TAX FREE INCOME STRATEGIES
Employing Advanced Insurance Strategies to achieve Tax Free Income
We train our clients to learn strategies for minimizing taxes and possibly paying zero taxes. His practice is a niche practice.
His first step is to develop a documented strategy for retirement. This document provides for guaranteed income to meet one’s essential needs, i.e., food, housing, medical and transportation. This document will also optimize one’s Social Security distribution. The option is provided to have one’s income increase with the stock market, hence keeping up with inflation. Mr. Hradesky emphasizes strategies that provide tax-free income. This document answers the questions of which strategy should be utilized, how many dollars to be repositioned and the precise timing. This policy is basically an Indexed Universal Life Insurance policy. These strategies utilize arbitrage for leveraging yields like banks do. These documented strategies keep one’s principal safe, retain gains annually and produce historically high tax-free yields.
The last step is any excess assets are converted to Roth IRAs which produce tax- free income for life for both spouses and legally minimizes their long-term taxes.
One key distinction that Mr. Hradesky makes is that these strategies have greater benefits for the insured in comparison to the death benefit types of policies. The strategies he recommends offer minimum death benefits and provide income for the insured. The end result is that it is possible to not pay any taxes, including Social Security taxes. The documentary “The Power of Zero” subtitled ‘The Train Is Coming’ has several financial gurus and government officials projecting taxes could double to pay off the National Debt in the next ten years.
To view the trailer of the documentary “The Power of Zero”, a major documentary on the U.S. Debt and Tax Increases, go to the Video section, National Debt as well as viewing the video “What 18 Trillion Dollars Looks Like.”
To view the Ed Slott’s, CPA videos on going from “Always taxed” to “Never taxed” go to the video section, Ed Slott, CPA.
Go to the Additional Resources section below and click on it’s FIND OUT MORE button then you’ll see a discussion on the following; National Debt; The difference between traditional life insurance and a Special Design Life Insurance or an L.I.R.P. is that traditional life insurance offers the best benefits. L.I.R.P. offers tax free income and eliminates the risk of market losses.
Employing Advanced Insurance Strategies
TEXT BOOKS CONTAINING ADVANCED INSURANCE STRATEGIES
The Power of Zero
David McKnight provides you with a road map of how to get to the 0% tax bracket, virtually eliminating the tax risk, which, if not addressed, will easily consume a solid portion of your retirement savings.
– Ed Slott, CPA, America’s IRA Expert
Author, David McKnight
Look Before You LIRP
Life insurance for retirement? Yes! Once again David McKnight shows us how to use what I believe is the single biggest benefit in the tax code – the tax exemption for life insurance – to create the holy grail of retirement planning. The ‘Life Insurance Retirement Plan’ is something every retiree (or soon-to-be retiree) should consider if they don’t want to spend their retirement years worrying about the stock market or Uncle Sam devouring their retirement savings.
– Ed Slott, CPA, America’s IRA Expert
WHAT’S A LIRP?
Americans are watching with a growing sense of dread as our nation’s debt levels continue to spiral out of control. In just 18 short years, we’ve gone from budget surpluses to more than $21 trillion in debt. What’s worse, the federal government doesn’t show any signs of righting the ship. Many experts believe that the only way of liquidating the debt is to dramatically increase taxes. In response to these dire warnings, many Americans have turned to tax-free accumulation tools as a means of protecting their retirement assets from the impact of rising taxes. For many, a well-balanced approach to tax-free retirement planning may include the use of a life insurance retirement plan, or L.I.R.P.
What’s worse, the federal government doesn’t show any signs of righting the ship. Today, the federal government spends 76% of the federal budget on just four things: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on the national debt. Absent serious efforts on the part of Congress, those costs are set to climb to 92% of the federal budget by the year 2020. Footnote 1.
This huge increase will be fueled in large part by the exodus of our nation’s 78 million baby boomers out of the work force and onto the rolls of our entitlement programs. In order to offset these costs, tax rates would have to rise dramatically. Footnote 2. In fact, David Walker, a former federal comptroller general, has calculated that taxes would have to double immediately in order to sustain our ever-increasing debt load. Footnote 3.
