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David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Sep 4, 2018
5 min

How and Why Life Insurance is PERFECT for Long Term Savings

This blog article today is primarily in response to articles by fiduciary securities advisers like this one: http://blairbellecurve.com/life-insurance-is-not-for-saving/ First a disclosure: I sell life insurance for long term savings. There. I said it. (Whew! It’s like “coming out of the closet”!) The author of the article is an investment adviser. While I did not look up this person's credentials, it is safe to assume that she is a Series 65 Investment Adviser - A fidu

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Aug 29, 2018
1 min

25 Reasons to Love Life Insurance - Insurance Selling Magazine

I love it when I'm quoted in industry articles and publications like these! Here's a link to the PDF version of the article here. (I'm quoted for #13 (my lucky number) and #23.) Enjoy! #taxexemptwealth #realwealthvsfakewealth

How do YOU evaluate the job other professionals do for you?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Aug 21, 2018
4 min

How do YOU evaluate the job other professionals do for you?

When was the last time you got all your various financial advisors in a room together to determine how well each of you was doing... in regards to YOUR total financial situation? Unless you have MILLIONS... you've never been able to do that. Why? Just too hard (and expensive) to coordinate. So, you're often left to evaluate everyone yourself. Most of us believe we are smart shoppers, so we have certain criteria by which we evaluate other professionals. Investment advisor

Are you intimidated by financial advisors and their fancy terminology?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Aug 7, 2018
2 min

Are you intimidated by financial advisors and their fancy terminology?

You may find this hard to believe, but some people are AFRAID of their finances AND of financial advisors! In fact, the very people who really NEED our help... are the ones who don't engage with us. Why? There are a few reasons. 1. No one wants to be made to feel foolish or incompetent. Could you believe that there are financial advisors who use complex terminology ON PURPOSE... to "show off" how smart they are? This video is a gross over-generalization of what it can fee

F.A.Q. #8 - What exactly IS needs based planning?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Aug 6, 2018
7 min

F.A.Q. #8 - What exactly IS needs based planning?

Today's blog post is about my own views of how "needs-based" financial planning came about... because I believe it is an over-used and perhaps misused term to describe financial planning. Financial Employer Sales Objectives Turned Into "Needs-Based Planning" I got my start in financial services at a large bank. One part of my job description was to "increase wallet share" with each customer. Today, this bank actually calls their products "solutions". This bank taught me ab

Bacon, Dr. Pepper, and... William Shatner?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Aug 5, 2018
2 min

Bacon, Dr. Pepper, and... William Shatner?

What do these three have in common? Longevity. First, the bacon story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/06/worlds-oldest-woman-116-eats-bacon-everyday/73444660/ Not many people will say that eating bacon every day is the key to a long life, but the world’s oldest woman swears by it. Susannah Mushatt Jones, 116, keeps a steady diet of bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast. A sign in her kitchen reads: “Bacon makes everything better.” Named the world’s olde

Myth #10 - You Don't Need Life Insurance on Your Children

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jul 28, 2018
1 min

Myth #10 - You Don't Need Life Insurance on Your Children

Critics of those who sell life insurance on children often say that it's an unnecessary expense. "After all, they aren't making any money, right? Therefore you don't need to insure them." And they'd be wrong. Life insurance on a child is about having the economic freedom to take time to grieve and mourn. I have never lost a child. While I can be empathetic about such a loss, you really can't understand it unless you've been through it. I was watching this touching video a

Beware of Political Accounting Tactics!

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jul 22, 2018
1 min

Beware of Political Accounting Tactics!

I saw this meme in one of my friends' Facebook feed without citing any sources: Let's find out the truth: And so let's look at the truth according to the Truth In Accounting State Data Lab: https://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/detail/california While things may be improving... don't be deceived by political accounting practices. #taxexemptwealth #realwealthvsfakewealth

F.A.Q. #11 - What Is the Capital Equivalent Value of Life Insurance in Retirement?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jul 17, 2018
3 min

F.A.Q. #11 - What Is the Capital Equivalent Value of Life Insurance in Retirement?

