Frequently Asked Questions

Partly, and the distinction is the whole answer. Some fixed indexed annuities let you point a portion of your money at a crediting option tied to an AI or digital-asset index, with the remainder tied to something more conservative such as the S&P 500. You are not buying the index and you don't own the underlying assets. The carrier credits interest based on how that index performs, subject to caps, participation rates, and spreads that limit how much of a gain reaches you, and index losses don't subtract from your principal. Guarantees depend on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company, and which indexes are available changes by carrier and by contract. If that sounds too good to be true, ask Jeff to put the actual contract terms in front of you and decide for yourself.

Banks make money largely by lending out other people's money, since they don't have much capital of their own. The idea behind Banking Like a Bank is to become your own source of financing instead, for things like major purchases, education, or supplemental income, keeping the profit a bank would otherwise make. There are real costs involved in setting it up, but for the right situation, they're outweighed by the benefit over time.

Yes, that's exactly what IUL Rescue is for. We'll go through your existing policy together and look at the actual fees, how it's structured, and whether it's performing the way you were told it would. If it's working well, I'll tell you to leave it alone. If it isn't, we'll walk through what your real options are, no pressure either way.

Surrender charges on many annuities run 7 to 9 percent if you move your money before the term ends, which can feel like you're stuck. In a lot of cases, a carrier bonus can offset or exceed that charge if you move to a better-performing product, though the exact numbers depend on your specific annuity and current carrier offers. We'll walk through your real numbers before you decide anything.

You've probably read the bad press. The honest answer is that there are bad annuities. An annuity is a sophisticated instrument, and it has to be tailored to your needs and your goals to be worth owning. Built well, one can offer tax-deferred growth, protection from market losses, and, depending on the product and its riders, income for life backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Built badly, it's an expensive product someone sold without ever explaining the fees or the surrender schedule. So ask a narrower question: was the annuity you have right for you, or was it right for the agent who sold it to you?

IUL stands for indexed universal life. It's a permanent life insurance policy with a cash value inside it, where the interest credited to that cash value is tied to the performance of a market index such as the S&P 500 instead of being invested in the market directly. Because you don't own the index, a falling index doesn't subtract from your cash value, and a rising one credits interest subject to caps and participation rates that limit how much of the gain you receive. Policy charges come out either way, every year, which is exactly why how the policy was built determines what you actually keep. If you'd like to understand how one works, or how the one you already own works, call Jeff and he'll walk you through it.

Yes. I work with clients virtually, coast to coast, and most of my clients I've never met face to face. Location isn't a barrier, what matters is getting on a call and talking through your actual situation.

I'm paid by the insurance carriers I work with, out of their own margin, never billed to you directly. That's a normal, disclosed part of how insurance products are sold. You make money, the carrier makes money, and I make money, with nothing hidden about how that works. There's no fee for a call or a policy review either way.

You qualify for a copy of David Weiner's Banking Like a Bank at the completion of a 30-minute call with Jeff, not as an upfront download. It's about 85 pages, so it's a short read, and it's dense enough that most people finish it with more questions than they started with. That's the point: it lands better once you already have context for how the ideas in it apply to your own situation.

I work with clients nationwide, not just in one state. If you're outside a state where I'm currently licensed, I can typically obtain the license needed within a short time before we move forward with anything. Reach out and we'll confirm your specific state on the call, before any product or policy discussion starts.

No. I'm insurance-licensed, not a securities broker or investment advisor, and I don't manage investment accounts or charge advisory fees. My work is built around insurance-based strategies: reviewing existing policies, annuities, and life insurance, and helping you understand what you actually have. If you're looking for someone to manage a securities portfolio, that's not what I do, and I'll tell you that directly rather than stretch to fit.

A 30-minute call with me costs you nothing, I'm compensated by the insurance carriers I work with, never by you directly. There's no obligation and no sales pressure. I'll walk through your situation, answer your questions, and let you decide what happens next.

Because of what is at stake for the person in front of me. I believe someone at or near retirement should not have to risk the principal they spent a working life building. Warren Buffett is often quoted on his rules for investing: rule one, do not lose principal; rule two, refer to rule one; rule three, refer to rules two and one. That is the standard I hold the money you have already saved to. So I work with insurance products whose guarantees are spelled out in the contract and backed by the claims-paying ability of the company that issues them, and I show you what is guaranteed and what is not before you decide anything. I am not registered to sell securities or to give investment advice, and I will say so plainly rather than stretch to fit. If a securities portfolio is what you want, you want a licensed investment professional for that, and I will tell you so.

Most 401(k)s and IRAs have no built-in protection against a downturn, because the money is directly invested. In 2008 the S&P 500 fell about 38%, and the arithmetic after a fall like that is unforgiving: $100,000 becomes roughly $62,000, and a later 20% gain is 20% of the $62,000, not of what you started with. Behavior tends to compound it. People hold on the whole way down, sell near the bottom, and are sitting out when the market turns back up. Every dollar you eventually withdraw is taxed as income on top of all of it. We can walk through what protection actually exists for your situation, including what it costs you in upside, which is the part most people never get told.

A properly structured cash-value life insurance policy builds value over time that you can access later through withdrawals and policy loans, and under current tax law, that access is typically income-tax-free when done correctly. It's a genuinely different tool than a 401(k) or IRA, which are tax-deferred, not tax-free.