Should You Invest in Life Insurance?

Should You Invest in Life Insurance?

by | Oct 5, 2010 | Archives

The purpose of life insurance is to provide a source of income, in case of your death, for your children, dependents, or other beneficiaries. (Life insurance can also serve certain estate planning purposes, which we won’t go into here.)

Whether you need to buy life insurance depends on whether anyone is depending on your income. If you have a spouse, child, parent, or some other individual who depends on your income, you probably need life insurance.

Life insurance protects your family in the event of death. Most people do not have the right amount of insurance. It is important to determine the amount that suits your needs.

There are two basic types: term and permanent. Term insurance is simply insurance that covers a specified period. If you die within this time frame, your beneficiary receives the insurance benefit. Term policy premiums usually increase with age.

Permanent insurance, such as universal life, variable life, and whole life, contains a cash value account or an investment element to the insurance.

Rules of Thumb

  • The younger your children, the more insurance you need. If both spouses earn income, then both spouses should be insured, with insurance amounts proportionate to salary amounts.

Tip: If the family cannot afford to insure both wage earners, the primary wage earner should be insured first, and the secondary wage earner should be insured later on. A less expensive term policy might be used to fill an insurance gap.

  • If one spouse does not work outside the home, insurance should be purchased to cover the absence of the services being provided by that spouse (child care, housekeeping, bookkeeping, etc.). However, if funds are limited, insurance on the non-wage earner should be secondary to insurance for the wage earner.
  • If your spouse could live comfortably without your income, then you will still need life insurance, but you will need less than someone who has dependents.

Tip: At a minimum, you will want to provide for burial expenses and paying off your debts.

  • If your spouse would undergo financial hardship without your income, or if you do not have adequate savings, you may need to purchase more insurance. The amount will depend on your salary level and that of your spouse, on the amount of savings you have, and on the amount of debt you both have.

We can help you determine the proper amount of life insurance. Give us a call and we’ll discuss your situation.

American Workers $6 Trillion Short

American Workers $6 Trillion Short

by | Oct 1, 2010 | Archives

A new study conducted by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research states that Americans are $6.6 trillion short of what they need to fund their retirement, due in part to declines in stock and housing values.

The study, based on American workers ages 32-64, used conservative assumptions including: a 3% rate of return on assets, no further cuts in pension coverage or Social Security benefits, and no increase in the age of retirement. While 3% may be appropriate for this study, most people are still thinking in terms of 5%, 6% or even 8% returns, and these may not be attainable as long-term returns with conservative investments.

What does this mean? No, it’s not time to panic, but it does means these workers need to become more self reliant in their retirement planning. This includes the use of insurance-based products such as annuities to provide underlying guarantees for lifetime income, and life insurance for capital and income replacement in the event of an early death.

Start planning today. Your retirement future and security is up to you.
 

by Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, President and CEO of the LIFE Foundation
Taxpayers Face Oct. 15 Deadlines: Due Dates for Extension Filers, Non-Profits Approach

Taxpayers Face Oct. 15 Deadlines: Due Dates for Extension Filers, Non-Profits Approach

by | Sep 30, 2010 | Archives

WASHINGTON — Oct. 15 is fast approaching and is a key deadline for millions of individual taxpayers who requested an extension to file their 2009 tax returns. It is also a crucial due date for thousands of small nonprofit organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they have not filed the required forms in the last three years.

“The Oct. 15 deadline is particularly important this year because it’s the last chance for many small charities to comply with the law under the one-time relief program the IRS announced in July,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “And as always, it’s an important deadline for taxpayers who took an extension to file their returns.”

Don’t Miss Your 1040 Deadline

The IRS expects to receive as many as 10 million tax returns from taxpayers who used Form 4868 to request a six-month extension to file their returns. Some taxpayers can wait until after Oct. 15 to file, including those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or other combat zone localities and people affected by recent natural disasters.

The IRS encourages taxpayers to e-file. E-file with direct deposit results in a faster refund than by using a paper return. Electronic returns also have fewer errors than paper returns. Oct. 15 is the last day to take advantage of e-file and the Free File program.

Free File is a fast, easy and free way to prepare and e-file federal taxes online. The Free File program provides free federal income tax preparation and electronic filing for eligible taxpayers through a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance LLC, a group of private sector tax software companies.

File If You Are Tax Exempt

Small nonprofit organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file the required returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009 can preserve their status by filing returns by Oct. 15 under the one-time relief program.

The IRS has posted on a special page of IRS.gov the names and last-known addresses of these at-risk organizations, along with guidance about how to come back into compliance. The organizations on the list have return due dates between May 17 and Oct. 15, 2010, but the IRS has no record that they filed the required returns for any of the past three years.

Two types of relief are available for small exempt organizations — a filing extension for the smallest organizations required to file Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) , and a voluntary compliance program (VCP) for small organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax.

Small organizations required to file Form 990-N simply need to go to the IRS website, supply the eight information items called for on the form, and electronically file it by Oct. 15. That will bring them back into compliance.

Under the VCP, tax-exempt organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ must file their delinquent annual information returns by Oct. 15 and pay a compliance fee. Details about the VCP are on the IRS website, along with frequently asked questions.

Check Your Withholding

With little more than three months remaining in the calendar year, individual taxpayers are encouraged to double check their federal withholding now to make sure they are having enough taxes taken out of their pay.

“Now is a good time to make sure your employer is withholding the proper amount,” Shulman said. If you face a shortfall in your federal withholding, there is still time left in the year to make up the difference.”

The average refund for 2009 was $2,887, up 8 percent from 2008. Even though the Making Work Pay Tax Credit lowered tax withholding rates in 2009 and 2010 for millions of American households, some workers and retirees still need to take steps to be sure enough tax is being taken out of their checks.

Those who should pay particular attention to their withholding include:

  • Married couples with two incomes
  • Individuals with multiple jobs
  • Dependents
  • Some Social Security recipients who work and
  • Workers who do not have valid Social Security numbers.

Retirees who receive pension payments may also need to check their federal withholding.

As was the case in 2009, taxpayers who wind up owing tax because too little was taken out of their paychecks during 2010, may qualify for special relief on a penalty that sometimes applies. Depending on their personal situation, some people could have less withheld from their paychecks than they need or want. Failure to adjust withholding could result in potentially smaller refunds or in limited instances may cause a taxpayer to owe tax rather than receive a refund next year.

The IRS withholding calculator on IRS.gov can help a taxpayer compute the proper tax withholding. Worksheets in Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Withholding?, can also be used to do the calculation. If the result suggests an adjustment is necessary, the taxpayer should submit a new Form W-4, Withholding Allowance Certificate, to his or her employer, or adjust the amount of quarterly tax paid.

by | Sep 28, 2010 | Archives

Yes, the SBA is releasing $30billion add’l funding for small businesses, but the trick, still, is to find a bank willing to lend to your small business.
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