Large Case Management

Super-affluent families, business owners, and institutions often face unique challenges that cannot be solved with off-the-shelf insurance solutions. Large, complex cases require coordination across multiple advisors, careful underwriting, and a deep understanding of estate, business, and tax strategies.

We have the resources and relationships necessary to design and build portfolios of life insurance products that can aggregate to face amounts in excess of $300 million on a single life. Achieving this level of coverage requires coordination between multiple insurance carriers, along with a detailed understanding of their relationships with reinsurers.

This build-out process is highly technical. Missteps—whether in structuring application sequencing, coordinating carrier participation, or navigating reinsurance capacity—can result in significant delays, sometimes stalling coverage placement for years. Our experience allows us to anticipate these challenges, manage carrier and reinsurance negotiations, and structure cases so that clients receive the coverage they need without unnecessary obstacles.

We specialize in designing and implementing customized solutions for estate planning, business succession, executive benefits, and charitable strategies. Our role extends beyond sourcing products—we also coordinate with attorneys, accountants, trustees, and family office staff to ensure the insurance strategy integrates seamlessly into the broader financial plan.

➡️ Let’s coordinate your life insurance strategy with your advisors.

Premium Financing

For some clients, particularly those with substantial net worth and liquidity tied up in businesses or investments, the cost of funding large life insurance premiums can feel inefficient. Premium financing can provide a solution by using third-party lending to fund policy premiums, allowing clients to preserve capital and maintain investment flexibility.

That said, premium financing should be approached with great care. It is not a tool for making premiums “affordable.” Instead, it is a planning strategy best suited for clients who could easily pay premiums out of pocket but prefer to allocate their capital elsewhere. The ability to comfortably cover premiums without financing should be a prerequisite for pursuing this strategy.

When a policy is financed, any borrowed funds must be fully collateralized, typically with a combination of policy cash value and a pledge of other assets such as securities, cash, or a letter of credit.  Collateral requirements are reviewed annually, and any shortfall must be made up immediately. If it is not, the lender has the right to call the loan—potentially creating significant financial consequences.

This requirement underscores why premium financing is appropriate only for clients with substantial liquid resources and the ability to manage collateral commitments over time.

Our team brings experience in structuring and managing premium financing arrangements, working alongside lenders and advisors to ensure the strategy is sound, sustainable, and aligned with the client’s long-term objectives. We focus on transparency, ongoing monitoring, and risk management to protect clients and keep financing strategies on track.

➡️ See if premium financing is appropriate for your situation.

Life Settlements

Life insurance needs change over time. Policies that once made sense may no longer serve their original purpose—or may become unaffordable. In such cases, too many policyholders lapse or surrender valuable policies without realizing there is another option: a life settlement.

A life settlement is nothing more than a structured process to sell an existing policy to a third party.  When a transaction is successful, the third party will take ownership of the policy and assume all the obligations of maintaining it.  The seller will be paid in cash for the agreed upon value of the policy at the closing of the sale transaction.  The return for the investor is realized when the insured party ultimately passes.

Not every policy qualifies. Policies that are attractive to buyers must meet very specific criteria, including factors like the age and health of the insured, the size and type of the policy, and its ongoing premium requirements. When a policy does qualify, it is put out to bid in an auction process, where direct buyers bid on and purchase policies.

Direct buyers create a large portfolio of policies then often securitize and resell tranches to secondary buyers—including large institutional investors and some state pension funds.

Direct buyers hedge their risk by buying large numbers of policies.  As the number of policies grows in their portfolio, the predictability of their investment return improves.  Their statistical models become more accurate at predicting when insureds will pass away; they don't know which ones will pass, but they get very good at predicting how many will.  They are expert at understanding the law of large numbers, which is the basis of actuarial science.  Some consider this type of investment a bit morbid, but it can often yield a much better return to a policy owner than just surrendering the policy back to the insurance company.

Sometimes potential sellers are concerned about someone unknown to them owning a policy on their life.  The settlement process includes strong safeguards for the security of insureds. Policies are held in trust and from the outset, all identifying information about the insured is anonymized. Buyers are prevented from ever knowing the insured’s identity, ensuring confidentiality and privacy throughout the remainder of the insured's life.

In the right circumstances, the value of a policy in the secondary market can be a multiple of its cash surrender value. A life settlement can therefore unlock significant liquidity, and provide for retirement income or other planning needs.  There may be some tax consequences to the seller; that will depend on the particulars of the policy being sold.  It will be different in every case.

