People are understandably nervous, as evidence abounds that the economic recovery is faltering.

An astonishing fact was revealed in a cover story in “The Hulbert Financial Digest” July issue, titled, “Slow and steady wins the race.” The digest is an independent rating service that has tracked investment newsletters for the past 30 years.

It turns out that, “the investment advisor in first place for risk-adjusted performance over the last 30 years has been largely in cash for more than two decades.”

What passes as a pathetic excuse for financial and retirement “planning” was exposed in this month’s issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine¹.

The article profiled a California couple working with a financial and money management firm to ensure they have enough money to retire in two years, when the husband turns 62.

The article details all the steps the couple has taken to properly plan for this event over the last ten years. The husband summarizes it by saying…

Huh?!?! Isn’t that like scraping and saving your hard-earned dollars for decades, stuffing them all in a sack, and dropping it on a craps table in Vegas??

Yet this is what passes for financial “planning”

It may come as no surprise that a new survey by Senior Market Advisor Magazine revealed that 55% of seniors currently without an advisor said there’s “absolutely nothing [an advisor] could do to earn their business.”

I was recently asked by Selling to Seniors magazine to comment on this.  My response shocked the editor – and it will probably shock you, too.  You can read it here, along with two overlooked options available to seniors who want to be sure their money will last as long as they do.

Another recent article on, “The Great Stock Myth,” in The Atlantic² revealed that, “even after a decade of lousy returns and a spectacular market crash, more than a quarter of Americans expect annual returns in the stock market to average 10 to 20 percent.”

The article points out that if the stock market’s return over the next decade or so is 2 to 3 percent above inflation, as some experts are predicting…

“You’ll need to save close to 40 percent of your annual income to replace almost half of your income”

The article concludes, “whether Americans know it or not, they have spent decades basing their retirement plans on expectations of big capital gains in their houses and stock portfolios. Unless we suddenly become willing to save a huge chunk of our income every year, we may need to rethink our retirement plans.”

Housing fades as a means to build wealth

An article this week in The New York Times³ discusses why housing values are likely to only keep up with inflation and may ultimately return the money an owner put in, but will not multiply the investment.

This is actually nothing new. I have written about this for the past five years.  Home prices have only appreciated around one percent more than inflation each year for the past century, according to Robert Shiller, co-creator of the Case–Shiller home price index.

So, if you can’t count on the stock market or real estate values to fund your retirement, what can you count on?

You can Bank On Yourself

Bank On Yourself is based on a twist on an asset class that has increased in value every single year for more than a century – including every period of economic boom and bust:  dividend paying whole life insurance.

The Bank On Yourself concept involves adding little-known riders and options to the policy that supercharge the growth of your equity (“cash value”) in the policy – especially during the early years of the policy.

This lets you use it as a powerful financial management tool from day one.

The growth in these policies is not only guaranteed and predictable, it is also exponential – it gets better every single year – and no luck, skill or guesswork is required.

It gives you peace of mind when planning for retirement, because you can know the minimum guaranteed income you can take – and for how long you can take it.

Plus, you can get your hands on that money with little or no tax consequences under current tax law.

However, no two plans are alike.  Each one is custom tailored to help you achieve as many of your short-term and long-term goals as possible – in the shortest time possible.

If you haven’t already requested a FREE Analysis, why not do so today?  There’s no obligation to find out what your bottom-line numbers and results could be if you added Bank on Yourself to your financial plan.

Still have a few questions?

Find the answers here:

• What’s the rate of return of a Bank On Yourself-type policy?
• What do the companies used for Bank On Yourself invest in?
• How are these policies different from the ones the financial “gurus” talk about?
• Where do I find the money to fund a plan?
• I have good savings habits and little debt – how will Bank On Yourself help?
• How do I get started?

¹ “Get a Jump on Retirement” – Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, August 2010
² “The Great Stock Myth” – The Atlantic, August 13, 2010
³ “Housing Fades as a Means to Build Wealth” – The New York Times, August 22, 2010

Dan Proskauer

It was almost two years ago that Dan Proskauer – a Vice President of technology engineering for a major health care company who holds three U.S. patents – first heard of Bank On Yourself.

Dan lives below his means, has significant savings discipline, and is a sophisticated investor.  But when the financial crisis hit, Dan realized he had nothing to show for decades of saving and investing his hard-earned money and “doing all the right things” we’ve been taught to do.

