life insurance dollars come to your beneficiaries costing just pennies on the dollar. Here's how it works... Dollars you earn and have put into savings, on the other hand, cost MORE THAN A DOLLAR for every dollar you receive. You work; you get taxes taken out of your pay. Every dollar you spend really costs you about $1.27 to get after you’ve paid the tax man. Life insurance, on the other hand, is ALWAYS delivered for just a fraction of a dollar! You may pay $500 per year for $100,000 of insurance. You may have it for 25 years before you die. $500 x 25 years is only $12,500, yet the policy will pay $100.000. You've paid only 12.5 cents for every dollar of benefit.

I think I know what you’re thinking about this point.
You’re thinking of all the hassle it is to decide what kind and how much and then complete the application and then to get the physical (often you DON’T need one) and then on and on and on…

I know how you can quickly get past all that…
In reality, it only takes about an hour. You can just skim this report to get an overview of what you need to be thinking about and then if you’d like…JUST CALL ME.
I’ll likely take about 10 minutes of your time on the phone to see where you’re at and then, if you’re ready, we’ll set a time to get together. If you just want the information for future reference, that's fine too. It’s really pretty simple and I’LL DO MOST OF THE WORK FOR YOU.

After all… It’s what I do.

So let’s just hop right into it….

7 Things you need to know BEFORE you buy LIFE INSURANCE

--------------------------------------------


Life Insurance Need-to-Know #1
Don’t buy it unless you need it


The truth is that nearly everybody could probably use a little Life Insurance. Remember the questions we asked above? If you answered yes to any of those or you’d just like to make your exit a little easier on those who are left to sort out the pieces and arrange your funeral and wake, you’re probably a good candidate for at least a little policy.
If you buy the right kind of policy, you’ll build up cash values within the policy and in many cases you’ll build more than the premiums you’ve paid. So if you’re thinking you might need some life insurance, go ahead and get a small policy that builds cash for you and you’ll be on your way.

Sometimes, people just don’t need or want any life insurance. You might be single with no debt and sufficient money in the bank to take care of ALL of your final expenses such as funeral cost, paying off all your debt, enough money to pay for the disposal of all your personal property, etc, etc. If you are, and you just don’t want any life insurance and think that you’ll never need it, then don’t buy it.

But....

If you think you might need it in the future you might want to get a small, cash value policy with a GUARANTEED INSURABILITY OPTION. (means you can buy more later, but you don't have to...)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Insurance Need-to-Know #2
If you’re going to buy it, buy the right amount


We could make this portion of this report very lengthy, but I’ll give you a couple of simple options.

First is just the REPLACE MY INCOME estimate. Use the one-step chart below and there’s your answer.

Table 1-Income Replacement

First Column: Annual income to be replaced. Top Row: Years of replacement income required. Table Body: Lump sum life insurance required. Assumptions: Annual inflation rate assumed to be 4.0%; Annual investment return assumed to be 6.0%.


It’s just as easy to buy too much life insurance as it is to buy too little. You want to be sure you have the right amount of coverage.

You should also consider life insurance on your spouse or any other person on whose income you depend to make ends meet each month.

If you’re married with children you should also consider if there additional expenses should you and your spouse die at the same time or within a short time of each other. For example, you might want to provide additional monthly income to whomever you have designated to finish raising your children for you.

This short form can enable you to get a little more specific if you’d like to. It might give you’re a better idea of how much you’ll need.

1. Would you like to pay off your mortgage or have money available to pay the rent? If so, either enter the mortgage amount or your Annual Rent Cost times the Number of Years)You’d like to Provide. (Rent x Years = TOTAL)
$ __________________________

2. How much do you want available to pay off any other debts like credit card balances, car loans, student loans, personal loans, etc.?
$ __________________________

3. How much of your annual income will your family need each year after your death? (Remember if you paid off the house above or provided rent money, you won’t need to include that in their annual needs.) Use the INCOME REPLACEMENT TABLE above.
$ __________________________

4. How much do you want to set aside to pay your funeral costs? You may also want to complete this calculator for your spouse to see if they have a need for life insurance.

$ __________________________

5. How much do you want to set aside for any other needs such as an emergency fund, gifts to charity, or a family member with special needs?
$ __________________________

6. How much do you want to provide for your children's education if you die?
$ __________________________
7. TOTAL NEEDS: (add 1-6 above) $ ____________________

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

A. How much life insurance (individual and group) do you have now?
$ __________________________


B. What other assets (such as savings accounts, CDs, mutual funds,
stocks, bonds, 401k, retirement plans, or pension plans) would you
want your family to use to meet these needs?
$ __________________________

C. TOTAL RESOURCES: (add A & B above)
$ __________________________

TOTAL Need for LIFE INSURANCE: (Subtract Line C from Line 7)
$ _____________________
_____

You may also want to complete this calculator for your spouse to see if they have a need for life insurance.

