Why Does Ted Benna, the “Father of the 401(k),” Love the “501(k)” Plan?

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The man widely credited as the “Father of the 401(k) Plan,” Ted Benna, is among those saying the plan is no longer a good way to save and invest for retirement. He cites concerns that the government may change the rules, and not in your favor; that an impending market crash will wipe out much of what you’ve saved for your retirement; and that staggering fees can eat up a large portion of your nest egg.

Benna has gone on record as endorsing something that has been creatively called a “501(k) Plan.” Ted Benna says,

I created a monster (the 401(k)) that should be blown up… I’m now putting most of my money in the 501(k).”

Don’t get distracted by the name “501(k).” Although “401(k)” refers to the section of the Internal Revenue Code that deals with retirement plans, “501(k)” is an obscure Internal Revenue Code reference that describes the educational status of certain child care organizations! Using “501(k)” to refer to some kind of retirement plan is a gimmick dreamed up by Madison Avenue types.

But all they did was take the Bank On Yourself concept, which is a proven 401(k) alternative, and give it a mysterious new name, the “501(k),” hoping you’ll pay money to find out what they’re talking about.

But while others are charging you money for this information, we’ve been giving it away for years! For FREE information about the Bank On Yourself method that others call a “501(k),” download our free report, 5 Simple Steps to Bypass Wall Street, Beat the Banks at Their Own Game and Take Control of Your Financial Future here.

History of the 401(k) Plan and Ted Benna’s Contribution to It

[Read more…] “Why Does Ted Benna, the “Father of the 401(k),” Love the “501(k)” Plan?”

Is “Tax-Free Retirement” Too Good to Be True?

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Tax-free retirement—living a comfortable life in retirement without the obligation to pay income tax—comes as the result of planning and arranging your finances (following IRS guidelines every step of the way) so that when you retire, none of the money you receive is taxable—perhaps not even your Social Security income.

Tax-free retirement is good, and this article reveals how to make it happen.

Is Avoiding Taxes on Your Retirement Income Legal?

Reducing or avoiding taxes is perfectly legal. People take steps to reduce or avoid taxes all the time. They may donate to charity to avoid paying as much tax. They deduct their mortgage payments. They take legitimate business deductions. They may shift medical expenses, hoping to bunch expenses into one year and exceed the threshold for deductions that year. These are just a few of the legal tax-avoiding measures Americans take every day.

Many people even believe they have an IRA or a 401(k) to avoid paying taxes. But that’s a trap, because traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and most other government-controlled retirement plans do not allow you to avoid paying taxes. They merely postpone tax day. We’ll talk more about that in a few minutes.

Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one’s affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everybody does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands.” — Supreme Court Justice Learned Hand

So while avoiding taxes is legal, evading taxes is not. Maybe you don’t report your income. Maybe you take deductions you’re not allowed. Or maybe you just tell the IRS to take a hike. That’s tax evasion.

But make no mistake: A tax-free retirement can be achieved legally, using IRS-approved methods.

Ways to Avoid Income Tax in Retirement

[Read more…] “Is “Tax-Free Retirement” Too Good to Be True?”

The Truth About Whole Life Insurance and Why It’s More Than a “Rich Man’s Roth”

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UPDATED October 2019

I came across an online article by a blogger who ignorantly claimed that the only good purpose for whole life insurance was as a rich man’s Roth and only for individuals whose high incomes made them ineligible for the tax-saving advantages of a Roth IRA. He’s dead wrong — you don’t have to be wealthy to benefit from the incredible advantages of whole life insurance.

Let’s look at how a Roth IRA works vs. a dividend-paying whole life insurance policy.

How Does a Roth IRA Work?

A Roth Individual Retirement Arrangement (Roth IRA) is an IRS-approved strategy that allows you to invest money you have earned by making contributions to a Roth IRA plan you have set up. You are not allowed to take a tax deduction for your contribution as you are with a traditional IRA. However, any earnings you withdraw from a Roth IRA aren’t taxed — as long as you’re at least age 59 1/2 and you’ve had the Roth IRA for at least 5 years.

How a Roth IRA differs from a traditional IRA

Roth IRAs are quite different from traditional IRAs.

With a traditional IRA, your contributions are tax-deductible. However, when you withdraw money from your traditional IRA—and you must withdraw specific percentages annually, beginning soon after your seventieth birthday—you must pay taxes on everything you withdraw—at whatever the tax rate happens to be at the time.

See the table for a summary of the key differences between a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. [Read more…] “The Truth About Whole Life Insurance and Why It’s More Than a “Rich Man’s Roth””

The Surprising Truth About What Happens to the Cash Value of Your Life Insurance Policy When You Die

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In Part 1 of this two-part series, I proved the media’s financial gurus are wrong when they claim that it takes years to build cash value in a whole life insurance policy.