In response to these dire warnings, many Americans have turned to tax-free accumulation tools as a means of protecting their retirement assets from the impact of rising taxes. For many, a well-balanced approach to tax-free retirement planning may include the use of a life insurance retirement plan, or L.I.R.P.
THE L.I.R.P. ADVANTAGE
A L.I.R.P. Definition:
Is an accumulation vehicle that shares many of the tax-free attributes of traditional retirement accounts, such as the Roth IRA. Not only are distributions 100% tax-free, but they also do not contribute to the income thresholds that trigger the taxation of Social Security. When utilized properly, the L.I.R.P. has additional attributes that make it a surprisingly attractive alternative for tax-free retirement accumulation.
No income restrictions:
When I meet with clients, I often ask them, “Can Bill Gates contribute to a Roth IRA?” The answer, of course, is no. His income far exceeds the $173,000 threshold at which Roth IRA contributions are phased out. I then ask, “Can my children contribute to Roth IRAs?” The answer, again, is no. In order to contribute to a Roth IRA, you have to have earned income. My kids work; I just don’t pay them! For clients who either earn too much or lack the necessary earned income to contribute to a Roth IRA (e.g., retirees), the L.I.R.P. can be a powerful alternative.
No contribution limits:
Currently, the IRS restricts the amounts that can be contributed to tax-free accumulation accounts, such as the Roth IRA. In 2012, those who are under age 50 can contribute $5,000 per year, while those over 50 can contribute $6,000 per year. There are no such limitations with the L.I.R.P. For clients who are looking to reposition highly taxable assets into tax-free accounts but feel limited by the contribution limits of the Roth IRA, the L.I.R.P. can help.
No legislative risk:
Because tax-free accounts cost the government billions of dollars per year, they are an ever-growing target for revenue-hungry legislators. If history serves as a model, however, the L.I.R.P. will likely be immune to the impact of tax law changes. When Congress changed the rules on the L.I.R.P. in 1982, 1984 and 1987, existing L.I.R.P. arrangements continued to be taxed under the old laws. Such grandfather clauses give the L.I.R.P. a much longer shelf-life than traditional tax-free alternatives.
Multiple accumulation strategies:
Another benefit of the L.I.R.P. is the flexibility it provides in choosing how to grow dollars within the tax-advantaged accumulation account. Clients can choose between one of three basic accumulation strategies at the outset of the program. Determining the right one for your clients will depend on their individual goals and objectives.
- Insurance company investment portfolio: Clients can opt to grow their money within the general investment portfolio of the insurance company that administers their program. Because insurance companies are in the business of managing risk, these types of returns tend to be safe but very modest. Typical returns can range anywhere from 3% to 5%.
- Stock market: Alternatively, clients can pass their contributions through insurance companies and into mutual fund portfolios called sub-accounts. While this approach can provide much higher returns, it exposes clients to the impact of severe market declines. Many Americans have steered clear of this approach in the wake of the economic collapse of 2008.
- Index: In this arrangement, clients contribute dollars to an accumulation account whose growth is linked to the upward movement of a stock market index, like the S&P 500. Clients participate in the growth of this index up to a cap, typically between 13% and 15%. On the flip side, if the index ever loses money, the account is credited zero. With back-tested historical returns of between 7% and 9%, this can be a safe but productive way to accumulate tax-free dollars for retirement.
The costs of admission:
Many people believe, once they understand the L.I.R.P., it is the perfect tax-free retirement vehicle. Some might ask, “Why not put all of our clients’ money into the L.I.R.P.?” For starters, it’s never a good idea to have all of your eggs in one basket. We diversify our clients’ investments; we should likewise diversify their streams of tax-free income. Secondly, in exchange for nearly unlimited tax-free savings, the IRS requires that a spigot be attached to the side of the L.I.R.P. accumulation account bucket. Through this spigot flows, on a monthly basis, the cost of term life insurance. However, many life insurance companies recognize that clients approaching retirement may not have a glaring need for term life insurance. So they’ve done something to sweeten the pot.
