All About Business Protection Life Insurance: All About Business Life Insurance Information By Insurance Experts

It is important that people own a business understand what is business insurance, so they can protect their business in case of any unforeseen event happened causing hardship to the business owner and their family such as business store burned down one day, if you don't carry insurance, you would endured some hard times after that. You make sure you have insurance for anything of importance, or anything that could prevent me from earning a living. In fact, business insurance helps people who own businesses to protect the viability of the business and themselves, so they invest in business insurance. The protection of business insurance involved their assets is primary and the guarantee of a business to carry on is a close second. It also is an extension of the protection of the family interest , as such, as a convenience for the Underwriter to tackle the inherent problems.
Business insurance usually falls into one of three categories:
1. A Buy and Sell Agreement between partners or shareholders that make sure that the survivor(s) to carry on after death of the owner or one of the owners

2. Recovery of loss of income in the event of business interruption due to the death of one of the owners. In most instances, it would be wise to insure the human life values as it would be to insure the physical assets.

3. Insurance to protect the employees and their dependents from the financial hardship that can be created at death, disability and retirement.

Business insurance also helps to

1. Transfer ownership upon death of an owner to a new owner, a partner or another shareholder(s) in the event of death or retirement.

2. Insure key persons – Often success of a business rests on the shoulders of one or more very talented employees. These vital components of the business should be insured in the event of their death or disability to ensure the business will continue successfully.
3. Provide coverage for a most important assets of business – its employees ( By Kyle J. Norton )

Business Life Insurance - Option to Fund Buy-Sell Agreement
By Kyle J Norton Platinum Quality Author

There are three main options or ways to fund the Buy-Sell Agreement. I'm sure you won't be surprised to find that most Buy-Sell Agreements are paid out using life insurance. In fact, the first two funding options deal with available options using life insurance:

1. The criss cross option
Under this option the life insurance is owned and paid for by the partner out of after tax income. In other words, life insurance are purchased and paid for by the partner or shareholder on each other's life and the owners are the beneficiary. This is the primary and traditional method of structuring a buy-sell agreement and for sole proprietors and partners and it is the only option available for unincorporated businesses. Under the criss cross option, policies can be co-owned and paid for by split dollar arrangements.

2. Split dollar funding option
The second option to fund buy-sell agreement is split dollar funding option that is the pre-determined agreement between employer and employee on how to fund life insurance premiums. Split dollar funding became popular to fund several important functions.

a) Key man insurance and award.
b) Employee buy-out.
c) Corporate buy-sell agreements between shareholders and used as the incentive for a business to accommodate a split dollar buy-sell agreement
i) The premium payment creates unequal contributions due to extreme differences in the ages of the partners, or employees buy out the owner.
ii) If the employee is the son or daughter of the owner, it allows the siblings and heirs to be compensated in cash for their share of the business interest.
iii) It is particularly attractive in closely held corporations due to the lower corporate tax rate. This is not available to partners where the tax advantage is considerably less advantageous.
Whole life policy containing cash values is the best choice for life insurance used for buy-sell agreements.

3. Corporate repurchase and corporate redemption method
The third funding option for buy-sell agreements is the corporate repurchase or corporate redemption method. This is used solely by corporations, who may also use the criss-cross method. The corporate repurchase or corporate redemption method may be funded in one of two ways:

a) Cross-purchase agreement:
This technique is funded by tax free dividends. It provides for corporations:
i. To own the required amount of insurance on the lives of the shareholders.
ii. To pay the premiums.
iii. To be the named beneficiaries.

b) Corporate buy-back of shares.
Premiums of insurance are paid by the corporation.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information of the above subject, please visit my home page at:

Kyle J. Norton
http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/
http://businessinsurance15.blogspot.com/
All rights reserved. Any reproducing of this article must have all the links intact.
I have been studying natural remedies for disease prevention for over 20 years and working as a financial consultant since 1990

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton

Business Life Insurance - The Advantage & Disadvantage of a Sole Proprietorship
Kyle J. Norton

