Insurance and Protection Planning
Insurance is about protecting the financial plan you've built from catastrophic risks — death, disability, liability, and long-term care costs. These articles help you evaluate which types of insurance you actually need, how much coverage makes sense, and how to avoid paying for policies that don't meaningfully reduce your risk.
Property and Casualty Review Checklist
A systematic approach to reviewing homeowners and auto insurance coverage, including deductible analysis and common coverage gaps.
Medigap vs Medicare Advantage
Comparing Original Medicare with Medigap supplemental coverage to Medicare Advantage plans for retirees.
Life Insurance Needs Analysis
Learn systematic methods to calculate how much life insurance coverage you actually need based on your income, debts, and family situation.
Hybrid Life and LTC Policies
How combination life insurance and long-term care policies work, including structure, costs, and benefits.
Business Overhead Expense Coverage
How BOE insurance pays your business's fixed costs if you become disabled and cannot work.
Term vs Permanent Life Insurance Policy Selection
Compare term life, whole life, universal life, and variable life insurance policies with specific cost examples and guidance on when each type makes sense.
Life Insurance Underwriting Process and Health Classes
Life insurance underwriting determines whether you get coverage, what health class you're assigned, and how much you pay—yet most applicants walk in blind to the process. The gap between health cla...
Policy Review Cadence and Triggers
When and how to review insurance policies to ensure adequate coverage, competitive pricing, and financially stable carriers.
Umbrella Liability Coverage Essentials
How personal umbrella insurance provides excess liability protection beyond your auto and homeowners policy limits.
Claims Process and Documentation Tips
Step-by-step guidance for filing life insurance, disability, and property claims, including required documentation and typical processing timelines.
Key Person Insurance for Businesses
How to calculate coverage needs, select policy types, and structure key person insurance to protect businesses from the loss of essential employees.
Captive Insurance Considerations
An overview of captive insurance structures for businesses, including minimum requirements, tax benefits, and IRS compliance factors.
Disability Income Insurance Basics
Learn how disability income insurance protects your earning power, including benefit amounts, elimination periods, and occupation definitions.
Understanding Life Insurance Riders and Policy Features
Learn about common life insurance riders including waiver of premium, accelerated death benefit, and guaranteed insurability, with specific costs and a worked example.
Coordinating Insurance with Estate Plans
How to align life insurance ownership, beneficiary designations, and policy structures with wills, trusts, and estate tax planning strategies.
Glossary of Insurance Planning Terms
Definitions of essential insurance and protection planning terminology for understanding policies, coverage options, and benefits.
Updating Beneficiary Designations
How to review and update beneficiary designations across life insurance, retirement accounts, and annuities to ensure assets transfer correctly.
Insurance Trust Structures: ILITs
How irrevocable life insurance trusts remove life insurance from taxable estates, including Crummey powers, the three-year rule, and trustee selection.
Long-Term Care Insurance Options
Understanding policy structures, benefit amounts, and cost factors for traditional long-term care insurance.
Buy-Sell Agreements Funded with Insurance
Understanding cross-purchase, entity redemption, and hybrid structures for buy-sell agreements, including valuation methods and insurance funding.