Archive for the ‘Tax Advantages of Bank on Yourself’ Category


The Ultimate Wealth-Building and Retirement Strategy

Have you been disappointed by your 401(k), IRA or other retirement plan?  Conventional wisdom tells us these plans are the best way to save and invest for retirement. Yet following this advice has resulted in financial insecurity for most Americans.

Because of this, most baby boomers have been forced to postpone retirement an average of five years.1

I’m often asked how using the Bank On Yourself method to save for retirement compares to traditional plans, so I put together this short video that reveals seven reasons Bank On Yourself makes an excellent retirement plan alternative.

Click the play button in the video below and see how many of these seven advantages you’d like to have in your financial plan…

HOW TO ADD GUARANTEES AND PREDICTABILITY TO YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN…

Would you like to find out how big your nest-egg could grow – guaranteed – if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan? No two plans are alike – yours would be custom-tailored to your unique situation, goals and dreams. To find out what your bottom-line numbers would be, request a FREE, no-obligation Analysis today.

If you’re wondering where you’ll find the money to fund your plan, keep in mind the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are masters at helping people restructure their finances to free up money to fund a plan. Here are the eight most common places they look.

1.  Bankers Life and Casualty Center for a Secure Retirement, May 2011

The Ugly Financial Truth in Pictures

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

If you’ve been having a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that you’ve been treading water in your financial plan for what seems like forever, these three graphic “snapshots” reveal the ugly truth.

These snapshots clearly illustrate the fatal flaws in the conventional wisdom that’s been shoved down our throats for so long about saving and investing.

This is your retirement plan powered by Wall Street

A quick look at this snapshot tells you everything you need to know…

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Let me ask you a question…

Where is it written that you must suffer a lost decade – or more – growing your nest egg?

Isn’t that what Wall Street wants us to believe?

The fact of the matter is that the only guarantee Wall Street gives you is that they’ll get paid whether you win or lose!

It’s also why they desperately don’t want you to know about the peace of mind, guarantees, and predictability you get when your retirement plan is powered by Bank On Yourself.

Once again, a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s compare the growth in a Bank On Yourself plan side-by-side with what the Wall Street Casino offers:

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The chart on the right above shows the growth pattern in a typical Bank On Yourself-type policy.  The growth is exponential (in the mathematical sense of the word).  That means the growth curve gets steeper every year you have the policy – with no luck, skill or guesswork required to make that happen.

And while these plans grow more slowly at the start (there’s no such thing as a magic pill!), the growth is at its peak at the time you need it most – retirement.

The chart above is based on the actual growth I’ve received in one of my own policies so far, along with the projected growth based on the current dividend scale.

Dividends aren’t guaranteed, but the companies preferred by the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors have paid them every single year for more than 100 years.

Keep in mind that no two Bank On Yourself plans are alike…

Each is custom tailored to your unique situation, goals and dreams. To find out what your bottom-line, guaranteed numbers and results would be if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, request a free, no-obligation Analysis now, if you haven’t already done so.

If you’re wondering where you’ll find the money to fund your plan, keep in mind the Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are masters at helping people find money they didn’t know they had to fund a plan. Here are the eight most common places they look.

So now let’s take a look at another bit of conventional financial wisdom gone awry…

We were taught we could count on the equity in our homes to be a major part of our retirement nest-egg.  A lot of people who thought they were doing the right thing made extra mortgage payments, so they could have the “security” of knowing their home was paid off in full when they retired.

They plowed money they could have put into safe savings into their homes instead – which got them a ZERO rate of return on their hard-earned dollars AND locked up their money in a depreciating asset.

And here’s a snapshot of where that got them…

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News Flash!  There’s a better way!  Did you know that you can save up enough cash value in a Bank On Yourself policy to be able to write a check to pay off your mortgage in full, any time you choose to do that?

My husband and I could do that TODAY – if we chose to.  But we made the smart decision to leave that money in our Bank On Yourself plans where it is working much harder for us.