He felt angry, betrayed… and willing to open his mind and find out if there was something better out there.

Dan is very analytical and has since spent literally hundreds of hours investigating Bank On Yourself.  He has already started seven Bank On Yourself-type policies because, as he puts it, “the more I look into Bank On Yourself, the better it looks.”

Dan recently contacted me and generously offered to share his findings with you.  Whether you already use Bank On Yourself, or you’ve been considering adding it to your financial plan, you’ll learn something of value from this interview. You can listen to the interview by pressing the play button below, or you can download the entire interview as an MP3 and listen on your own player or iPod…

You can also download a transcript of the interview here.

In this fascinating interview, you’ll discover…

Why Dan has cut back his 401(k) contribution to what his employer matches… and why he’s considering stopping funding it altogether

What he discovered were the problems with traditional college savings plans, and why he believes Bank On Yourself is a better option

The surprising result of Dan’s research into the rate of return of a Bank On Yourself-type policy – and why he feels the additional  “intangible” benefits make it the best way to build a financial foundation in both good times and bad

Why Dan has seven different policies – and is getting ready to start more

Where Dan found the money to fund his policies

Why Bank On Yourself will hold its own against things people worry about – including inflation, deflation and fluctuating interest rates

The two downsides to Bank On Yourself that Dan found

Why Dan believes it’s critical to use a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor to set-up your policy… and how getting knowledgeable, on-going coaching and advice can result in your having far more wealth over your lifetime, while ensuring you don’t lose the tax advantages of Bank On Yourself

Why Dan – like hundreds of thousands of others who use the Bank On Yourself method – says the only regret he has is that he didn’t know about this sooner

Dan’s advice to anyone who’s still sitting on the fence and hasn’t started yet

You can listen to the interview by pressing the play button below, or you can download the entire interview as an MP3 and listen on your own player or iPod…

You can also download a transcript of the interview here.

If you haven’t started to Bank On Yourself yet, it’s free and there’s no-obligation to request an Analysis and find out what your bottom line numbers and results could be if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan.

When you request your Analysis, you’ll also get a referral to one of only 200 financial advisors in the country who have taken the rigorous training and meet the requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor, like the one Dan is working with.

Request your free Analysis now, so you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your financial future will be one you can predict and count on!

We want your feedback! Tell us what below what YOU think of Dan’s interview below…

Maybe you don’t quite believe what I’ve been saying for years.  This article confirms exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you…

This article is must-reading for anyone who’s been scratching their head and wondering…

If what they say about the long-term returns you should be able to get in the stock market is true, how come I’m not rich?!?”

Please pay particular attention to…

Myth #1: “This is a good time to invest in the stock market”

Myth #2: “Stocks on average make about 10% a year”

And the article author’s insight into Myth #10: “Stocks outperform over the long term” is priceless.

I’ve quoted many sources confirming what this Wall Street Journal article says.  How many more sources do you need to hear it from, before you request a free Analysis that will show you how much your financial picture could improve if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan?

Investors earn returns over time that are far lower than those quoted by mutual fund firms.  In fact, it’s not even a close race.”

This is the conclusion of DALBAR, Inc., the well-respected independent investment research firm.¹

For the past 20 years ending December 31, 2009, “the average equity investor managed to eke out an annualized return that outpaced inflation.”  The average return was 3.17% per year – just slightly more than the inflation rate for that period!

Asset allocation and fixed income investors weren’t so lucky (if you can call that “luck”); they lost ground after adjusting for inflation.

Why most investors don’t come close to getting the returns touted in mutual fund prospectuses…

There are plenty of reasons for this.  For starters…

Investor Trap #1:  “Investors are impatient and irrational,” and “consistently make buy and sell decisions at the worst possible moments,” according to DALBAR, a finding backed up by many experts in the emerging field of behavioral finance.

Investor Trap #2:  You could get a 25% “average annual return” for years and still not make a single dime or even lose money!

This is due to the smoke and mirrors the Wall Street illusionists have been using to pull the wool over your eyes for decades.  Don’t take my word for it – I exposed the mutual fund “rate of return” myth” here.

Investor Trap #3:  If you’re investing in mutual funds inside a 401(k) plan, fees can “eat up to half your income over a 30-year span,” according to an exposé on 60 Minutes.

