The Dow has dropped below 10,000 several times recently – a level it first reached more than eleven years ago and has since bounced over and back an astonishing 63 times!

Millions of people who were counting on their homes to help fund their retirement now have no equity to count on, because they owe more than their homes are worth.

Credit is still extremely tight for both businesses and consumers, underscoring just how little control we have when we have to rely on other people’s money.

As we face continuing economic challenges, many people are wondering… what does the future hold?

Ever hear the old saying, “Change is the only constant?”  Today that is clearly true more than ever!  Stephen Covey, author of the run-away best seller, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, tells the following story:

A night watchman on a huge battleship alerted the captain that their ship was headed directly towards a light in the distance.  The captain immediately sent the message, “Change your course 10 degrees south.”  A few minutes later came the reply, “Change your course 10 degrees north.”

Perturbed, the captain signaled back, “I am the captain.  Change your course 10 degrees south!”  Five minutes later came the reply, “I am a seaman first class.  Change your course north.”

Fuming, the captain sent one final message, “I demand you change your course.  I’M ON A BATTLESHIP!”

I strongly recommend you change your course,” came the response.  “I am a lighthouse.”

The moral of the story is pretty clear, isn’t it?  The new economic realities are the lighthouse, and it’s insane for us to demand that everything in our way move over so that we can keep cruising straight ahead in our comfort zone.

If you were the captain of the battleship, what would you do?  Hold your course… or change your course?

Well, each of us is the captain of our lives.  We have a choice of changing our course and surviving… even flourishing, for that matter.  Or staying our course and plunging head first into disaster.

So my question to you is, are you staying the course, hoping and praying that somehow things will magically work out?  Or, are you becoming the captain of your ship and taking back control of your financial future?

Wall Street wants you to believe that if you just keep hanging in there long enough (paying them fees and fattening their wallets), you’ll be okay.

And they have the audacity to call this a financial or retirement “plan”!

I can promise you they won’t remind you that over the last 80 years, the Dow was in a stall that lasted from 12-25 years 65% of the time!

They are praying you don’t find out about the stock market study¹ that revealed…

During the 20th century, there was a 77-year span with no price appreciation in U.S. stocks, after adjusting for inflation

Out of the past 207 years, stocks have spent 173 years – more than 80% of the time! – either faltering from old highs or clawing back to recover past losses

The study’s author, Robert Arnott, concluded:

As investors become increasingly aware that conventional wisdom of modern investing is largely myth and urban legend, there will be growing demand for new ideas and more choices”

Yet, the “experts” and talking heads have no better solutions to offer, do they?

It’s all the “same old, same old,” and maybe they’ll throw in some new twist.

Pfui!

You’ve probably heard that old chestnut, “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.”

How many times have you already been fooled, only to keep coming back for more?

The ultimate financial security blanket in both good times and bad…

While the “experts” lament that there’s been “no place to hide,” none of the hundreds of thousands of people who use Bank On Yourself lost a penny in their plans when the markets crashed.  Their plans have never skipped a beat and continue growing every year by a guaranteed and predictable amount.

However, no two policies or plans are alike – each is tailored to the client’s unique situation.  To find out how much your financial picture could improve if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, how much income you could take in retirement (guaranteed) and to get a referral to a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor (a life insurance agent with advanced training in this method), request a free, no-obligation Analysis here.

When tough financial challenges and family emergencies arise, those who use the Bank On Yourself method have been able to gain access to capital to see them through by answering just one question:

How much do you want?

But please understand – Bank On Yourself isn’t a magic pill – there aren’t any.  It does take a little patience and discipline.  but for those who have those traits, it pays a lifetime of benefits, including:

The Bank On Yourself concept is based on an asset class that has increased in value during every stock market decline and every period of economic boom and bust for more than a century.  That asset is dividend-paying whole life insurance

Your money in one of these policies grows by a guaranteed and preset amount every year.  In addition, the growth is exponential, meaning it gets better (more efficient) every single year you have the policy – with no luck, skill or guesswork needed to make that happen

A properly structured Bank On Yourself-type policy incorporates little-known riders which turbo-charge the growth of your equity (“cash value”) in the policy, especially during the early years of the policy. This enables you to use your policy as a powerful financial management tool from Day One

Once credited to your policy, both your guaranteed annual cash value increase, plus any dividends you may receive, are locked in.  They don’t vanish due to a market correction

Can you imagine how much brighter your financial picture would be if you still had every penny of principal you put in AND all the growth you’d received?

You control the money in your policy, not the government.  You can use it when and how you choose, without the restrictions or penalties common to 401(k)’s and other government-sponsored retirement plans

You have peace of mind for retirement planning, because you could know the minimum guaranteed income you can take in retirement, and for how long you could take it

You can take an income from the policy with little or no tax consequences, under current tax law.  If you believe tax rates are going to go up over the long term, keep in mind that when you defer your taxes in a 401(k) or other government-sponsored plan, you’ll only pay higher taxes on a bigger number!