How much harder is that money working for us?  This blog post I wrote on the rate of return of a Bank On Yourself plan reveals why you’d need to get a 7-8% return in a tax-deferred account, like a 401(k) or IRA, to equal the return of a typical Bank On Yourself plan.

And that’s without the risk or volatility of traditional investments!

TIRED OF WATCHING YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN GO NOWHERE?

Find out how the Bank On Yourself method can give you the financial security and predictability you want and deserve. It’s NEVER had a losing year in 160 years! Take the first step right now by requesting a FREE Bank On Yourself Analysis.

Wondering where you’ll find the funds to start a plan? Don’t worry! You’ll receive a referral to one of only 200 advisors in the country who have met the rigorous requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor and can show you ways to find money you didn’t know you had to fund a plan.

Now let’s take a look at the promise of gold.  Again, a picture is worth a thousand words…

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I’ve found most people who are buying gold today have no clue about the volatile history of that metal.  And those who forget (or are ignorant of) the past are condemned to repeat it.

And keep this in mind – Bank On Yourself doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition, because you can use the money in your plan to make purchases or to take advantage of opportunities and investments.  (It’s your money, after all!)  Your policy continues growing as though you never touched it.  (Work with a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor to make sure your policy is from a company that offers this feature.)

Having your money in something that’s safe and liquid doesn’t take away your options!

This is the time of year when people often take stock of where they are today, and where they’d rather be in the future.

If you still believe that Wall Street holds the key to your financial security, and if you believe the economic challenges we’ve been facing that have caused the unprecedented volatility in the market are over with… then keep doing what you’ve been doing and hope it all works out.

But if you’re determined that the next ten years are going to be a lot better than the last ten or more, then today is the day to take the first step towards a financial future you can predict and count on by requesting your FREE Analysis, if you haven’t already done so.

When you do, you’ll find out if you qualify for a Bank On Yourself plan.  It can take up to 60 days for your policy to be approved.  So you can see why you need to start today to hit the ground running in 2012.

Request your free Analysis now… and find out how much your financial picture could improve by adding Bank On Yourself to your financial plan.


Bank On Yourself featured in AARP

Saving Your Nest Egg in Tough Times

Saving Your Nest Egg in Tough Times

Pamela Yellen was recently interviewed by AARP about the Bank On Yourself wealth-building method for an article on “Saving Your Nest Egg in Tough Times.”

Scroll down to the second paragraph below the “50/50, if you’re 50″ subhead to read the advice Pamela gave for investors age 50-65 who are fed up with watching their hard-earned nest-eggs shrink yet again.

What about investors over age 65?

Pamela also gave advice for investors between the ages of 66 and 85 who want to add more guarantees and predictability to their financial plan and bump up their returns without the risk of stocks and other investments.

Although there wasn’t space to include that advice in the AARP article, this is an increasingly popular option for Americans up through the age of 85.

This little-known option provides many advantages that annuities and CD’s do not have, including…

  • Provides guaranteed growth and a higher return
  • Exceptional flexibility and liquidity
  • Protection from estate taxes
  • Automatic long-term care coverage at no additional costs (in states where it’s available)

The Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are well-versed in this option and can conduct a free Analysis that will help you determine which plan is best for your unique situation.

If you’re not sure where you’ll find the funds to start a plan, don’t worry.  The Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisors are masters at helping their clients of any age restructure their finances to free up seed money to fund a plan that will help you reach as many of your long-term and short-term goals as possible – in the shortest time possible.

Remember – Wall Street already lost more than 45% of the typical investor’s savings TWICE in the last decade.  How would it affect you if this latest stock market rout is just the beginning of another look-out-below crash?

To find out how you can add predictability and guarantees to your financial plan and have the financial security and peace of mind that you want and deserve, request your FREE Analysis now.  You’ll be connected with one of only 200 financial advisors in the country who have met the rigorous training and requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Authorized Advisor.


