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Policy Check

Policy Check

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“One of the biggest risks an adviser faces in helping clients with cash value policies is sticking with the traditional broker review of these policies
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PC The Problem

What is the Problem?
What is Policy Check?
5 Reasons Why Policy Check is Different
Deliverables
Fee
Policy Check Reports Include

 

What is the Problem?

As consumer protection for advice and oversight of assets grow, the need for fiduciary processes and tools increase. Today, most reviews of insurance policies are cursory. Most involve in force illustrations and comparisons to similar policies.

 

Assembling data (In-force Illustrations) to get

to information is incomplete (see chart) - can

subject clients to under-performing assets,

and can become a source of liability due to

lawsuit and regulatory issues.

 

A fiduciary life insurance policy review

should include:

 

  • A restatement and or modification

       of client objectives

  • An independent, holistic review of

       the current policy

  • A critical comparison to a similar

       universe of policies

  • An easy-to-understand report of

       findings

  • A review of potential coordination gaps and areas for improvement

  • Observations related to client objectives

  • Recommendations

 

Many current reviews cannot accomplish the fiduciary process outlined above. This lack of resources, specialization, process and tools creates unnecessary risk for advisors and clients.

 

What is Policy Check?

Policy Check is a documented service that includes a fiduciary process for reviewing permanent life insurance policies. We address the gap between the fiduciary obligation of advisors and how they currently help clients answer questions about and evaluate the performance of life insurance policies. 

 

5 Reasons Why Policy Check is Different

 

  1. Policy Check includes a third party United States Patented 80+ point insurance policy suitability report. This in-depth analysis replaces the potentially subjective process of generating hypothetical illustrations for reviews. The reports have been recognized by several national industry publications as well as regulatory and oversight agencies.

  2. Policy Check incorporates specific client policy objectives, followed by observations and recommendations specific to these objectives.

  3. Policy Check follows the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Practice Standards. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with multiple designations oversees the final report.

  4. Policy Check assists in providing consistent documentation of the adviser due diligence process.

  5. Policy Check advisers are long time, honored academics and award-winning insurance planners. Our advisers’ strategies have been published in the national business and finance press, and have been recognized as one of WORTH Magazines Top 250 Wealth Planners in the United States.

 

Deliverables
Policy Check delivers a graphical, reader-friendly summary of observations, recommendations, an executive summary, and a single-page reporting of projected policy performance, costs, and returns across five different measures, made simple using a star rating system for easy reference. Technical details supporting the summary follow.

 

The Policy Check process and service is overseen by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.

 

This service is available for most permanent (cash value) life insurance policies.

 

Fee

$995     Professional Advisers: Up to three policies

$199     for each additional policy

 

$1,595  Non-Advisers: Up to three annuities

$299     for each additional policy

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Comparing in force insurance illustrations (Data) is not by itself a fiduciary process. Policy Check helps advisors get to Insight.

Data

Knowledge

Insight

Information

PC Reports Include
PC Fee
P Deliverables
PC 5 Reason
PC What is

Policy Check Reports Include

​

  • Observations

  • Executive Summary

  • Recommendation

  • 80+ Point Analysis and Patented Five Star Rating System

​

Policy Check considers information available on the following:

Carrier Performance

  • Credit Rating: A.M. Best

  • Credit Rating: Fitch    

  • Credit Rating: Moody's  

  • Credit Rating: Standard & Poor's

  • Expense: Cost of Insurance

  • Expense: Policy Expense

  • Expense: Premium Comparison

  • Expenses: Premium Loads

  • Rating Cost Competitiveness

  • Rating: Claims-Paying Ability

  • Rating: Financial Strength

  • Rating: Historical Performance

  • Rating: Pricing Stability

  • Rating: Relative Policy Value

​

Policy Performance

  • Endowment/Maturity

  • Loans, Outstanding

  • Performance, Cash Value

  • Performance, Current

  • Performance, Hypothetical Illustration

  • Performance, Lapse Rate

  • Performance, Net Cash Value

  • Performance, Pre-Mature Lapse

  • Performance, Risk of Lapse

​

Investments (Sub Accounts)

  • Fixed Rate, Benchmarks

  • Fixed Rate, Current/Illustrated

  • Fixed Rate, Guaranteed

  • Fixed Rate, Illustrated

  • Fixed Rate, Mid-Point

  • Variable Investment, Assumed (Gross)

  • Variable Investment, Assumed (Net)

  • Variable Investment, Benchmarks

  • Variable Investment, Expenses

  • Variable Investment, Options

  • Variable Investment, Performance

Policy Facts

  • 1035 Exchange Options

  • Expenses: Administration & Transactions

  • Expenses: Mortality & Expenses

  • Loan Interest

  • Loan Provisions

  • Loan Terms

  • Premium Mode

  • Premium, Amount

  • Premium, Period

  • Premium-Benefit Ratio

  • Premiums, Total

  • Pre-TAMRA (June 21, 1988)

  • Surrender Charges

  • Surrender Schedule

  • Withdrawal Provisions

 

Riders, Endorsements & Provisions

  • Accidental Death Benefit

  • Automatic Premium Loan

  • Guarantee, Cash Value

  • Guarantee, Death Benefit

  • Guarantee, Lapse Protection

  • Illness, Chronic (LTC)

  • Illness, Critical

  • Illness, Disability

  • Illness, Terminal

  • Term Blend

  • Waiver of Premium

 

Policy Design

  • Death Benefit, Protection Period

  • Death Benefit: Level, Increasing, Decreasing

  • Paid-Up, Reduced

  • Pay, Limited

  • Policy Beneficiary 

  • Policy Insured

  • Policy Owner: Trust, Individual, Entity

  • Premium Payments: Adjustable, Fixed, Flexible

  • Premium Payments: Level, Increase, Decrease

  • Taxable Death Benefit

  • Taxation, Modified Endowment Contract (MEC)

  • Tax-Deferred Cash Value Growth

  • Tax-Free Death Benefit

  • Tax-Free Loans

  • Tax-Free Withdrawal to Basis

  • Weighted Benefit, Cash Value v. Death Benefit

  • Weighted Risk, Owner v. Carrier

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