Plain writing on the math behind the case.
Practical articles for licensed life and annuity producers on retirement distributions, tax thresholds, claiming decisions, and the tools that shorten the work around a case.
- 01Medicare and tax7 min read
IRMAA planning strategies for retiring clients
IRMAA is a cliff, not a curve. One dollar over a threshold can cost a couple thousands across a year of Medicare premiums. Here is how to plan around it.
Read IRMAA planning strategies for retiring clients - 02Tax planning8 min read
When a Roth conversion actually makes sense
A Roth conversion only wins when the rate paid today is lower than the rate avoided later. Everything else is a detail on top of that one comparison.
Read When a Roth conversion actually makes sense - 03Retirement distributions7 min read
RMD mistakes advisors should watch for with clients
Most RMD errors are not calculation errors. They are aggregation errors, timing errors, and inherited-account errors, and they are all preventable.
Read RMD mistakes advisors should watch for with clients - 04Retirement income8 min read
Social Security claiming strategy: 62 vs FRA vs 70
The break-even age is easy to calculate and easy to over-rely on. Survivor benefits, tax interaction, and spending sequence usually decide the case.
Read Social Security claiming strategy: 62 vs FRA vs 70 - 05Practice management8 min read
Where AI actually helps a producer's practice day-to-day
Skip the transformation language. Here is where AI measurably saves a producer time, where it does not, and how to keep the numbers deterministic.
Read Where AI actually helps a producer's practice day-to-day - 06Life insurance6 min read
How to calculate how much life insurance you need (DIME method)
Add debt, income replacement, mortgage, and education costs, then subtract existing coverage and liquid assets. That total is the coverage gap.
Read How to calculate how much life insurance you need (DIME method) - 07Retirement accounts6 min read
How to calculate your 401(k) balance at retirement, including employer match
Project a 401(k) by compounding the current balance forward and adding the future value of annual contributions, employee and employer combined.
Read How to calculate your 401(k) balance at retirement, including employer match - 08Tax planning6 min read
How to calculate capital gains tax on the sale of an asset
Subtract adjusted cost basis from net sale proceeds, determine the holding period, apply the matching rate, then check whether the net investment income tax applies.
Read How to calculate capital gains tax on the sale of an asset - 09Estate planning6 min read
How to calculate federal estate tax exposure
Add every asset at fair market value, subtract debts and deductions, then subtract the available exemption. What remains is taxed at the federal rate.
Read How to calculate federal estate tax exposure - 10Retirement income7 min read
How to calculate whether to take a pension as a lump sum or monthly annuity
Divide the annual pension by the lump sum to get the payout rate, then compare it against what the lump sum could reliably produce on its own.
Read How to calculate whether to take a pension as a lump sum or monthly annuity - 11Distribution8 min read
What is an IMO in insurance? IMO vs FMO vs MGA vs BGA explained
IMO, FMO, MGA, BGA, GA. The labels overlap more than most explanations admit. Here is what each one generally means and what to check before signing.
Read What is an IMO in insurance? IMO vs FMO vs MGA vs BGA explained - 12Distribution5 min read
IMO vs FMO: what is the actual difference?
The honest answer is that IMO and FMO mean roughly the same thing today. The historical split was product line, not size or authority.
Read IMO vs FMO: what is the actual difference? - 13Contracting9 min read
How to choose an IMO for advanced planning cases
Most contracting relationships are evaluated on the wrong criteria. If your cases involve business owners, estate liquidity, or coordination with a CPA, here is what to look at instead.
Read How to choose an IMO for advanced planning cases - 14Contracting8 min read
What a producer owned book of business actually means
Almost every organization says your book is yours. The phrase means very little on its own. What matters is release language, renewal treatment, and who holds the carrier relationship.
Read What a producer owned book of business actually means - 15Contracting8 min read
IMO vs FMO vs brokerage general agency
The labels are used interchangeably in practice, and the organization behind the label matters far more than the label itself. Here is the honest version of the landscape.
Read IMO vs FMO vs brokerage general agency - 16Contracting9 min read
What to ask before contracting with an IMO
Recruiting conversations tend to cover compensation and carrier menus. The questions that predict whether the relationship works are usually the ones nobody asks.
Read What to ask before contracting with an IMO - 17Contracting10 min read
Case design support: what it actually means
Almost every organization advertises case design. Very few describe what they actually do. Here is the difference between design work and illustration service, and how to test for it.
Read Case design support: what it actually means - 18Advanced planning10 min read
Working with CPAs on life insurance cases
The CPA is usually the most trusted advisor in a business owner's life and the most skeptical of insurance. Both facts are earned. Here is how the working relationship is built.
Read Working with CPAs on life insurance cases - 19Contracting10 min read
Moving your book to a new IMO: what to expect
Transitions are rarely as dramatic as feared or as smooth as promised. Here is what actually happens to in-force business, appointments, and pending cases, and how to sequence the move.
Read Moving your book to a new IMO: what to expect - 20Advanced planning11 min read
Advanced planning cases that need a back office
Not every case needs a back office. These do, and the common thread is that the insurance is the smallest part of the problem.
Read Advanced planning cases that need a back office
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