Well, that's a long title! But the question remains: What is the equivalent value of life insurance to most traditional retirement income planning? First, let's talk about the "elephant in the room": The rates of return on all cash value policies will NOT out-pace investment equivalents. However, from a TAX perspective, life insurance is FAR more efficient. So, let me ask you this question: Which would you rather have? a) $5,000,000 b) $3,000,000 Now, most people would

Now THIS is an investment expert worth listening to... but why bother?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jul 11, 2018
2 min

Now THIS is an investment expert worth listening to... but why bother?

Some time ago, I wrote a blog post critical of Warren Buffett's investment advice. However, today's post deals with a person who actually does know how to give investment advice. Harry Markowitz, recepient of the Nobel Prize in Economics for Modern Portfolio Theory had this to say: “Diversify,” Nobel-Prize winner Harry Markowitz once responded when asked how investors should approach the stock market. “And if I had to offer a second piece of advice, it would be: Remember tha

Titles, Designations, and Compensation… Oh My!

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jun 19, 2018
11 min

Titles, Designations, and Compensation… Oh My!

Note: This is a reposted article that I wrote about 3 years ago or so... and I've found it plagiarized in various places on the internet. I'm reposting it here so I can re-claim my copyright rights. There are so many of these nebulous terms out there, that it’s become almost impossible to determine what any of these titles really mean! I’m going to give you my own impressions on these titles and what it really means to you from inside the financial services industry. Finan

Should you maximize your employer's 401(k) match? Let's do the math on that.

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jun 19, 2018
4 min

Should you maximize your employer's 401(k) match? Let's do the math on that.

It is common traditional financial advice that everyone "should" maximize their employer matching contributions on their 401(k). That sounds like good advice, because if you don't, you give up "free money", don't you? And it would cost you a boat load of future retirement assets and lower your standard of living in retirement, right? That depends. On what? On the quality of the match being offered. How do we know that the employer match is of quality? We need to do the math

Disagreeing With "The Oracle of Omaha" is Practically Sacrilegious... but I'm Doing It

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Apr 26, 2018
2 min

Financial Entertainers

Disagreeing With "The Oracle of Omaha" is Practically Sacrilegious... but I'm Doing It

Warren Buffett claims that if you invested $114 in the first quarter of 1942 in the S&P 500 Index - AND HELD IT - you would have over $400,000 today (1st Quarter 2018). https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/warren-buffett-says-couldve-turned-114-400000-230140222.html Let's take a look at those numbers, shall we? First, it's 76 years between 1942 and 2018. Here's the problem: demographics, political change, economic policies... all change the dynamics. It's so easy t

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Apr 25, 2018
1 min

I LOVE Being Published!

There's some talk in our industry regarding digital platforms (like Amazon) to "take over" our industry and put agents and advisors out of business. I wholeheartedly disagree with that... if you're truly helping people. Here is the URL link to the article: https://insurancesellingmag.com/columns/the-insurtech-revolution/?1524676939198 And here is a link to the PDF of that article: Insurance Selling Magazine: The InsurTech Revolution #taxexemptwealth #realwealthvsfakewealth

Should You Start A Business in Retirement?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Apr 18, 2018
2 min

Should You Start A Business in Retirement?

Retirement is being reinvented. It's no longer just retiring and doing some travel, but it's about a new phase of life! A phase that can be a dream, or a nightmare. Some retirees may choose to start, open, or buy a business and run it as their preferred way to spend their retirement years. That can be a dream, or a nightmare, particularly if you are using your retirement funds to pay for the start up costs and payroll for a period of time. I don't watch a lot of "reality T

A Balanced Perspective Towards Taxes

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Apr 9, 2018
4 min

A Balanced Perspective Towards Taxes

Note: None of this post constitutes tax advice or advice about filing taxes. This post is for educational purposes only. If you require tax advice, please contact an appropriate tax professional in your state. Some people hate taxes - no matter what: During the early years of the Obama Presidency, there arose a group of people in strong opposition towards his policies and objectives. They called themselves "The TEA Party". TEA was to stand for "Taxed Enough Already". An

F.A.Q. #9 - Is a 'Fiduciary Securities Advisor' in YOUR Best Interests?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Mar 16, 2018
6 min

F.A.Q. #9 - Is a 'Fiduciary Securities Advisor' in YOUR Best Interests?

