Key Ingredients: Time, Health, and Money
June 8, 2021
What factors have made your retirement so successful? This is the very question I asked Doug and Debbie over dinner in their Florida condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. I have been fortunate to know Doug and Debbie for over a decade, and they have truly mastered the art of retirement. Deb, as usual, cut […]
Do You Need Life Insurance for Life?
May 4, 2021
Not everyone needs life insurance. Some of those that do can be handled with simple solutions. Others may be best served by more complex planning. Determining Your Need for Life Insurance Insurance of any kind is simply a transfer of risk. Premiums are payments to shift the financial risk from you to the carrier. Life […]
Selling the Agency on Your Timeline
March 16, 2021
Last fall, I received a phone call from Mark, an owner of a successful multi-generational insurance agency. Mark is in his late 50s and has been running the family agency for the past two decades. Mark was stressed out over the thought of selling his agency. He had multiple offers from competing agencies that were […]
Rambo: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
January 12, 2021
As we say goodbye to 2020, it is easy to reflect on the year with a negative view. However, I think 2020 was a transformational year where we expanded our overall skill set, not because we wanted to but because we had to. As we look back at all the new talents we accumulated in […]
Good Bye 2020, Hello Taxes
November 10, 2020
Good news: The year 2020 is coming to an end. Historians will look back at 2020 as an epic year for chaos in the United States. We will not miss the Covid-19 Pandemic, the social unrest across the country, or the contentious presidential election. Bad news: now that the election is over, and we have […]
Use the 4 C’s to Chart Your Future
August 27, 2020
You have successfully grown and managed your agency to a stage where it is desired by others. Use the 4 C’s to help you shape your future so that you will know exactly when it’s time to cash in.
Pandemic Put a Pause on the Sale of Your Agency – Now What?
July 28, 2020
Weddings, graduation parties, and dentist appointments were not the only things put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has changed the course of all our lives regardless of whether our personal health was impacted or not. Over the past few months, I have seen firsthand the impact it has had on agency owners who […]
Secret Retirement Saving Super-Power: The Mega Back Door Roth
May 26, 2020
For high earners and big savers, there are limitations on contributions to designated retirement accounts. Specifically, in 401k accounts, the maximum you can deduct from your salary is $19,500 in 2020. For those over 50, a “catch-up” contribution is allowed up to an additional $6,500. What many don’t know about 401k accounts is that there […]
Lessons Learned: “This Time is Different”
May 5, 2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has created stress and uncertainty in all phases of our lives. Worrying about our family’s health, learning to work from home while trying to educate and entertain children, and watching our income decline or for some completely go away has understandably caused many to panic. This stress and panic can lead many […]
FDIC Insurance – Have You Maximized Your Coverage?
April 28, 2020
During the Great Depression, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, was created to instill confidence in the banking system. On January 1, 1934, the first deposits were insured with a limit of $2,500. FDIC insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. How well do you know FDIC coverage? […]
Make 2020 a SMART Year
January 14, 2020
Happy (belated) New Year! Did you set a New Year’s resolution this year? Have you already broken your resolution? According to Ipsos, a market research company, 38% of Americans planned to have a New Year’s resolution in 2020. Unfortunately, 80% of resolutions are typically broken by the middle of February. No worries – It is […]
Should My Agency Be an S Corp or a C Corp?
November 12, 2019
Recently I spoke at the Independent Insurance Agents (IIA) of Illinois annual conference on financial planning for agency owners. After the presentation which included a discussion on taxes, an owner approached me about the tax structure of his agency. He is currently structured as a C Corporation and wanted to know if that was the […]