Bank On Yourself Round-Up for week of July 13, 2011

Here are short summaries of three of the most interesting and thought-provoking items that have crossed my desk this week.  Enjoy… and tell us what you think!roundup

Would you be prepared if you suffered a 30% pay cut?

A shocking new report reveals that the average person’s pay levels off when they’re in their 40′s.  After that, about all you’ll be likely to count on will be cost-of-living adjustments to keep pace with inflation.

That will come as a real surprise to many people who assume their pay will continue to rise as they get older.

And if you lose your job while in your 50′s, you’re likely to remain jobless longer than when you were younger, according to the report.

Salary CutRead this sobering and well documented article from the Wall Street Journal.1

What’s your best self-defense?  When planning for retirement, assume the only salary increases you’ll get will be cost-of-living adjustments.  And identify a worse-case scenario – such as a 20% pay cut during your final ten years in the workforce – and try living on that income and putting the rest into savings.

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Bank On Yourself Round-Up for Week of May 18, 2011

I hope you enjoy these short summaries of four of the most interesting and thought-provoking items that have crossed my desk this week…Bank On Yourself in the News

401(k) savings reach a 12-year high

However, half of all workers aren’t confident about their retirement future. No wonder, considering 56% say they’ve saved less than $25,000.1

According to an article in USA Today2, many 401(k) participants increased their contribution some this past year.  If you’re one of them, or are considering doing that, here are some things to think about:

  • After a “lost” decade for stocks, before the market turned around in 2009, the 10-year returns of the S&P 500 were negative. Even after a near-record recovery, the 10-year returns remain meager – just 2.7% on an annualized basis for the ten years ending in April.3

That just about equals the inflation rate for that period, wiping out any real gain you might have had for the decade.  It also assumes you have no fees or costs (401(k)’s have some of the highest costs) AND assumes you’ll pay no taxes!

  • And speaking of taxes… what direction do you think tax rates are going over the long term?

If you think they’re going up, as most people we’ve surveyed do, and you’re successful in growing a nest-egg in your 401(k), you’re only going to pay higher taxes on a bigger number!

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When opportunity knocks, will you be ready?

In every economy – whether boom or bust – opportunities arise.  Unfortunately, most people don’t have the financial resources to take advantage of them.

This is an inspiring story of how people are using the Bank On Yourself method to be in a position to take advantage of some amazing opportunities…

Here’s a new reality: You need cash now more than ever. Not credit. Not equity. Cash.”

- “Why Cash is King,” Men’s Health, November, 2010 issue

joni-schulz-and-dave

"Bank On Yourselfers" Joni and Dave Schultz

Take Joni and Dave Schultz, who just happen to be my sister- and brother-in-law.  Joni is a hospital department supervisor and Dave just retired from his job in construction.

They came to visit us recently, and Joni’s first comment when she walked in the door was, “Now I get it!  I understand why Bank On Yourself is so much better than using a credit card or finance company, and why it’s even better than paying cash for stuff!

Joni and Dave started a Bank On Yourself policy about five years ago, in order to supplement their retirement income and add predictability to their financial plan.

But they’d never used it to finance any purchases… until now.

Opportunity knocks…

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Bank On Yourself under the microscope

Dan Proskauer

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…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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 altogetherBank On Yourself under a microscope
  • 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…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can also download a transcript of the interview here.

The more I look into Bank On Yourself, the better it looks.”
~Dan Proskaur

The ultimate financial security blanket

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…


Dow 11,000: Déjà vu all over again?

Bill Clinton was President, the world awaited the potentially disastrous consequences of the Y2K computer bug, and – oh, yeah – the Dow closed above 11,000 for the first time in history.Yogi Berra

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

This is like deja vu all over again


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…

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No new taxes?!?

Did you know that the U.S. income tax was first instituted in 1913?

1913 Form 1040 Tax Return

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!

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