by Elizabeth4TC | Jun 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, “Old Money” in Asset Flow
All Present Value dollars in our calculators are assumed to be old money—dollars that the client already has access to when beginning an illustration. If an asset is then added as a Present Value, without that money being pulled from existing dollars, data will appear skewed. When illustrating a client’s money being pulled into a new asset, make sure that money exists elsewhere in the illustration. First, you’ll want to ensure that the money being shifted into a new asset is accounted for in the initial Ordinary Taxable Account. When
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by Elizabeth4TC | Jun 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, State Taxes in Asset Flow
When state tax is entered into Asset Flow, the calculator assesses a tax on Social Security. This tax is based on the benefit amount that is subjected to tax on the Federal Side. If you don’t want this to occur, leave out the state tax rate. Currently, the calculator adds the state tax to anything that is also taxed federally (after those federal deductions). Then there is an offset for the tax paid. This offset is taken off of the Federal Income Tax Basis, up to the SALT limits ($10,000).
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by Elizabeth4TC | Jun 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, Calculating for COLA in Asset Flow
When using the Asset Flow calculator, it is important to calculate for COLA (cost of living adjustment) when determining Social Security income. The Future Value calculator is a handy tool in this case. To set this up properly, fill in the fields as such: Present Value; the annual payment (multiply the monthly payment by 12). Rate; the annual interest rate. Time Frame; the difference between current age and distribution age. If you use the resulting number in Asset Flow as the benefit for Normal Retirement Age, the value will
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by Elizabeth4TC | May 31, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, Order of Taxation in Asset Flow
In Asset Flow, we chose to treat each individual asset viewed as the last dollar added or withdrawn in the tax bracket (at the margin). This is because any changes made will impact the overall taxation in that regard. However, when you view all the assets in the summary page, the taxes are equally distributed among all of the assets causing the tax. This can cause some discrepancies when viewing an individual asset against the summary of all assets. In Asset Flow, this means it is possible for an individual
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by Elizabeth4TC | May 31, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, Social Security Taxes
Do you know how much of your Social Security can be taxed? Up to 85% of Social Security Benefits can be subject to income tax, though it can be confusing to understand exactly how to calculate. First, your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) must be calculated, which determines the amount of income affecting tax on Social Security income. The calculations for your MAGI do not get to use personal or Standard Deductions to reduce the amount, nor does the Standard Deduction work against Social Security income. In conclusion, the SS
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by Elizabeth4TC | May 17, 2019 | Comments Off on Prosperity Proof #5: The Truth About Qualified Plans
In this final prosperity proof, we’re going to cover one of the most misunderstood financial vehicles: qualified plans. Job seekers today are taught to look for companies that offer qualified plans with an employer match–“It’s free money!” Plenty of financial advisors advocate for qualified plans, and plenty of clients funnel as much money as they can into said plans. While qualified plans are not bad, they cannot be considered a savings vehicle, or even the most viable retirement plan, when you consider the facts. When you look at the facts,
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by Elizabeth4TC | May 3, 2019 | Comments Off on Prosperity Proof #4: Permanent Life Insurance Primer
Universal Life Insurance or Whole Life Insurance? Both are permanent life insurance, but they are not equal. In our fourth Prosperity Proof, we’ll let the differences speak for themselves A PROSPEROUS lifestyle is made possible by having a vehicle to store and save cash that is ALSO accessible and liquid. And that’s where permanent life insurance comes in! But just because you’ve identified that your client is ready for life insurance, doesn’t mean there aren’t some misconceptions left to tackle. Universal Life Insurance is the route that typical financial planning
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by Elizabeth4TC | Apr 19, 2019 | Comments Off on Truth Tip, Asset Flow
In the Asset Flow calculator, you can roll a tax-advantaged account into a new account (like a spouse’s account) at death. It must be done manually, as the calculator is designed to show what happens at liquidating. In Asset Flow, show the principal amount distributed at death going into another IRA (or similar) account the next year with the “Tax Deductible Contributions” box checked. The tax deduction in the new account will offset the taxes paid in the old account for a net “0” tax. You will, however, have to
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by Elizabeth4TC | Apr 19, 2019 | Comments Off on Prosperity Proof #3: What is Prosperity Economics?