Can I give you a little hint?
If you’re married, let your spouse decide how much life insurance to get on YOUR life -- And vice-versa. Whoever will be around to fix the problems should get to decide how much $ will
be available.

As you fill in the amounts, keep in mind the people that will be dealing with these issues. Do what’s best for them and you’ll be on the right track.

 

 

Life Insurance Need-to-Know #3
If you need it, then buy it, AND BUY THE RIGHT KIND

A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TERM AND CASH VALUE INSURANCE Probably one of the best analogies I’ve heard and have used for most of my 25+ years as an agent is this: Cash Value (aka: Permanent, Whole Life, Universal) life insurance is like owning a house. Term life insurance is like renting. When you own a house, initially you will pay a little more each month than you would if you were renting. Yet, in the long run, with the appreciation of the value of your home, you’ll likely make more money than it costs you to live there. Your monthly house payments are really contributing toward your own wealth. It’s like mailing money ahead to YOURSELF! When you rent, you pay less each month but you’re not building any equity or cash value and when you leave, you just leave all that rent money sitting in the landlords bank account. Your monthly rent ends up contributing to your landlord’s wealth instead of your own.

Face it! Odds are you’re going to live a long, happy and healthy life and your family WON’T need this policy. So buy the kind of life insurance where you get some or all of your money BACK when you’re older.

“Cash Value” or “Permanent” life insurance policies are tremendously powerful financial instruments. BUT…they’re designed for insurance that you’ll need to keep for all of your life.

You’ll probably want a little permanent life insurance in your plan because you will SURELY make a claim on it someday. Hopefully it will be when you’re VERY old & wrinkled and your need for life insurance is at a minimum: Just enough to pay off a few bills and cover your funeral expenses.

Realistically, TERM insurance is usually a better choice for those needs you may have now, but will not have forever.


So here’s a couple of help questions for you:
  1. Do I want some life insurance in force when I die? (probably yes)
  2. What’s my best guess of when that will be? (let’s say you guess 78)
  3. How much do I want in place at that time?

Whatever your answer is for question 3, THAT’S how much permanent insurance you should have. Consider term insurance to fill the rest of your needs.If you’re currently one of the bread-winners in your household and there are people depending on your income for everything from food to tuition, then you probably need a pretty big chunk of life insurance – For NOW at least. You likely won’t need that much for the long term. THAT’S where TERM insurance is likely your best bet.

Get some permanent insurance for the long haul; maybe $25,000 - $100,000. Usually you won’t need more than that. Get TERM INSURANCE for the temporary times in your life that you need more. Then DROP IT! No loss.

And here’s the real rub! TERM insurance is usually only renewable to a certain age and even then it gets VERY expensive. When you’re 70 or so (and your income is less because you’ve retired) your term insurance could be too expensive to keep and you may still want or need some life insurance. With permanent insurance, there’s usually enough cash value there so that you can just QUIT PAYING and be insured for life.

We're going to take a little break and let you digest all of what you've read here.  PART 2 has the other 4 of the 7 Things You Need To Know BEFORE Your Buy Life Insurance.

Click on to PART 2 whenever you're ready.....  

till then, I'm at your service... :)

 

dv

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It's a Good Life !

Dennis Volz Insurance Agency
10783 Jamacha Bl, Suite 1, Spring Valley, CA 91978
OFFICE: (619) 670-1000 - FAX: (619) 670-1121 - Cell (619) 339-1339
Email: Dennis@DennisVolzInsurance.com
Websites: Company Site:  DennisVolzInsurance.com

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This post contains only a general description of coverages and is not your insurance contract. Details of coverage or limits can vary. All coverages are determined by the terms, provisions, exclusions and conditions of your policy along with any endorsements.

 

To Your Success,

Please call me if you have questions...

.
Dennis Volz

Dennis Volz is the owner of a State Farm Insurance Agency in San Diego, CA since 1978.

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Email: DennisVolz@gmail.com
619-670-1000

 

1 Comments on 7 Things you need to know BEFORE you Buy Life Insurance (PART 1)

MAR
03
2008
428,918 Points 77 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Wow, Dennis, this took a lot of work and is packed with great information! I'm going to bookmark it for future reference. Thanks for the great job! Oh, and I liked your mag.

Later in the rain~Deb

6:54pm • #1

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Dennis Volz

San Diego, CA

More about me…

State Farm Insurance

Address: 10791 Jamacha Bl, Suite 1, Spring Valley, CA, 91978

Office Phone: (619) 670-1000

Email Me

I'm always looking for high-quality, active Realtors, Lenders and others who desire to build relationships and network with each other. Let's connect :)

Dennis Volz - State Farm Agent

Dennis Volz



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