As we mentioned in the previous article, sole proprietor is responsible for every aspect of their business and they may hire others to carry out these duty.
I. Set up and continuation is uncomplicated.
1. Register a name for the company and renew it as required by law and obtain necessary licenses.
2. A sole proprietor keeps all the gains and is responsible for all the losses.
3. Company incomes are treat as personal income therefore sole proprietorship only pay personal taxes.
4. They also have the power of the right to borrow funds for operating capital or estate settlement needs.
5. The power to change the form of business.
6. Their personal saving bank account is the business capital account.
7. Pay and deduct wages to family members who are usually taxed at a lower rate than the owner.
8. All their personal and business assets are subject to claims of creditors.
9.All loan financing are limited to personal and business assets available as collateral.
10. The business ceases at the death or the owner.
II. If the owner wishes the business to continue, they should:
a) stipulate in the will that the executors and trustees are not responsible for the deceased’s prior business debts as well as subsequent business debts incurred while carrying out their duties.
b) the will should state how the business is to be disposed of.
c) the executors should execute the buy-sell agreement, if one exists. We will discuss how buy-sell agreement with life insurance works and why it is the best solution for sole proprietorship and theirs employees after the death of the owner.
I hope that this information will help you to understand the advantage and dis- advantage of sole proprietorship. If you need more information, please visit my website at http://businessinsuranceii.blogspot.com

Do You Own A Business? Here Are Ways A Term Life Insurance Can Save You A Lot
By Chimezirim Chinecherem Odimba Platinum Quality Author

It's a great thing to own a business. But there are tough times that come with it. What happens when an employee passes on? What happens if they get disabled even it happens outside their line of duty? What happens if a partner passes on? These are tough questions that a term life insurance policy can help you answer with more ease with any risk to your business. Let's look at each of these scenarios in details...

1. What happens when an employee passes on? Believe it or not, it affects your business unless the employee was totally worthless (In which case it will take only a fool to keep such a fellow).

This means that you'd have lost a resource person. And, depending on how specialized their role is, getting a suitable replace will cost you both in money and time.

Furthermore, if you've structured your business right, then you'd have to pay some money to the deceased's family even if it's NOT required by law in your country.

Can you imagine how motivated your other workers will be if they see the bumper package given to their colleague's dependents by your business? These all will cost money.

Taking out a term life policy on your employees and naming your business as beneficiary will do you a world of good if such arises.

2. What happens if your partner passes on? Would you allow your business to go under by being forced into a partnership with an heir who isn't apt for the business? Wouldn't it be a better deal if you bought over your partner's share of the business?

But where do you get the money for this? This won't be a problem if you took out a term life insurance policy for your partner with yourself as the named beneficiary.

Term life insurance gives you the most bang for your bucks. But more interestingly, you can pay even far less if you took the time to get and compare quotes from a wide range of insurers.

Here are great pages for life insurance quotes...

InsureMe Life Insurance Quotes

Life Insurance Quotes

Chimezirim Odimba writes on insurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chimezirim_Chinecherem_Odimba

Life Insurance Premium Financing
By James J. Robinson

Life insurance premium financing is used by wealthy individuals to pay their life insurance premiums. By financing your premiums, it allows you to free up the funds that might have otherwise been used to pay your premium. Many wealthy people require a substantial amount of life insurance for business planning, estate planning, or for income replacement.

In order to qualify for life insurance premium financing most insurance companies require you have a minimum of $2.5 million in net worth and at least a $200,000.00 a year income. In addition, you must be bankrupt remote entity, such as a Limited Liability Corporation, or an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust.

In a normal premium financing arrangement, you would apply for a policy at the same time you apply for a loan. The loan is usually arranged by the insurance company you are working with although there are many different companies that handle only the financing and do not deal with the actual insurance policy. While you are being medically underwritten for the life insurance policy, your loan is being processed. Assuming you pass the medical exam and qualify for the loan, the policy and financing are put into place at the same time.

The benefits of a premium financing arrangement is that it frees up business and personal money to be used more efficiently in other investment arenas. In addition, life insurance premium financing may minimize gift taxes, and can provide a greater rate of return on the death benefit paid through regular non-financed methods.

Life insurance premium financing loans may be repaid either by paying a monthly payment while you are alive, pay from the policy itself, or at the time of your death, proceeds from the policy will pay off the loan.

Interest on the life insurance premium financing loan is considered to be personal interest, and therefore, not tax deductible.

If you are considering a premium financing loan for estate planning, there are some tax issues you may want to consider. The life insurance proceeds will be included in your estate if you own the policy. If the life insurance policy is owned by an irrevocable life insurance trust, estate taxes on the death benefits may be avoided.

Before you consider financing your life insurance premiums you should be aware that the life insurance policy will have to earn returns of between 150 to 300 basis points over the interest rate of the loan.

In addition, you should ask what the loan commitment fee is, as well as knowing whether the life insurance premium financing loan is renewable, how long the term of the loan is, and if the loan extends well beyond your life expectancy.

You may want to find out if the loan requires a personal guarantee, or if the loan is guaranteed by the life insurance policy.

