Stephen is the Principal at Tahoe Life Agency, an independent life insurance agency in Incline Village, NV. As an independent agent he can offer solutions from many different carriers and together with his client choose the solution that is the best fit. His practice is primarily made up of wealthy individuals looking to establish a pool of safe, liquid, and tax free collateral that they can access at any time for any reason, without age restrictions. The wealthy have used this strategy for decades, and the tax code rules regarding life insurance have been in place for over a hundred years.

Stephen can quickly show you how $5 million in cash value in a policy spends like $10.7 million in an IRA/401k. Where you keep your money is often more important than how it is invested. And if you think taxes can only go higher, as many do, then it makes even more sense to look at the opportunity to build some capital that can generate tax free income.

Perhaps the most widely misunderstood financial product available. Annuities exist to provide a guaranteed income stream for life. There are many variations of annuities today. But they are primarily protection products, used to protect a portion of a portfolio AND provide an income stream that lasts for a lifetime, and sometimes two lifetimes. Maybe a client does not have a pension but has a significant IRA balance. An annuity for some portion of the IRA balance can help protect a portfolio against longevity risk, sequence of returns risk, and market risk.

Many people have a preconceived notion that this is nursing home insurance. Not true. It is actually anti-nursing home insurance. Sure, it will cover time spent in a nursing home. But the vast majority of claims today are for folks who want to stay in their home and be cared for by a professional, thus relieving the spouse or adult children of that responsibility. The family thus can MANAGE their loved one’s care, but have a professional PROVIDE it.

A very high percentage of claims today are for cognitive reasons, as opposed to physical reasons. Claims are getting longer. An unexpected long term care event can decimate an otherwise well planned income in retirement. There are many ways to construct a policy, and Stephen has the expertise and experience to help you put a thoughtful plan in place.

In many instances as couples age they come to the conclusion that they no longer need some of the life insurance policies they have been paying into for years. Maybe the adult children are well off, or maybe the premiums are still required and are burdensome on a retirement income. Recently a client came to Stephen looking for advice. He just retired, and as a result the company would no longer pay the premiums on his life insurance. It just wasn’t feasible for the client to keep the policy in force. Rather than just lapse the policy and walk away with nothing, Stephen reached out and got a couple of bids from companies that buy life insurance policies. Client walked away with $200,000. A much better outcome. This is somewhat of a niche business and should always involve a professional who is licensed to handle it.