In addition, most people aren’t aware that employers are making risky decisions on how to invest your money in your 401(k) for you without your knowledge or approval!  And they are automatically moving your money into higher-fee funds, too.

This is all courtesy of the Pension Protection Act of 2006.  Makes you wonder who they’re trying to protect!

Knowledge is power, so I urge you to learn what the government and your employer aren’t telling you about your 401(k).

Investor Trap #4:  Taxes, taxes and more taxes!

Nothing I’ve talked about so far takes into account the wealth-destroying effect of taxes.

If you’re like most Americans, much of your savings is in tax-deferred accounts, like 401(k)’s.  Paying taxes later is one of the big appeals of these plans.

But what direction do you think tax rates will go over the long term?  If, like most people, you think taxes are going to go up, and you’re successful in growing a nest-egg, you’re only going to pay higher taxes on a larger number!

The bottom line is that most people’s financial future rests on a game whose rules they do not understand and have no control over.  No wonder most Americans have no confidence they’ll be able to reach their financial goals and dreams.

Which is why Bank On Yourself should be a part of almost everyone’s financial foundation.

It gives you guaranteed growth in both good times and bad, as well as predictability and control.

A Bank On Yourself policy goes in only one direction:  UP.  Both your principal and gains are locked in.  It gives you peace of mine for retirement planning, because you can know how much income you could take every year in retirement (guaranteed), and for how long you’ll be able to take it.

You can take that income without tax consequences, if you do it right, under current tax law.

You can also use your cash value in the policy to inject needed capital into a business or to help you get through tough times.  To learn more about the many different ways people use Bank On Yourself, check out Chapters 6-12 of my best-selling book.

If you haven’t already added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, why not find out today what your bottom-line numbers and results could be if you did?  Whatever your long-term or short-term financial goals and dreams are, you may be surprised to find out how many of them Bank On Yourself can help you achieve.

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 DALBAR 2010 Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior

Countries go to war because of money.  People marry and divorce because of money.  And we spend the biggest part of our waking hours working to earn it.

The age-old question, of course, is, does money buy happiness?

While writing a fascinating book, John Stossel, the highly regarded former anchor of the investigative TV show, 20/20, did some research into the answer to this question.

Not surprisingly, it turns out that people who struggle on a daily basis to survive – put food on the table, clothe their family and put a roof over their heads – are the least happy.

In America, most people say they are “fairly happy,” but “they’d be happier if they had more money.”

However, Stossel’s research revealed that, after the basic necessities are covered, more money does not equal more happiness.  A survey of people on Forbes Magazine’s “richest” list found they rated themselves no happier than anyone else.  (But I imagine it’s more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Hyundai.)

Note:  Stossel’s book is called “Myths, Lies and Outright Stupidity,” and I highly recommend it.  You can get your copy here.

One thing we do know is that not having to worry about whether the money you were counting on to provide a comfortable retirement will be there when you need it reduces stress and increases your ability to enjoy every day.

Which is a big reason people are flocking to Bank On Yourself.  It gives you peace of mind for retirement planning, because you’ll know the minimum guaranteed income you can take every year and for how long you can take it.

Perhaps the best things about having money are:

Personal Freedom

Money is the tool of independence – not having to do what you do not wish to do.

Charitable Ability

Americans are among the most charitable people on earth.  Being able to give more to your church, temple and/or favorite charities is one of the most fulfilling feelings.

My best-selling book contains some very moving stories of folks who use their Bank On Yourself plans to allow them to devote more time and money to charitable causes.

And check out this video revealing how one family used their Bank On Yourself policy to help raise over $100,000 for their church.

It’s a very creative idea that almost anyone can use!

I think most people would agree that true prosperity is loving relationships, fulfilling work, contributing to a greater good, beautiful sunsets, abundant health, rainbows and talking with good friends.

And… it means having the freedom to live life full-on, doing the things that bring you joy.  It means living without fear of paying bills, scrimping by, or depriving yourself of the things that bring happiness, fulfillment, and meaning to your life.

Maybe money can’t truly buy happiness.  But it sure lubricates life and can prevent a whole lot of unhappiness.

It’s a lot easier to be happy if you’re not worried about paying the rent or mortgage, having the money to pay for braces on your kid’s teeth, or providing a home-health aid for an elderly parent.