Also, you want to know how if the program is designed on your IRS calculated life expectancy or is it conventional. If the loan is based on your life expectancy, and you live beyond that, the loan amount will exceed the cash value and the whole program will come apart.

Before entering into a financing agreement you may want to consult a trusted attorney, your financial advisor, and/or your Certified Public Accountant.

You will also want to shop around and compare insurance companies, their individual plans, the premium amounts, and the different types and amount of life insurance available to you.

Get started comparing life insurance quotes now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_J._Robinson

The Buy-Sell Agreement- Why It Is The Simple Solution
By Robert Cavanaugh Platinum Quality Author

If you own a business, odds are the business represents a sizable portion of your estate. Therefore, planning for the orderly disposition of the business is an important planning consideration.

The most basic element of the plan involves the use of a buy-sell agreement. It is astounding how many business owners do not have a buy-sell agreement. Even more amazing is the numbers who have one, but have no method to fund it. Let's take a look at the rationale behind a funded buy-sell agreement.

Creates a Market

Most businesses are closely held. A person can't call their stockbroker and buy shares in the business. Essentially, there is no market for the business.

If the business is a sole proprietorship or one-man or one-woman corporation, who is going to buy the business when the owner dies? In rare cases, a family member may be able to step in and successfully continue the business. Most of the time, the businesses simply closes its doors.

If the business owner is a partner or minority shareholder in a corporation, where is the financial motivation for the other owners to buy a minority interest? A buy-sell agreement among the person's partners, or one involving one or more key employees for the sole owner, creates a market for the business.

Avoids a New Partnership With the Heirs

In my experience, there is no quicker way to get a male business owner's attention with respect to business succession planning than to ask two questions.

"Do you and your partner have a buy-sell agreement?"

"No."

"If your partner died, would you like to be in business with his wife?"

Silence.

When a partner dies, and the dust settles, generally one of two things happens. The wife calls up her husband's partner and asks where her paycheck has been for the last month. The partner has to explain that her husband's salary was a result of his active participation in the business, not tied simply to the fact that he owned stock in the business.

The second possibility is the wife, who has no experience or participation in the business, takes over her husband's position.

A buy-sell agreement avoids both of these scenarios.

Sets the Price

Assuming buyers surface, what is the value of the deceased owner's interest? If the seller is the deceased owner's family, they want as much as they can get. The remaining partners want to pay as little as possible. Oftentimes, the dollar amount is far apart.

By setting a price that everyone is happy with while living, there is no haggling over price at death. In addition, this "pegs" the value of the business for estate tax purposes. In the absence of an agreement, the estate lists a value on the estate tax return, if one is required. The IRS often comes back with their valuation opinion: a much higher amount. What ensues is a back and forth argument, involving attorney's fees and stress. Some of these cases have dragged on for as much as ten years.

Converts an Illiquid Asset to Cash

A properly funded buy-sell agreement instantly converts bricks, mortar and steel into cash. This provides funds for the heirs to pay obligations and taxes. Cash can be invested to generate an income; cash is easily divided among heirs.

Funded With Life Insurance

Assuming that a buy-sell agreement has been drafted, the next question becomes, "Where will the funds come from for the obligation now mandated by the buy-sell agreement?" There are three typical choices.

1. Pay cash. This is only an academic choice. Most businesses don't have cash in these amounts laying around.

2. Buy out over time. If the business interest is worth $500,000, the arrangement is to pay, for example, $50,000 plus interest over 10 years. Negotiations could be tough. The family wants their money as quickly as possible; the remaining owners want to string it out for as long as possible.

This option is expensive. It requires the survivors to pay principal plus interest. The payments put a mortgage on future earnings and have to go through the tax wringer. The result is paying much more than a dollar for each dollar of business interest purchased.

3. Fund the agreement with life insurance. This is the "discounted dollar" method. Money is available immediately to fund the agreement, and the total premiums on the policy will come nowhere near the amount received.

If you own a business and do not have a buy-sell agreement in effect, call your life insurance agent, attorney and accountant. Set up a meeting, come up with a value, have an agreement drafted, and fund it with life insurance. You have probably spent a lifetime putting your business together. Now allocate a couple of hours toward keeping it together for your heirs and circumventing a myriad of problems.

Robert D. Cavanaugh, CLU is a 36-year financial and estate planning veteran and author of the free newsletter, "The Estate Preservation Advisor". For cutting-edge, easy-to-understand financial planning resources and techniques to increase your income, reduce taxes and preserve your estate and to claim the free video, "How to Sell Your Life Insurance Policy for More than the Cash Value", go to http://theestatepreservationadvisor.com/rd/subscribe.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Cavanaugh

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