Last week we compared home mortgages, and this week we’re going to turn to something more conceptual again. We’ve talked about the Principles for Prosperity, so how do we break down what really sets the movement apart? What is Prosperity Economics? Prosperity Economics is a paradigm shift, totally different from the mindset that typical financial planning builds from. Typical Financial Planning…meets needs and goals only. It’s based on limited ideas of “what you can afford.” It keeps you where you are. Prosperity Economics…pursues wants and dreams. It’s based on unlimited
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by Elizabeth4TC | Apr 5, 2019 | Comments Off on Prosperity Proof #2: Choosing the Right Mortgage
When choosing a mortgage loan, it’s essential to look at all of the facts. Buying a home is a huge financial decision. Being equipped with the right knowledge will ensure you and your clients have the right strategy. A 15-year mortgage has the appeal of a quick payoff, but is it better than a 30-year mortgage? Some people would say yes. We’ll show you how to figure it out. In this installment of Prosperity Proofs, we’ll compare a “typical financial planning mortgage” to a mortgage in line with the Prosperity
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by Elizabeth4TC | Mar 22, 2019 | Comments Off on Prosperity Proof #1: Seven Principles for Prosperity
Join us for the first installment of a series of blog posts: Seven Proofs for Prosperity. Over the course of the series, we’re going to cover what it means to meet financial challenges with a prosperity mindset, and how that can help you and your clients. It all begins with our Seven Principles for Prosperity, from the Prosperity Economics Movement. Here at Truth Concepts, we look at the Truth in financial matters. Part of that Truth comes from applying principles that promote a prosperity mindset—flipping the script from scarcity and
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by Elizabeth4TC | Mar 8, 2019 | Comments Off on Life Insurance Values Tool, Importing Lafayette Life Data
Though the calculators are the meat of the Truth Concepts software, the tools included are an invaluable time-saving resource. In calculators such as Funding, Borrowing, Diversification, Accumulation, Distribution, and Asset Flow, the Life Insurance Values tool cuts the workload significantly. Rather than continually copying & pasting life insurance values, you can import life insurance illustrations directly into your calculator from previously stored data. So where does that data come from? Fortunately, there’s no initial copying & pasting at all. Instead, you can import the information straight from an insurance illustration
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by Elizabeth4TC | Feb 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Collateral: Alternatives to Borrowing from the Life Insurance Company
Those advisors that are “whole-life friendly” know the many advantages of a whole life insurance policy to its policyholders, and the options that are available with a little creativity and a prosperity mindset. One of the primary advantages of a policy is the ability to borrow against the policy’s cash value and secure a loan straight from the insurance company—without the long approval process of a bank loan. While beneficial for a number of reasons, borrowing against the policy is not always the best strategy depending on your client’s desires.
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by Elizabeth4TC | Jan 8, 2019 | Comments Off on 7 Blind Spots of Financial Advisors
Even a seasoned financial advisor can be vulnerable to certain blind spots within the field, what matters is recognizing and learning from these blind spots. Here we have gathered a list of the seven major areas in which advisors can falter, to save you from the same oversights. 1. Forgetting Time Value of Money As an advisor, the time value of money must be applied to every calculation, and any calculation that does not take this into account is not accurate. Every dollar has a value that increases over time,
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by Todd Langford | Dec 4, 2018 | Comments Off on How To Show Your Clients the True Cost of College
The Education Calculator is a tool that illustrates the true cost of college to your clients and creates the basis of a savings model. The numbers may seem straightforward, but the calculator allows you to factor in the yearly rate of increase in tuition and interest on student loans. It is simple to toggle between student information or parent information, which illustrates the base cost and the amount needed to be saved by the parents. The calculator can accommodate the information of up to ten children, making the total cost
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by Todd Langford | Aug 27, 2018 | Comments Off on 7 Ways To Use The Death Benefit
In this recent presentation, Truth Concepts™ did for The National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys we demonstrate how to determine the rate of return on the cash value of a policy as well as take you through the 7 ways to use the death benefit. This is also a good tutorial on the use of the Funding, Diversification and Distribution calculators.