Money stress breeds unhappiness, hopelessness, and broken relationships.

If you want more financial certainty, less stress over money and finances, and the ability to enjoy more of life’s luxuries (without the guilt), why not investigate what Bank On Yourself can do for you?

If you haven’t already requested your free, no-obligation Analysis that will show you how adding Bank On Yourself to your financial plan can help you reach both your short-term and long-term goals and dreams, why not request it now, while you’re thinking of it?
If you haven’t already started to Bank On Yourself, please take the first step today and take back control of your financial future!

Tell us what you think below.  Does money buy happiness?  And how do you define true prosperity?

The date was May 3^rd, 1999, and to quote Yogi Berra, nearly eleven years later,

The Wall Street spin-makers are pointing out what a “big accomplishment it is for a measure that was below 7,000 only a year ago” to recapture the 11,000 level.

Before we pop the cork on a bottle of champagne, here’s a few sobering questions to ask yourself…

Q: How much has inflation reduced the purchasing power of your dollars over the past 11 years?

Q: How much will your retirement or investment account be worth 11 years from now?

Q: How will you feel if the markets stall for another 11 years? (Fact: Historically, it’s the norm, not the exception, for the Dow to end up going nowhere for very lengthy periods of time.)

Q: How would your plans for retirement be affected if we experience market crashes this decade as deep and as devastating as the two we suffered during the last decade?

Q: Does your financial plan rely more on hope and luck than on guaranteed, predictable growth?

Ready to have a financial plan you can predict and count on?  Request a free Analysis that will show you how much money you could count on having in retirement.

After researching over 450 savings and investing products and strategies, I ultimately concluded that Americans have been brainwashed into believing we must risk our money in order to grow it.

Do you know the difference between “saving” and “investing”?

Part of the problem is that Wall Street and the financial planning industry have led us to believe that “saving” and “investing” are the same things.  However, they are not.

The money you have in savings is money you don’t want (or can’t afford) to lose.  The money you invest is subject to loss.

Most people today “invest to save,” and as a result, have no idea what their nest egg will be worth when they hope or plan to tap into it.

This is not a financial “plan,” which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “a means of accomplishing something.”

It’s gambling.  And it has led to a nation of people wondering if they’ll ever be able to retire, and what they’ll have to give up in order to do that.

Bank On Yourself 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, but with some little-known options added to the policy which turbo-charge the growth of your equity (“cash value”) in the policy.

These policies grow by a guaranteed and pre-set amount every year.  In addition, the growth is exponential, meaning it gets better (more efficient) every single year you have the policy, simply because you stick with it.

And, no luck, skill, or guesswork is required to make that happen.

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

These policies give you peace of mind for retirement planning, because you’ll know the minimum guaranteed income you can take in retirement, and for how long you can take it.

And if someone asks you if you know how much your plan will be worth in 10 years, 20 years, or whenever you hoped to tap into it, you can (finally) say “yes”!

As April 15^th looms, and most people agree taxes are only likely to increase over time, keep in mind that it’s possible to take retirement income from these policies with little or no tax consequences, under current tax law.

If you’ve already added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, congratulations!  You can laugh when Wall Street crows about hitting a level we first crossed nearly 11 years ago.

And if you haven’t started to Bank On Yourself, take the first step now towards taking back control of your money and finances by requesting your free, no-obligation Analysis that will show you how Bank On Yourself could
help you reach your long-term and short-term goals and dreams.

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 is it really true that if you simply hold on long enough, investing in stocks and mutual funds will out-perform just about anything else?

So, I’ve decided to lay those questions to rest – once and for all – right here.  Here’s the comment by a reader who calls himself “Tob” that sparked this post:

This is a ridiculous attempt to compare whole life insurance to the “stock market” after the worst decade. I can show you how investing blows the pants off whole life using investing basics. Balanced Funds. How many funds do you want that have produce 10% per year compounding average to convince you?”

So, has “Tob” really found that elusive investment that gives you a 10% average return, and still lets you sleep at night?

We’ll get to the answer to that question in a moment.

First, let me address the question,

“What the heck is the rate of return on a typical Bank On Yourself policy?”

And the answer is that you would have to get a 7 – 8%  annual return in a taxable account to equal the average net return in a typical and properly designed Bank On Yourself-type policy (assuming you’re in the 35% tax bracket).

