One of the least understood forms of protection is personal liability insurance; and with its capacity to form an extensive umbrella of financial protection for a low cost, it can also be the most overlooked. Most people don’t consider it because they think they have plenty of liability coverage in their homeowners and auto insurance policies.

Most people are just a slip on a banana peel away from a major lawsuit; however, people of wealth or high income earners, such as physicians, can actually become targets of people seeking to benefit from an accommodating court system. For a few hundred dollars a year, you can provide yourself with a million dollars of umbrella protection. As a general rule, you should have umbrella liability protection to equivalent to the value of all of your assets.

Life Insurance Protection

The purchase of a life insurance policy may never make anyone's top ten list of favorite things to do. But, when given the opportunity to consider the range of purposes it can serve, it could turn out to be the most important financial instrument you own.

• It creates an instant estate – Life insurance creates the capital a family needs when there are sufficient assets to cover their needs.
• It provides tax advantages – Life insurance has a host of tax properties that make it attractive as a financial instrument. The death benefit is tax free to the beneficiaries. The cash value accumulates tax free. And, under certain circumstances, you can access your cash values tax free. Certain policies, such as Universal Life allow for tax free withdrawals of principal and most cash value policies allow for policy loans which are tax free.*
• It’s cost-effective – Life Insurance is a financial instrument with potential to provide the capital needed to provide for surviving family members or to settle the costs of a large estate, or to buy out the family of a deceased business partner, as inexpensively as life insurance.

The mistake many people make is to wait too long before purchasing life insurance. As with disability income insurance, the time to buy life insurance is when you are young and healthy.

*Policy loans can become taxable should the policy lapse. Also, policy loans, if not repaid, will reduce the death benefit amount.

Loans and withdrawals reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit and increase the chance that the policy may lapse. If the policy lapses, terminates, is surrendered or becomes a modified endowment, the loan balance at such time would generally be viewed as distributed and taxable under the general rules for distributions of policy cash values.

Life insurance policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions of benefits, and terms for keeping them in force. Your financial professional can provide you with costs and complete details.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing.

This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information provided is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a representation by us of a specific investment or the purchase or sale of any securities. Asset allocation and diversification do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets. This material was developed and produced by Advisor Websites to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. Copyright 2022 Advisor Websites