Gonzalo Garcia – For those of us who have been in the estate, retirement or financial planning profession for many years, we have all heard the sales approach of asking your clients “if you had the choice to disinherit either the IRS, your children, or charitable organizations, which ONE would you pick?” If […]

Gonzalo Garcia – I recently read an article by Ashley Terrell, IAR in Kiplinger Magazine entitled Widow’s Penalty: Three Ways to Protect Your Finances.   It is well written and lays out some very real financial problems and decisions that widows are faced with when they should be afforded the time to grieve. The three […]

The AgencyONE Case Design team’s custom comparison tools are an important resource that help AgencyONE 100 advisors present their cases clearly and efficiently – highlighting the most competitive solutions in a streamlined format. By consolidating critical information into a single, one-page presentation, these complex cases are easier for clients to […]

Gonzalo Garcia – In the April, 2025 Advanced Markets ONE Idea from AgencyONE, it was discussed that there would often be calls from advisors saying that their client, “John”, an S-Corp owner, wants to implement a Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) Plan and that after some discovery, a NQDC Plan may not be […]

“I have a client who wants to implement a Deferred Compensation Plan”. Gonzalo Garcia – I cannot count the number of times, over the course of my career, that I have had a call from an Advisor making this request. Upon asking a few questions and having a short discussion, […]

One of AgencyONE’s carrier partners – John Hancock – recently launched LifeCare (Hybrid LTC), an innovative addition to AgencyONE’s hybrid long-term care (LTC) offerings. This hybrid Indexed UL with LTC benefits is designed for clients seeking a policy that provides multiple advantages: more growth, more choice, and more tax-favored treatment. LifeCare stands out from other carriers as […]

Gonzalo Garcia – I Want to Leave My Grandson a $500K Inheritance and Skip My Daughter. Can I Gift to Him Directly? | Moneywise. This was the question posed by a reader to Moneywise writer Maurie Backman in the above-linked article dated January 31, 2025, or maybe it was just […]

Ed Stark – Welcome to 2025! AgencyONE’s October 2024 case design ONE Idea featured my interview with OneAmerica’s Regional Account Director for Care Solutions, Brian Shepard, CLTC, in which we discussed the carrier’s Hybrid LTC solutions. In that article, we noted that OneAmerica would be updating their individual and joint Asset Care […]

“This fabled golden era, this special world of luxury and privilege that the Vanderbilts created, lasted but a brief moment. Within thirty years after the death of the Commodore Vanderbilt in 1877, no member of his family was among the richest people in the United States…. When 120 of the […]

Gonzalo Garcia – My wife and I own a lake-front house, and we love spending time there. However, our two adult children rarely enjoy it for a variety of reasons. I am sure they will sell it when they inherit the house. The house has no mortgage and during the pandemic, like so […]

It seems that a lot of financial pundits are talking and writing about taxes and widening budget deficits lately, specifically about the impact of taxes during retirement. Over the summer, many of them have caught my eye. I am not sure why suddenly people are realizing that tax efficiency is critical […]

In a recent article in Kiplinger Personal Finance, author Evan T. Beach, CFP® AWMA® provides his perspective and answer to the question, If You’re Retired, Do You Still Need Life Insurance? Evan does a nice job at saying “it depends”, gives us the math and then tells the story of a […]

Gonzalo Garcia – In May, during the AgencyONE Annual Advanced Markets & Underwriting Symposium, I had the privilege of listening to Jim Farmer from Financial Strategies Group present on Brackets, Buckets and Buffers. His presentation resonated so much with me that I had to write this article. Jim is a […]

Gonzalo Garcia – We most often think of wellness in the context of our health and there is a lot written about “wellness” these days, certainly in these post-pandemic times. The focus on health and wellness has never been more evident. The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of […]

Gonzalo Garcia – In a recent article in Kiplinger Personal Finance, author Evan T. Beach, CFP® AWMA® provides his perspective and answer to the question, If You’re Retired, Do You Still Need Life Insurance? Evan does a nice job at saying “it depends”, gives us the math and then tells the […]

Gonzalo Garcia – Every morning I read financial journals and various news publications to keep abreast of what is happening in the financial services industry, and regardless of the day of week or publication I review, the concept of “holistic wealth management” or “holistic financial planning” continues to emerge as […]

Gonzalo Garcia – I am probably going to catch a LOT of grief for this article, but frankly, I really don’t care. I am trying to look at the numbers as impartially as I can and would welcome a math lesson if I have this wrong. For the record, I am a […]

Two TRILLION dollars is an unfathomable amount of money. It represents the value currently held inside of deferred annuities, and it is very likely that you have a client (or ten!) that is counted in this sum. Furthermore, a Gallup poll found that 73% of clients who hold nonqualified annuities view […]

Craig Baumgartner – Imagine asking your clients the following question: Sally and Jeff, are you interested in discussing a strategy to reduce your tax bill for next year?  Everyone is interested in reducing their tax liability! What if you offered your clients a way to pay less in taxes, while […]

The Motley Fool Embraces the Use of Variable Life Insurance as an Alternative to a 401K – well, not really. In a recent article in The Motley Fool dated July 2, 2023, entitled The No-Brainer Retirement Account that I’d Choose Way Before a 401K, Justin Pope INADVERTANTLY makes a strong case for why a well-structured […]

Conversations that financial planners have with their clients can be tricky. Most financial advisors only talk about “the money” and hope that the recommended planning is put in place so that future generations can continue to reap financial rewards. Other financial advisors, who tend to retain clients for multi generations, expand […]

In a recent LinkedIn post, Caroline Brooks JD, MBA, Head of Advanced Markets at John Hancock, reminded us that we have less than 1,000 days until the sunset of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) doubling of the Estate and Gift Tax Exemption. As many of you know, the […]

I must sound like a broken record, and now, I am dating myself …. “broken record?”…Who says that anymore? But I think this is so important to you and your practice that I am going to say/write about this yet again……Positioning yourself and your advisory business for your clients’ and others’ […]

Gonzalo Garcia – As many of you know, I spend a lot of time on the phone with financial advisors assisting them in defining ways to mitigate risks resulting from mortality, morbidity, longevity, and taxes. During a recent call with an investment advisor and one of our AgencyONE risk advisors, […]

The Motley Fool Embraces the Use of Variable Life Insurance as an Alternative to a 401K – well, not quite. In a recent article in The Motley Fool dated July 2, 2023 entitled The No-Brainer Retirement Account that I’d Choose Way Before a 401K , Justin Pope INADVERTANTLY makes a strong case for why a well-structured Variable […]

As a Partner at AgencyONE in Bethesda, Maryland and one of the Co-Founders of The Insurance Network for Fiduciary Advisors (IN4FA), I have gratefully been serving financial advisors for 40 years by helping them preserve managed accounts, reduce the morbidity, longevity, mortality, and tax risks from their client’s financial plans. […]

The goal of IN4FA is the same as yours – do what is best for your clients while maintaining your fiduciary responsibilities. 5 Excellent Reasons Fee-Based Wealth Advisors Should Work with a Risk Expert from IN4FA SM:   Offers A Holistic Approach – Risk Management is a core element of […]

“Facet Wealth throws a lifeline to struggling ‘insurtech’ firm amid an industry shakeout; Facet is delivering a mother lode of referrals and asking nothing in return” was the headline of a recent article written by Oisin Breen in RIABiz.  Read on to learn why this is both encouraging and problematic […]