When you pass on, you have the peace of mind of knowing your loved ones could receive a death benefit many times greater than the value of your plan

I haven’t even listed all the advantages and guarantees of Bank On Yourself here.  But this gives you an idea why Bank On Yourself can give you the peace of mind and solid financial foundation that are missing from most people’s financial plan.

And I’d like to point out that no one has stepped up to the plate and offered a different financial product or strategy that can match or beat the advantages and guarantees of a properly structured Bank On Yourself policy.

My offer to pay a $100,000 cash reward to the first person who can do that still stands.

There’s no cost or obligation to receive an Analysis that will show you how a program custom tailored to your unique situation could improve your financial picture and help you turn your back on the stomach-churning twists and turns of traditional investments.

If you haven’t already started to Bank On Yourself, please take the first step today and take back control of your financial future!

¹ “Bonds – Why Bother?” by Robert Arnott, Journal of Indexes (May/June 2009 issue)

Let’s start by answering the question…

Life insurance companies are highly regulated and required to maintain sufficient reserves to ensure they can pay all future claims.

They are regularly audited by the state insurance commissioners’ offices, and sometimes by dozens of states, to ensure they are on solid financial ground.  And a multi-layer safety net exists to assure your money in a life insurance policy is secure.

You may be wondering, “What about AIG?”  Many people missed the fact that AIG’s problems were caused by a holding company, not its life insurance subsidiaries.  Their insurance companies were walled off from the problems, have always been solvent and did not receive a bailout.

The companies recommended by Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are among the financially strongest life insurance groups in the world.

They enjoy some of the strongest surplus positions in the industry, approximately double the industry average.

These companies are, in essence, owned by policyowners, rather than stockholders, which allows them to focus on the long-term interests of policy holders, rather than the short-term demands of Wall Street.

Here’s what the companies used for Bank On Yourself invest in:

Over 90% of their portfolio is invested in investment-grade fixed-income assets

Less than 1% is invested in U.S. Treasury or other government debt

Their bond portfolios are well diversified across many industries and companies, with no investment representing more than 1% of assets

Due to their financial strength and reserves, they have the ability to hold on to any assets that may decline in value for many years until they recover

They had virtually no exposure to the risky investments that caused the market meltdown of 2008

They have NEVER missed paying an annual dividend to policyowners for more than 100 years, including during the Great Depression!

Both your principal and gains are locked in – they don’t vanish due to a market correction

You can know the minimum guaranteed value of your policy in any year and also the minimum guaranteed income you can take from your policy

To find out what your bottom-line numbers and results could be with Bank On Yourself, request a free Analysis here

For these reasons – and many more – we know of no better or safer place to store your money!

The bottom line is that you have to park your money somewhere.

That could be in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, CD’s, money markets, real estate, currency, commodities… or under your mattress.

How many people have lost money in these financial vehicles, including you?

Many families’ nest-eggs have been lost in every one of these conventional investing and saving methods, dashing their hopes and dreams for a secure financial future.

As most people are aware, even putting your money into “insured” saving accounts and CD’s isn’t a sure thing; the FDIC’s insurance fund was almost $21 billion dollars in the red at the end of 2009 and the number of banks at risk of collapsing is growing daily!

Putting your money in your mattress also has its risks – it can be stolen or catch on fire.  And inflation will surely make it worth less every year.

And now, we can’t even be confident that U.S. treasury bonds are a safe place to put our money.

But we challenge you to find any credible proof that anyone has lost money in a life insurance policy in the last 100 years!

For the record, the $100,000 cash reward I’ve offered to the first person to show they use a different product or strategy that can match or beat the advantages and guarantees of a properly structured dividend-paying whole life policy still remains unclaimed.

Go ahead and take the $100,000 Challenge! Because if there is a better strategy than Bank On Yourself, I want to know about it, so I can use it for my family and share it with others.

One more thing.  I know some people are going to ask which companies the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors recommend, as discussed above.

Please understand I’m not going to list them.  First, because I’m not in the business of referring any specific company.  And also because it’s not enough to know which companies are the strongest and have the best product for the Bank On Yourself concept.

You also need the help and coaching of a financial advisor who has advanced training in this method and knows how to structure the policy properly and how to use it to maximize your lifetime wealth.

It takes even an experienced advisor at least a year of full-time training and experience to become proficient at this.

Experience has shown that without the guidance of a knowledgeable advisor, there’s an excellent chance your policy will be structured wrong. As a result, it won’t grow nearly as fast, you could lose the tax advantages, or both.

That’s what led to the creation of the Authorized Advisor training program, and only around 200 advisors across the country have passed the rigorous requirements.

You can get a referral to one of these specialists when you request a free, no-obligation Analysis that will show you how much your financial picture could improve if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan.

If you haven’t already started to Bank On Yourself, please take the first step today and take back control of your financial future!

And please tell us what’s on your mind below!

How many of these questions have you been wondering about?