Keep in mind that you receive a guaranteed and predictable cash value increase every single year – in both good times and bad.

In addition, you have the potential to receive dividends.  While not guaranteed, the companies used by Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors have paid dividends every year for more than 100 years.

The growth in a whole life insurance policy is not only guaranteed, it’s exponential.

The chart below shows you the exponential nature of the growth in a properly designed Bank On Yourself policy.  These policies are designed to get better (more efficient) every single year, simply because you stick with it, rather than jumping from one investment to another.  Notice how this gives you some built-in protection against inflation:

This chart is based on one of my own Bank On Yourself policies, showing the actual growth I’ve received so far in the policy, and the projected future growth, based on the current dividend scale (dividends are not guaranteed and are subject to change).

However, no two Bank On Yourself plans are alike – each one is custom 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, 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.

Unlike stocks, real estate, and other traditional investments, both your annual guaranteed cash value increase and any dividends you may receive are locked in, once credited to your policy.  They do not vanish due to a market correction or crash.

Imagine if you still had every penny of gains you’d received on your investments!

How much brighter do you think your financial picture might look right now?

To give you an idea of just how much of a difference having your gains locked in can make, here’s a fascinating little quiz…

Do you think it’s possible to invest $50,000, get a 25% average annual return on your money every year for four years… and end up with only the $50,000 you started with?

If you answered “no,” you’re in for a real surprise!

Let’s assume your money increases by 100% the first year, and then goes down by 50% in the second year.  But you do really well in the third year, because your money increases by 100% again.  Unfortunately, however, you take a 50% hit in the fourth year.

If you add those four annual percentages together and divide by four, you have a 25% annual return.

Not bad, huh?

But let’s see how much money you actually have in your account…

You started with $50,000 and your 100% increase in the first year doubled your money to $100,000.  Then you lost 50% in year two, giving you a balance of $50,000.

You did great in year three, when your 100% increase doubled your balance to $100,000.  But the 50% decline in the fourth year leaves you with… the same $50,000 you started with four years earlier!

So what good did getting a 25% average annual return do you?

That and a quarter won’t even buy you a cup of coffee, let alone a mocha latte!

You have nothing to show for this roller-coaster ride other than heartburn and a stomach ache.

But this is the kind of smoke and mirrors the Wall Street illusionists have been using to pull the wool over your eyes for decades!

You take all the risk, and they get the rewards, whether you make money or not!

But the myths and lies perpetuated by the Wall Street propaganda machine don’t stop there.  Here are three shocking facts about the long-term returns people are really getting in the stock market:

Shocking Fact #1:

A recent study¹ revealed that, for the past 190 years, American stocks have averaged a REAL annual return of only 1.4 percent!
Are you wondering how that could possibly be?

As the study’s author pointed out, the popular charts of stocks, bonds, bills and inflation that line the walls of brokerage offices assume full reinvestment of dividends, no commissions and no taxes.

Is that how you invest?

This study didn’t even adjust for commissions and taxes, because they vary so widely.  It only accounted for inflation and the fact that investors typically don’t reinvest all their dividends.

Is a paltry 1.4 percent real return worth the risk and sleepless nights to you?

And remember, that figure doesn’t even take into account commissions or taxes!

Shocking Fact #2:

For the last forty years, ordinary long-term treasury bonds have outpaced investing in the stock market.²

Long-term treasury bonds are what grandma buys so she can sleep at night!

Which means the only rewards investors have received for taking the extra risk of stocks and mutual funds for the past four decades are sleepless nights and broken retirement dreams!

Shocking Fact #3:

The typical equity mutual fund investor has actually been losing one percent a year for the past 20 years, after adjusting for inflation.³

So, what about that 10% annual return “Tob” was talking about?

In your dreams, my friend!

A so-called “balanced fund” is a mutual fund that “buys a combination of stocks and bonds to provide income and capital appreciation, while avoiding excessive risk.”

However, these funds have averaged only a 2.74% annual return for the last ten years, lagging inflation.  The 15-year average is a little better – 4.85%.  And the 20-year average has been 6.18% (see Wall Street smoke and mirrors revelation above), however, the fees charged by mutual fund companies for this type of fund are around 1.3%  What’s left barely outpaced inflation during that period.

Oh yeah – in 2008, the average balanced fund lost 28%, according to Morningstar.

