CLICK ON THE ABOVE STEPS TO SEE OUR PROCESS

1. LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY EVALUATION

This step involves a due diligence review of:

1. The company’s financial strength. We consider over 30 quantitative and qualitative metrics gathered from numerous sources; then assess this objective data in light of the economic environment, accounting practices and regulatory issues to develop a comprehensive financial picture of the carrier. Next we rank the company according to its claims paying ability, overall competence and financial performance, and repeat this process quarterly as new financial data is released.

2. The company’s past practices, especially its demonstrated commitment to policy holders in the form of guarantees.

3. The company’s product portfolio in regard to its suitability for sophisticated planning needs in custom financial, business, and estate plans.

2. PLAN DESIGN

This step involves an examination of the product and plan structure to ensure they are suited to the client’s intended purpose. In the process, we examine the five elements that will have the greatest impact on the overall design of the plan.

1. Safety — the degree of protection provided by the death benefit and the equity in the policy

2. Flexibility — the ability to modify the plan as needs and circumstances change

3. Equity — the ability to accumulate accessible cash value in the policy

4. Certainty — the degree of certainty that policy design parameters will perform as expected, including an examination of the product’s potential performance in a variety of circumstances using stress tests

5. Competitiveness – The product’s relative price and quality competitiveness with other similar products in the marketplace

3. UNDERWRITING ADVOCACY

The life insurance application process can produce many unintended results if it is not managed proactively and with the proper level of expertise. We have found that the key to avoiding unwanted surprises in this critical step is to have knowledgeable professionals advocating at the insurance company level on your client’s behalf.

Using our knowledge of how insurance company underwriters, medical directors and actuaries make decisions, we leverage our insight to confidentially represent, clarify and coordinate the details of the client’s application throughout each phase of the underwriting process.

By protectively addressing negative information, we position your client’s information in a positive light to the insurance company and remove as many surprises as possible to obtain favorable underwriting offers that can effectively lower the cost of insurance.

4. POLICY MANAGEMENT

Without proper maintenance, even the soundest structures are prone to failure. That’s why we believe that the final element in crafting a sustainable insurance plan is ongoing maintenance.

In addition to continuous monitoring of the client’s policy, annual reviews should convey critical information required for the upkeep of the plan, including:

• Comparing the policy’s current performance with the most recent design specifications to determine if any recalibration is required in regard to death benefit, premiums or asset allocation of sub-accounts
• Summarizing and reporting policy activity since the last policy review
• Updates on the insurance company’s financial strength
• Updates on new or beneficial policy features available