FAQ #1: How does Bank On Yourself compare with traditional investing and savings strategies?

You can compare the Bank On Yourself method to traditional investments here, including stocks and mutual funds, a 401(k), a ROTH plan, real estate, gold, commodities and several other investments.

If there’s a different financial product or strategy that you think can match or beat the Bank On Yourself method, I encourage you to take the $100,000 Challenge. If you’re right, you could pick up an easy $100K!

FAQ #2: How does Bank On Yourself let you recapture every penny you pay for major purchases like cars, vacations, business equipment or a college education?

I’ve summarized this in a short video overview of how Bank On Yourself works.

However, for a more detailed explanation, you’ll want to review Chapters 2, 6, and pages 52-54 of my best-selling book, Bank On Yourself. If you don’t have the book, we offer a 35% discount on it.

FAQ #3: I’ve heard people like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman say whole life insurance is a lousy place to put your money. Is a Bank On Yourself-type policy different from the kind they’re talking about?

This is one of my favorite questions! Why? Because it’s so darn easy to PROVE that this type of dividend-paying whole life policy is a totally different “animal,” and that most financial advisors and “gurus” don’t even know the first thing about it!

Don’t take my word for it! You can see proof of how a Bank On Yourself policy is different here.

FAQ #4: How much does it cost to start a Bank On Yourself policy? Is there a minimum amount I have to start with? Is there a maximum amount I can put in?

There is no cost for a Bank On Yourself Analysis that will show you all the bottom-line results you could get with Bank On Yourself.

Should you then choose to start a Bank On Yourself policy, the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors do not charge fees to design and implement your plan. They receive a commission from the insurance company, which has already been taken into account in the bottom-line numbers you’ll see.

Much like buying a TV or a couch, the costs of manufacturing and sales are already included in the price, or in the premium, in the case of a Bank On Yourself policy.

These Advisors also take a 50-70% pay cut when they design your policy this way. You can learn more about the specialized training the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors receive, and why they take such a big pay cut.

However, Bank On Yourself is not a one-size-fits-all plan. There’s no pre-set amount a person would put into a plan, because the policy would be customized to YOUR unique situation, goals and dreams.

There's no obligation on your part

If you’d like to see how a custom-tailored program could improve your financial picture, it’s easy to find out when you take advantage of a free, no-obligation Bank On Yourself Analysis here.

You can start at whatever level is comfortable for you. The upper limit is determined by your income and assets.

FAQ #5: I don’t have a single dime left over at the end of the month. Where do I find the funds to start a Bank On Yourself plan?

Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are masters at helping people restructure their finances to free up seed money to fund a plan designed to help you reach as many of your short-term and long-term goals as possible – and as quickly as possible. Sometimes this can be done without impacting your lifestyle at all. Here are eight of the most common ways to find the money to Bank On Yourself.

FAQ #6: How do I know if Bank On Yourself will work for me? And how do I get started?

Bank On Yourself is not a magic pill. It takes a little patience and discipline. But if you have those traits, it pays a lifetime of benefits.

There's no obligation on your part

To find out what your bottom-line numbers and results could be (free and without obligation), just click this button:

You can also learn more about the step-by-step process involved once you’ve requested your free Analysis.

If you take the first step now, you could start to Bank On Yourself in as little as 60 days!

I hope this helps! If you still have a question or concern that hasn’t been answered, let us know below.

1913 Form 1040 Tax Return

I recently came across a copy of the very first IRS Income Tax Form 1040 our forefathers were required to file and wanted to share it with you.

But BEFORE I show you the rest of it, take a guess at the answers to these four questions:

1. What percentage of taxable income do you think the average family paid back then?
2. What was the top percentage paid by the very wealthiest Americans?
3. How many pages long do you think that first tax return was?
4. How many pages were the instructions needed to complete the form?

The answers to these questions may shock you!

Did you take your best guess at the answers?

Good! Now take a look at how close you came to the correct answers here.

What direction do you think taxes will go long-term?

Most people I’ve talked to say that’s a no-brainer- they’re going to go up.

Many people love the ability to tax-defer income that comes with IRA’s and 401(k)s. But they forget that if you’re successful building your savings in one of those plans, you’re probably just going to end up paying higher taxes on a bigger number!

One of the many advantages of Bank on Yourself is that the income you take from the policy is taxed like a Roth IRA. You fund the plan with after-tax dollars and can then take retirement income from the plan with potentially no taxes due, if you follow certain rules.

That’s according to current tax law, which, of course, could change (just like they could change the tax laws on IRA’s and 401K’s, etc).

But the beauty of Bank on Yourself is that even if the tax laws changed, you would still get 17 other major advantages and guarantees!

And that’s why I have a standing offer to pay $100,000 to the first person who can show they use any other financial product or strategy that can be match or beat Bank on Yourself.

If you’re skeptical, I encourage you to take the $100,000 Challenge. You could pick up an easy $100K if you can beat Bank of Yourself.