Many life insurance companies now offer a provision whereby clients can access death benefit proceeds prior to death for the purpose of paying for long-term care. This is a compelling alternative to traditional long-term care insurance policies, where clients pay premiums for protection they hope they never have to use. When clients utilize the L.I.R.P. to cover long-term care risks, they do pay for it, but if they die never having needed it, their heirs still receive a tax-free death benefit.
However, unless the L.I.R.P. is structured correctly, the expenses can overwhelm the growth inside the accumulation account. In order to maximize the impact of the L.I.R.P. strategy, a client must purchase the minimum insurance required while contributing the maximum amount allowed under IRS guidelines. If properly structured, the expenses within the plan can cost as little as 1% of the annual account balance over the life of the program. Footnote 4. That’s less than the average annual expenses in the typical 401(k). Footnote 5.
The L.I.R.P. is a surprisingly flexible retirement vehicle with attributes that make it unique among tax-free accumulation tools. When utilized properly, it can play a crucial role in helping your clients insulate their assets from rising taxes while protecting them from the impact of premature death or long-term care.
By David C. McKnight for LifeHealthPro.com David McKnight is president of Signature Financial Group, a wealth management firm in Grafton, Wis
Disclosure:
Policy loans and withdrawals will reduce the available cash value and death benefit and
may cause the policy to lapse, or affect guarantees against lapse. Withdrawals in excess of premiums paid will be subject to ordinary income tax. Additional premium payments may be required to keep the policy in force. In the event of a lapse, outstanding policy loans in excess of unrecovered cost basis will be subject to ordinary income tax. If a policy is a modified endowment contract (MEC), policy loans and withdrawals will be taxable as ordinary income to the extent there are earnings in the policy. If any of these features are exercised prior to age 59½ on a MEC, a 10% federal additional tax may be imposed. Tax laws are subject to change and you should consult a tax professional.
Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of Allianz Life
Insurance Company of North America.
• Not FDIC insured
• May lose value
• No bank or credit union guarantee
• Not a deposit
• Not insured by any federal government agency or NCUA/NCUSIF
Footnotes:
- “Running the government on 8 cents,” Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com, Jan. 21, 2011
- “Long-Term Economic Effects of Some Alternative Budget Policies,” Congressional Budget Office, May 19, 2008, 8-9
- An equity indexed-based L.I.R.P., at preferred rates, using a minimum non-MEC face amount of $173,161, an increasing death benefit option, a $10,000 annual premium for 15 years, and an 8% rate of growth, has an internal rate of return in year 25 of 6.99%, or average annual fees of 1.01%.
- “Commentary: Why your taxes could double,” David M. Walker, CNNMoney.com, June 15, 2009
- “Are fees draining your 401(k) retirement savings?,” Christine Dugas, USA Today, Aug. 25, 2009
Author, David McKnight
Remarkable Retirement
Conversations with America’s leading retirement experts and financial advisors
As a contributing author, John’s chapter (pg. 277), is the only chapter covering the topic of Tax-Free Retirement. This book is an excellent retirement planning overview for someone just getting started.
John L. Hradesky, P.E., M.S., contributing author
The Retirement Savings Time Bomb
Liquidate your IRAs and 401(k)s
Ed Slott, CPA, was named “The Best” source for IRA advice by The Wall Street Journal and called “America’s IRA Expert” by Mutual Funds Magazine. Ed is a leading professional speaker and educator in the field of retirement distribution planning.
“Best Authority on IRAs”
– The Wall Street Jounral
Author, Ed Slott, CPA
Cash value life insurance makes Jim Harbaugh college football’s highest paid coach
In August 2016, the University of Michigan announced that it had amended its contract with head football coach Jim Harbaugh to include a creative deferred compensation alternative involving cash value life insurance.
The arrangement makes Harbaugh the highest paid college football coach in the country, according to Sports Illustrated and other news outlets.
What most people don’t know, however, is that the compensation strategy was designed to provide Harbaugh with millions of dollars of tax-free cash during retirement. It’s one that can also be incredibly effective on a much smaller scale.
U of M Football Coach Jim Harbaugh (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Download these informative pdf files!
Jim Harbaugh's Cash Value Life Insurance Policy-Free Download (pdf)
What the Rich have done (pdf)
Additional Resources
View the following visuals for a detailed look into Tax-Free Retirement Planning!