Woohoo!  Where can I get me some of that stuff!?!

Let me let you in on a little secret…

Let me let you in on a little secret...

One of the many advantages of a properly structured Bank On Yourself-type policy is that you can borrow the equity in your policy, use it to invest elsewhere, and your money in the policy continues growing as though you hadn’t touched a dime of it!  (Note – not all companies offer this feature.)

I explain exactly how and why this happens on pages 68-69 of my best-selling book.

So, if you found a great investment, you could borrow money from your policy to put into that investment.

Result:  You could be receiving the 7 – 8% after-tax equivalent return I talked about at the beginning of this post… PLUS the return of the investment you put the money into!

This allows you to have your money working for you in two ways at the same time!

Chapters 8 and 11 of my book give real-life examples of people doing just that, from the Arizona couple using the money in their Bank On Yourself policy to fund a horse breeding business, to the surgeon who used his equity to purchase shares in a very profitable surgical center.

The bottom line is that the rate of return on a Bank On Yourself policy will put just about any traditional investment to shame, and it will do that without the risk or volatility of stocks, real estate, gold, commodities and other investments.

Haven’t we learned that return of our money is at least as important as the return on our money?

Financial security comes from knowing you have a solid financial foundation and that you have a nice chunk of your savings in a plan that only goes in one direction – UP.

So, if you haven’t started to Bank On Yourself, why not find out what it could do for you and your family?

Take the first step now by requesting your free Analysis. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.


¹ “Stock market’s real return?  Paltry,” by Anthony Mirhaydari, MSN Money, February 1, 2010
² “Bonds Why Bother?” by Robert Arnott, Journal of Indexes, May/June 2009 Issue
³ DALBAR’s 2008 Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior

Let’s take a look at the major provisions…

1.  More Americans will be herded into a retirement plan system that most experts agree is broken

According to a newly released White House Fact Sheet, the administration wants to force many of the 78 million working Americans not currently covered by employer-based retirement plans into them.  They will do this by requiring employers to enroll their employees in automatic direct-deposit IRAs, unless the employee opts out.

Experience shows most employees do not opt out.  The result?  Many more people will be relying on the same investment strategies that have lined the pockets of Wall Street and dashed the retirement hopes and dreams of millions of Americans.

On the other hand, those who use the Bank On Yourself method have been able to move closer to their financial goals and dreams each and every single year. To find out how you could turn your back on the stomach-churning ups and downs of stocks, real estate, and other investments, request a free, no-obligation Analysis today.

2.  Proposed tax credits for retirement savings contributions mean you will be paying for other people’s investment mistakes!

Even millions of Americans who pay no taxes will receive these credits, under the administration’s proposal.

3.  Employers will be expected to do what even the experts can’t

Employers who offer so-called “target-date” mutual funds will be expected to “evaluate their suitability for their workforce.”

These funds, which automatically shift assets over the individual’s lifetime to lower risk as the person approaches retirement age, failed miserably to accomplish that goal during the 2008 crash.

In addition, studies consistently show that 80% of all investment advisors and 80% of all mutual funds underperform the overall market¹.  Yet employers with no training or experience will somehow be expected to determine which funds will do well.

4.  The government wants to “promote” the availability of annuities and other forms of guaranteed lifetime income in 401(k) plans

Unfortunately, the growth and returns of some of these products may not even keep up with inflation.

5.  Beleaguered small business owners will face new costs and administrative burdens

According to the National Small Business Association, 64 percent of small business owners surveyed said revenues declined in the past 12 months.

When small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, we oppose mandates such as this that stand to create a new administrative burden”

-  Molly Brogan, vice president of public affairs for the NSBA

6.  The government controls your money in retirement plans, not you

The government determines when and how much you can take out of your retirement plan, and can change the rules any time they want.

Proposals to do just that have already been floated through Congress.

And if the government wants to force you to buy Treasury debt with part or all of their retirement plan money, because China and Brazil won’t take the risk any more, they can do it.

7.  While expert after expert agree that the current systems of saving for retirement are broken, few offer any viable alternatives

Yet hundreds of thousands of people who use the Bank On Yourself method did not lose a penny during the market crash of 2008, or during the “lost decade” of the 2000’s.

Their plans have all continued growing – safely and predictably,  and without the risk or volatility of stocks, real estate and other investments.  Which may explain why my offer to pay $100,000 to the first person who uses a different strategy that can match or beat Bank On Yourself remains unclaimed.

