Gallup Sun

Did you know that you have a valuable asset that is often overlooked and may not be included in conversations regarding your financial portfolio?  It’s your life insurance policy. Many people are not aware that a life insurance policy is an asset that can be sold with some of the terms being set by the owner.

All too often, life insurance owners surrender their policy to the insurance company instead of getting a quote in the “secondary” market for what it’s actually worth.  The market value of a life policy can be as much as eight times more than the surrender value!  If you have a life policy that is unwanted, unneeded, or has become unaffordable, you can get a quote for...

Pretend you are a corn farmer, and it is time to sow your seeds.

It’s spring, and it’s time to plant seed corn for the yearly crop. The government shows up and offers you a proposition: You can pay taxes now at a meager rate on just the seed corn, or you can wait until the harvest and pay taxes on the full harvest, all of the kernels on all of the ears of corn on all of the stalks – and, oh, by the way, tax rates are going up before the harvest begins.

How much are they going up between now and the harvest?

Well, who knows, but probably a whole lot.  Now, which sounds like a better deal?  Upon hearing this scenario, almost everyone would choose to pay their taxes on just the...

Can you use a crystal ball to look forward?

Ever wonder how different your life might be if you had made the suitable investment at the right time? How many cars would you own?  No college loans for your children.   Retirement would be those wonderful “golden” years.

What if you knew in advance when the stock market was going to drop, and you had time to move your money from risk to safety? Your money could only increase and never be exposed to losses. What if you had a mechanism that would do that for you automatically?    Would you feel more confident about your future financial health?

Think of your money like a safe; when the stock market drops, your funds jump into the...

If you buy an annuity and die, the insurance company keeps your money! We have all seen and heard that broad statement. Is it true?

No.

Here is a secret about insurance companies that puts everything in perspective. Insurance companies do not make decisions based on individuals; they make decisions based on a large pool of people.

Their tool? The Commissioners Standard Ordinary Mortality Table. The statistical table allows insurance companies to know precisely how many people in a specific age group will die nationally. It is not a guess, and it is pure science.

This table is so important because it allows insurance companies to set rates for calculating retirement benefits for...