Life Insurance

Our process starts by determining the client’s eligibility for new coverage based upon their medical history, need for insurance and current coverage amounts. Our underwriting specialists will compare the data provided with published guidlines from over 30 carriers to help match our client with the carriers that will provide the most favorable offers based on their specific situation.

We then obtain multiple quotes from top-rated carriers to determine the most cost effective options available for the client and then explore which typer of coverage  will best meet the current needs of the client and their family or business.  

Since many of today’s policies have fluctuating interest rates and/or investment sub-accounts, it is imperative that the policy owner monitor the policy’s performance on a regular basis.

Our first step when working with a new client who has existing insurance is to contact the existing carrier for updated policy information which will enable us to evaluate alternative policy structures based upon the client’s current need for coverage. These re-projections are based upon information provided by the client and their advisor regarding anticipated changes in death benefit or premium outlay.

We then prepare detailed summaries for the client and their advisor that include current policy projections and a comparative analysis of existing coverage alternatives.

An often overlooked step in the Life Insurance Process, is continued monitoring and management. Often times, due to human or computer error, things can happen to existing coverages that are not part of the plan. 

One way to minimize this risk is to implement an annual review strategy. This not only makes sure at least on an annual basis that your policy is performing properly and in good order, but that it's still the best fit from a cost perspective as well as achieving your current and sometimes changing goals. 

Taking the time to annually review coverages and touch base on existing coverages is the most effective plan for a successful insurance policy and/or portfolio. 

Often times as a result of an Existing Policy Analysis, Annual Review or just an ordinary change is life, an existing life contract due to cost or design, no longer meets the needs of the Policy owner. When this occurs often times a new policy isn't the solution and time and money can be saved by a proper restructuring of an existing policy. This can often take the form of a face amount reduction, ownership change, beneficiary changes, surrenders and more.

Part of working with the AFR Team is having  professional assistance with these modifications to avoid spending hours on the phone with customer service representatives and making permenant changes without fully understanding the outcome and how it will effect your longterm goals. We work with these companies on a regular basis and can greatly reduce the stress of the various corporate processes for our clients. 

For Buy-Sell Planning and implementation or Key Man Coverage, AFR can assist. 

Depending on the need and duration of coverage, we will show you the options and costs availabile in today's market to ensure that your business continues to thrive after the loss of an owner or important team member. 

Regardless of if there is an existing or new business or if a an existing plan is already in place, AFR can and will work with you and your team to make sure not only that the plan is structured properly, but that the most cost efficient coverage available in today's marketplace is being utilized. 

The market for "Premium Finance" as it's referred to in the Life Insurance world is always changing and AFR stays current on the various strategies and methods currently available in the  marketplace. 

Based on your unique financial position and long-term goals, AFR's representatives can assist you in navigating the complex world of Premium Finance, ensuring that your plan meets your needs as offers the greatest chance of success. 

When Life Insurance coverage is no longer needed or a Policy Owner needs access to funds now, the policy owner can surrender cash value policies back to the insurance company for the cash surrender value. This may have tax consequences that should be explored prior to surrender.

Alternatively, if the policy owner does not need the cash from the policy they can execute a 1035 exchange and transfer the policy cash value to an annuity to defer taxes or to retain the basis of the original policy.

Recently, the option of selling a policy to a third party has become available. These transactions are known as “life settlements” and they may afford the policy owner the opportunity to sell the policy for more than the cash surrender value if they qualify.

AFR has been engaged in insurance planning for decades and we are intimately familiar with many of the planning strategies that have been developed over this time frame.  Occasionally, we are introduced to a concept that is so compelling that we secure the exclusive distribution rights in our geographical marketplace.   The Dolgoff Plan is just such a concept.

Alternatively, due to our expertise in a given area of insurance we develop proprietary concepts internally that we then share with our clients and other advisors.  The ILIT MAX Plan is one example of an internally created planning strategy.

If we determine that any of our existing clients or a prospective client is a good fit for one of our unique concepts we will introduce them to the idea for further consideration.