Life Insurance Policy Reviews
Like any investment, life insurance policies require post-acquisition review. We developed three proprietary post-issue service systems to address this need.
Overview
Historically the insurance industry has functioned primarily under a distribution model of doing business.
In this model, there is a void of post-acquisition service. Ironically, insurance vehicles actually change post-acquisition. The state of our economy, the financial markets, the tax code – and the insurance markets themselves – directly affects the performance of insurance policies on an ongoing basis, long after the ink on the documents is dry.
Post-Acquisition Care
Life insurance policies are built on financial modeling – essentially projections or assumptions.
No financial projections are ever 100% accurate. Furthermore, life insurance is acquired based on planning objectives. For an individual or a family group, much can change in the years after purchase. That’s why we revisit the Know your story process relative to your insurance portfolio. Without diligent, annual care, there is little guarantee that your important policies will be there in the manner you hoped at the time that you need them. The greater the lapse of time between reviews, the more severe and costly the problems become.
WealthPoint created a new model uncommon to providers of life insurance.
We are a true professional services firm that reinvests capital into our distinct post-acquisition service model. Unfortunately, when policies are reviewed, it is often with an eye toward churning the client into a new vehicle and deriving a commission from the change. Unlike many “review” processes that seek to replace existing policies, our policy review process seeks to do the best we can with the policies you already own. Often we can make adjustments to improve policy performance or to bring your policies back into alignment with your original planning goals. These regular reviews and studies are essential to protecting the long-term viability of your policies.
What We Do
To better serve our clients, we have developed various types of policy review processes listed below to best serve them. We also apply these methodologies to policies that do not reside in our current book of business.
The Pulse of the Policy™
- A thorough, annual review of existing insurance policies
- Benchmark policy against “as issued” illustration
- Make minor adjustments before major problems exist
- Internal exchange to a more efficient product
- Underwriting rating improvement
- Quarterly performance review for variable policies
- Communicate to all stakeholders
Insurance Verification Study™
- A thorough market study conducted every five years
- Reconfirm planning objectives
- Get updated analysis of health and obtain informal offers based on current health
- Create credible baseline and benchmark against existing policy design
- Produce comprehensive “fiduciary quality” report for policy owner
IVS Exit Analysis™
- A thorough analysis of all options when modifying or exiting an insurance portfolio
- Options include:
- Stay the course
- Policy restructure
- Policy replacement
- Premium holiday
- Death benefit reduction
- Reduced paid-up
- Surrender for cash value
- Cost basis recovery
- Life settlement
- Gift to charity