When asked, we will engage our dedicated resources and guide clients through the evaluation process, helping them determine whether a policy may qualify and if so, advise how to maximize value in a potential sale.

➡️ Request a life settlement assessment.

Wealthy Global Citizens

Life insurance planning is not limited by borders. We work with wealthy global citizens, including foreign nationals seeking coverage in the U.S. and U.S. expatriates living abroad. Accessing high-quality coverage in these situations requires an in-depth understanding of carrier guidelines, tax considerations, and international compliance requirements.

Our resources allows us to navigate the complexities of underwriting for non-U.S. residents and citizens, including issues of residency, travel, and asset documentation. We also coordinate with legal and tax advisors to ensure that policies are structured appropriately for cross-border estate, gift, and income tax considerations.

Whether the goal is protecting family wealth, funding global business interests, or creating liquidity for international estate planning, we provide solutions tailored to the unique needs of clients whose lives and assets span multiple jurisdictions.

➡️ Discuss coverage solutions for global citizens and expatriates.

Charitable Uses of Insurance

Life insurance can be a powerful tool for philanthropy, allowing donors to create lasting impact while experiencing the personal satisfaction of making a meaningful gift. A donation structured with life insurance can often provide more leverage than an outright cash contribution, helping charities achieve long-term goals while allowing donors to maximize their giving.

There are several approaches, depending on a donor’s objectives:

• Outright Surrender and Gift of Cash Value – A donor may choose to surrender an existing policy and gift the resulting cash value directly to a charity.

• Life Settlement with Proceeds Directed to Charity – In certain cases, a donor may elect to sell a policy in the secondary market and gift the proceeds to a charitable organization. This approach can generate greater value than a simple surrender, depending on the policy and the insured’s circumstances.

• Gift of an Existing Policy – Donors can transfer ownership of a policy they already own to a charity, potentially creating an immediate charitable deduction while providing the charity with a valuable asset. This transaction should always be preceded by a careful analysis of the policy’s current performance and its long-term viability. Without this review, a charity may end up with a policy that requires unsustainable premiums or is unlikely to deliver the anticipated benefit. And a formal valuation by a certified valuation analyst (CVA) should always be completed for accurate tax deduction reporting.

• New Coverage Owned by a Charity – A donor can make contributions to fund premiums on a new policy, with the charity serving as the policy’s owner and beneficiary.

In some cases, a charity may bestow recognition to a donor based on the face amount of the policy, even before the policy pays out. We have seen situations where a charity has provided named giving recognition tied directly to the policy’s face value, allowing donors to experience the satisfaction of acknowledgment during their lifetime.

In each case, it is essential for the donor and charity to clearly delineate their respective obligations, such as who is responsible for ongoing premium payments. Proper structuring ensures that the gift achieves its intended goals while avoiding future misunderstandings.

As an additional service, we can also assist with the administrative oversight of policies, ensuring that premium payments, ownership details, and beneficiary designations remain properly managed over time.

➡️ Explore charitable strategies with life insurance.

Third-Party Policy Reviews

Life insurance is not a “set it and forget it” asset. Over time, policy performance will change, funding assumptions may change, and even carriers themselves can experience financial or ratings shifts. Without regular oversight, a policy that once seemed secure may no longer meet its original objectives.

We provide objective, fee-based third-party reviews of in-force policies. Many times, the original agent may no longer be in the business, or an interested party may wish to have a policy reviewed by a disinterested outside professional. We hold the specific licenses needed to legally provide this service.

Our reviews are designed to evaluate:

• The viability of the policy itself, including performance compared to original projections.

• All facets of the policy’s design structure, including premium and cost histories, and any prior review history.

• The financial strength and stability of the issuing carrier, with attention to long-term reliability.

• Ongoing funding requirements, and determine whether current premiums are adequate to sustain coverage.

• Other factors necessary to determine the overall viability and effectiveness of the policy.

• This service is offered to policyowners, trustees, charities, and family offices who require an independent, professional evaluation of existing coverage.  Pricing is dependent on the complexity of the situation, but will normally range in price from $2000 to about $7500 for the review of an entire insurance portfolio.  To be clear, this is not an appraisal process.  If a formal appraisal of a policy is required, that should be completed by a certified valuation analyst (CVA).  We work with several CVAs that we are happy to refer someone to.

➡️   Contact us with your needs to get a custom quote.