The term 'fiduciary' has become FAR more marketing 'hype' than it really deserves to be, and that 'hype' is serving only ONE kind of 'advisor' - an advisor that, ironically, might NOT be in YOUR best interests! Please allow me to explain: In the financial services world, nearly anyone can call themselves a financial advisor, regardless of licensing. The term 'financial advisor' is not a regulated term. (Disclosure: I, myself, am a fiduciary securities advisor. However, how

Investments will LOWER Your Potential Retirement Income! (Safe Withdrawal Rate)

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Mar 15, 2018
2 min

Investments will LOWER Your Potential Retirement Income! (Safe Withdrawal Rate)

About 4 years ago, Morningstar Research, Inc., adjusted their recommendations of a 4% "safe" withdrawal rate... to a 2.8% "safe" withdrawal rate. Morningstar: Time for the 3% Withdrawal Rule? http://www.morningstar.com/cover/videocenter.aspx?id=582877 Seeking Alpha: Is The 4% Rule Becoming The 2% Rule? https://seekingalpha.com/article/3557356-4-percent-rule-becoming-2-percent-rule Chicago Tribune: The Journey: Study Warns 4% retirement rule is no longer safe http://article

Points vs %'s: Which one to pay more attention to?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Feb 6, 2018
1 min

Points vs %'s: Which one to pay more attention to?

Today, the DJIA closed down -1,175 points below last Friday's -665 points. What does this mean? I don't know. I'm not an economist. Obviously there is some uncertainty going on. What I CAN tell you... is that 1800 points is less than 2% of 26,000. But the financial news media would have you thinking that "The sky is falling" because it's the biggest POINT loss in a long time. Let me help you: the LAST time the market closed an 777 point drop... was September 28th, 2008

Will you DISINHERIT your children? On Accident or on Purpose?

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Feb 3, 2018
1 min

Will you DISINHERIT your children? On Accident or on Purpose?

Check your beneficiary designations on your insurance policies, your IRS Regulated Retirement Plans (IRA, 401k, etc.), and check your wills & trusts. Insurance and IRS Regulated Retirement Plans pass to beneficiaries by CONTRACT, not by Will. Your beneficiary designation "trumps" your wills. In this video, a Dad listed "Distribute assets according to my last will and testament" as a beneficiary designation. Since that is not a qualified beneficiary, the asset was distribute

Why You Need the Dow To Be At Over 44,400 Today...

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jan 17, 2018
1 min

Why You Need the Dow To Be At Over 44,400 Today...

Today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (top 40 stocks) closed at over 26,000 for the first time. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/dow-jumps-300-points-to-close-above-26000-for-first-time/ar-AAuNRlM?li=BBnb7Kz Whoop-di-do. Sure, I'm glad that through the hype of tax reform and the promise of funds held overseas will come back to invest in American infrastructure and jobs. I'm concerned that Americans might get a little too comfortable with this run up in the markets.

Suze Orman's "Advice" is Reckless at Best

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jan 11, 2018
5 min

Financial Entertainers

Suze Orman's "Advice" is Reckless at Best

Today, I want to talk about the difference between a financial entertainer and a true financial consultant. I found this clip of Suze Orman on YouTube and decided to actually LISTEN to it. Normally I can’t stand her voice, but I thought I’d give this one a shot. And I'm glad I did as it is a CLASSIC example of why not to take an entertainer's advice over that of a trusted advisor. In this clip, I will “time-stamp” below where Suze asks a part of a question, but does not do

Tom Hegna's 2018 Economic Commentary

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Jan 2, 2018
1 min

Tom Hegna's 2018 Economic Commentary

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2018! So, let's start with the economic commentary by Tom Hegna. Tom Hegna's reviews are very good and have been very accurate. It's not enough to look at the past of trends and assume that things will continue. We need to look at: political, economic, demographic, and other trends to determine what will generally happen. I'll never be able to predict anything on a "day-to-day" basis, but I can follow long-term trends

David H. Kinder, RFC®, ChFC, CLU

Dec 24, 2017
1 min

Misrepresentation and ignorance: A dangerous blend for ethics

Some time ago, I was interviewed for my thoughts on misrepresentation and ignorance in insurance and financial sales. Unfortunately for the insurance industry, it's easy to get a license, but it's not a guarantee of competency behind advice. In this article, I talk about 3 most common misrepresentations out there and provide clarity behind them. This link is hosted on this site: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/f73857_ff9c81ff1e2c4063880c1c373beab629.pdf This link was where th