Bill Boersma: On Life Insurance

Concentrate on the spread between borrowing rates and opportunity cost of money.

In certain markets, premium financing is all the rage and has been for some time.  The basic pitch is that wealthy, sophisticated clients should borrow money at low rates to buy life insurance and let their money grow at a higher rate and over a number of years. The results of this spread or arbitrage can pay back the loan so they’re not out of pocket for the entire cost of the life insurance.

This is perfectly legitimate, but I also believe there’s right way and a wrong way to do it.  I’m not a fan of much of what I see in the market because I feel, or have proof in many situations, that it’s based on misrepresentation and a severe lack of understanding.  The disasters that end up on my desk are almost all based on the perceived spread between borrowing rates and life insurance policy crediting.  Unfortunately, in too many situations, this isn’t real or sustainable, and few consumers and advisors understand how it really works and the risks involved.

The real opportunity with premium financing is on the spread between borrowing rates and opportunity cost of money rather than the policy crediting.  It’s the same reason I don’t pay off my home mortgage.  If I’ve borrowed at 3.5% to buy my house,  I believe I can do better than that over time in the market and I understand and accept the risks and have the wherewithal to deal with the results if things change, why would I pay down my mortgage any faster than I have to? For full post, click here…

Bill Boersma, Jason Kurchner | Mar 04, 2020

A match definitely not made in heaven.

As a life insurance consultant, I see just about everything imaginable out there. My desk is littered with cases for which I’ve been called in to pick up the pieces after the wheels fall off. In fact, litigation support and expert witness work is the fastest growing part of my practice. There’s a lot of good work, but there are also a tremendous amount of lousy plans. Advisors are regularly bringing me their client’s non-performing policies and structures and I like to use these real life cases to educate as many advisors as possible.

I urge the advisor community to address these issues before clients are dissatisfied and angry. Proactive action can prevent problems and save a ton of money. There’s a common problem that few are aware of that has an obvious and simple solution.

Large Policy Loans

There are a handful of current files on my desk with large policy loans. The loans on these policies range from $500,000 to $3 million. In some of these contracts, money was actively borrowed out, and in some, the loans are a result of borrowing premiums to fund the policy. In others, the policy owners didn’t even know a loan existed. Imagine the shock when they learned this. For full post, click here…