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

To find out what your bottom-line numbers and results could be, and how much income you could count on at retirement, just request your free, no-obligation Analysis.

There's no obligation on your part

If you take the first step now, you could start taking back control of your money and your future financial security in as little as 60 days!

¹ Hulbert Financial Digest, The Motley Fool

I’ve lost a bet.  I’ve lost my keys.  But I’ve never lost a decade – until now.”

- Sam Stovall, S&P’s chief strategist

The S&P 500 ended the past decade down almost 25 percent below where it was ten years earlier.  And that doesn’t even factor in the 29% inflation we experienced during the decade.

In fact, since the end of 1999, the S&P 500 stock index has lost an average of 3.3% a year, on an inflation-adjusted basis, even after including dividends, according to the data compiled by Charles Jones, finance professor at North Carolina State University.¹

Hmmm… so what does that mean to the typical family in dollars and cents?

You may want to grab a bottle of Pepto-Bismol, because it isn’t very pretty…

Here’s what inflation and negative returns have done to a nest egg invested in an S&P 500 index fund (the way most Americans’ retirement savings are), over the past decade…

You now need a 39.9% increase just to get back to where you were ten years ago!

Given that the stock market has just experienced its fastest climb since 1933, how likely do you think it is that we’ll have another 39.9% rise this year? Especially given soaring government spending, stubbornly high unemployment, and looming tax hikes.

Even if we do see that kind of increase, it would only take you back to dollars worth what they were ten years ago, so you’d need another 29% increase just to break even!

And here’s something else that really sucks:  45 percent of Americans say they hate their jobs, according to a just-released survey.

Can you imagine what it would feel like if you’ve been sweating away at a job you can’t stand so you could put money away for your financial future… only to see your hard-earned dollars vanish?!?

Investors would have been better off investing in pretty much anything else (during the past decade) or even just stuffing money under a mattress.” ¹

Meanwhile, what lessons have we learned from a lost decade?

Wall Street and the financial “gurus” are still pitching the same saving and investing strategies that got us where we are.

The number one best-selling book on personal finance recently was about how to get back to even – from the same guy whose advice put you in the hole in the first place.

This may surprise you…

For hundreds of thousands of families who use the Bank On Yourself method, their nest-eggs remained intact – and have continued growing.  Safely, consistently, and predictably.

Oh what a difference it makes when both your principal and gains are locked in… and you’re getting compounded growth on a bigger number every single year!

But don’t take my word for it.  Here’s an example of how one of my own Bank On Yourself policies grew over the past decade.  It’s a real eye-opener, so I urge you to check it out.

There are a few cracks appearing in the investment industry’s armor recently, though.  Last week, an article in Investment News noted:

Sales of immediate annuities and whole-life insurance will increase this year as boomers nearing retirement seek reliable income streams that aren’t subject to the whims of the market.”

The article also described whole-life insurance as a “fixed-income alternative… that can fare well despite a low interest-rate environment.”²

And keep in mind they’re talking about a traditional whole life policy – the kind Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey and most other financial experts and advisors talk about.  But a Bank On Yourself-type dividend-paying whole life policy has features that super-charge the growth of your cash value, so you’re going to have a lot more cash available to use any way you want – especially in the early years of the policy.

If you knew there were a way to grow your nest-egg safely and predictably, while getting all the other advantages we just talked about – and then some – and that your plan would only get better and better every single year, when would be the best time to get started?

If you answered something along the lines of “yesterday,” I have good news for you.  There’s actually a way to “turn back the clock” for up to six months, when you start a Bank On Yourself policy, so you can help make up for some of that lost time.

The best way to get started is to request your free Bank On Yourself Analysis.  You’ll get a referral to a knowledgeable Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor, who can help you turn back the clock.

There's no obligation on your part

And if you’ve already started to Bank On Yourself,  congratulations!  Please take this as a reminder of the many benefits you’re getting.  And please pass the word on to others you care about.

We want to hear from you!  What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from the lost decade?  Share your comments below…

¹ “Investors Hope the ’10s Beat the ’00s,” Tom Lauricella, Wall Street Journal, 12/20/09

² “Immediate annuities and whole life are likely to gain favor,” Darla Mercado, Investment News, 1/10/10

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.