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by Todd Langford | Jun 12, 2018 | Comments Off on Borrowing Against Whole Life Insurance at a Bank
This post originally appeared as an article on Kim Butler’s Partners for Prosperity website at www.partners4prosperity.com/collateral We thought this to be valuable information to also share with the Truth Concepts community. We get many questions on using life insurance policies with cash value as collateral for bank loans. First, you can ONLY borrow against a policy with cash value, such as whole life insurance. You cannot use this strategy at all with a term insurance policy. Often, local (as opposed to large/national) banks and credit unions will lend against the cash
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by Kate4TC | May 1, 2017 | 0 Comment
You make a Summary inside the Life Insurance Values tool. First copy and paste each enforce policy (go here to see instructions: http://truthconcepts.com/513/) illustration into ONE Life Insurance Values sheet. There is room for 6 whole life and 4 term policies and if you need more, you can make a “Summary of Summaries”. You’ll want to make sure you make good “descriptions” inside the box labeled same so you know which policy is where. Then when you click the Summary button, you’ll get to choose between the 6 PLI buttons
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by Kate4TC | Apr 17, 2017 | 0 Comment
The answer is NO. The insurance companies have really confused this issue ( In Advance vs In Arrears) because they mistakenly call it a “rate” when it is not. The in Advance “rate” should be called a factor because all it is for is to multiply the loan amount by to determine the payment when made up front. Any loan balance is charged the In Arrears rate (which is an actual rate) even if the loan payment is made in advance. The reason the loan payment is less is simply
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by Kate4TC | Feb 7, 2017 | 0 Comment
In December, we announced the launch of Kim’s latest book, Busting the Life Insurance Lies, co-authored with Jack Burns and James Ranson. Below are two excerpts from the book, one from Part One. First, we include the conversation that sets up the first several lies and shows how each lie is related to real-world myths and concerns as seen through the eyes of a family. Next, we jump straight to Lie #1, “Life Insurance is a Bad Investment.” This is the first of 38 lies and half-truths “busted” in the book. A Family
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by Kate4TC | Feb 2, 2017 | 2 Comments
“Success leaves clues.” ~ Tony Robbins Question: What do — Patrick Donohoe, founder of Paradigm Life, one of the largest U.S. financial services firms that focus on whole life insurance, Michael Isom, a seven-figure wealth advisor and co-author of What Would the Rockefellers Do? Garrett Gunderson, New York Times best-selling financial author and Wealth Factory founder, and Kim Butler, top-producing advisor, author (and Todd Langford’s wife and lovely assistant) — all have in common? Answer: Besides their success, they have each attended MANY trainings with Todd Langford, perhaps more than
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by Kate4TC | Dec 21, 2016 | 5 Comments
We’re Launching a New Book… and It’s Our Gift! My wife, Kim Butler, and our friend, Jack Burns, have joined forces to write what just may be the definitive book about whole life insurance: Busting the Life Insurance Lies: 38 Myths and Misconceptions that Sabotage Your Wealth. This book is written for every American who’s gotten conflicting advice on life insurance from their insurance advisor, financial planner, and the financial “gurus” on TV and radio: “Is life insurance a bad investment? Shouldn’t I just make a bundle and invest it
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by Kate4TC | Oct 27, 2016 | 3 Comments
One of the things that we cover quite a bit covered quite a bit in our training is the value of asking questions. When we as advisors can ask our clients questions and get them to think about the answer, it will transform our ability to educate our clients and to motivate them to take action.
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by Kate4TC | Aug 16, 2016 | 4 Comments
The Growing Cost of College Isn’t Usually This Funny… Unfortunately, the four-year “plan” for most college students is to take out a lot of student loans and graduate without a workable strategy for getting OUT of debt (or out of the house!) This too-true video is hilarious, though it may hit a little too close to home for some… Feel free to share this page, or click through on the YouTube icon or on this link to watch it on YouTube. Click below to see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRdST_Dc0M Use the
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by Kate4TC | Jul 16, 2016 | 3 Comments
Which is better when it comes to life insurance – direct recognition or non-direct recognition? There is a debate going on in the insurance industry… and Todd Langford sheds some light on it for us! In case you’re not familiar with the debate, we’ll share this description from a previous post on the topic: There are two different methods insurance companies use to handle the loaned cash value — direct recognition and non-direct recognition. In a non-direct recognition company, the earnings rate on cash value is totally unaffected by any
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