In this second part of the series, I’ll show you why all the self-proclaimed experts miss the boat when they claim that whole life insurance policies are a rip-off because you build up all that cash value, then the insurance company keeps it when you die and only gives your heirs the death benefit.

It doesn’t have to be that way, my friend!

Click on the policy statement above to see a larger version

Here’s an actual whole life insurance policy annual statement. (This is a different policy than the one I showed you in Part 1.)

Click on the image to open as a pdf

This is a whole life insurance policy purchased on my life in 1992. The statement I’m showing you, issued 17 years later, makes some astounding revelations. [Read more…] “The Surprising Truth About What Happens to the Cash Value of Your Life Insurance Policy When You Die”

Here’s Proof That the Financial “Experts” Don’t Know About Bank On Yourself Whole Life Insurance Policies

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Policy Statement Showing How Whole Life Policies Designed the Bank On Yourself Way are Different From the Policies Most Financial "Gurus" Talk About
Click on the policy statement above to see a larger version

Take a look at this life insurance policy statement. It’s for a policy I took out on September 15, 2002. I’m showing it to you because I want put to rest the misconceptions and untruths the so-called financial “gurus” are spreading about the cash value growth of well-designed dividend-paying whole life insurance policies.

Policy Statement Showing How Whole Life Policies Designed the Bank On Yourself Way are Different From the Policies Most Financial "Gurus" Talk About
Click on the image to open as a pdf

The financial gurus tell you not to buy whole life insurance because your equity in the policy—your cash value—grows too slowly, and you won’t have any equity for the first few years.

This is simply not true of Bank On Yourself-type whole life insurance policies!

You’ll have cash value in the first year with a whole life insurance policy designed the Bank On Yourself way!

[Read more…] “Here’s Proof That the Financial “Experts” Don’t Know About Bank On Yourself Whole Life Insurance Policies”

Bill Williams’ AHA Moment: How Bank On Yourself Freed Him from 401(k) Loans and Mutual Funds

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Bill Williams is an enthusiastic believer in the Bank On Yourself concept because of how it has helped his family financially. He wrote to me several years ago, and I included his letter on page 228 of my 2014 New York Times best-selling book, The Bank On Yourself Revolution:

Thanks for all the good things you are doing, Pamela. I am working with my Bank On Yourself Professional to set up my third policy, and I am so appreciative of her guidance and expertise. She has been tremendously supportive.

The real “snake oil” is all of the purported advice about savings and investing we have been fed by the “experts” in the past. I get so upset by the advice to invest with before-tax dollars into 401(k)s or 403(b)s.

I’m over sixty years old and know when I turn 70½, I’m going to have to take required withdrawals from my plans and have the added burden of paying taxes on them. After all, the IRS wants to get its hands on the taxes they let me avoid paying all those years.

I wish not only that I had learned about Bank On Yourself earlier, but that the concept could be taught to the masses when they are young enough to get the maximum benefit from it.

Here’s why I say that: I think of all of the purchases I’ve made through the years where Bank On Yourself would have been a much better means to fund them. As an example, my son’s college expenses, which I paid every cent by selling stock and mutual funds and taking a loan from a 401(k).

Needless to say, my son received a great education (to his credit), but dear old dad has nothing to show for it. I had to put money into the stocks, 401(k), and mutual fund, so I had the resources—which could have been so much more powerful in a Bank On Yourself policy! It’s as simple as that. If I had done that, I would now still have the policies, which would have even more value.

I am depleting an IRA to fund my third policy and to help fund my first two Bank On Yourself-type policies. I just hope I live long enough to enjoy all the benefits.

Bill Williams writes again, about Bank On Yourself, tax-free retirement, and dividend-paying whole life insurance

[Read more…] “Bill Williams’ AHA Moment: How Bank On Yourself Freed Him from 401(k) Loans and Mutual Funds”

The Ticking Tax Time-Bomb of Conventional Retirement Plans

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One of the biggest selling points of 401(k) and IRA retirement plans is that the money you put into them isn’t taxed right away. Bring out the bubbly to celebrate, right?!

Not so fast.

First of all, some people – hopefully not you! – mistakenly believe money placed into these retirement plans is “tax free.” It isn’t. It is “tax deferred,” meaning that you will pay tax on that money when you withdraw from your retirement plan down the line.

Deferred taxes might sound good, but deferring your taxes is like putting off a visit to the dentist. The problem compounds and will only get worse.

Deferring taxes creates a dangerous potential tax time bomb because you don’t have the answers to two critical questions…

First, what will the tax rates be when you retire? And what will they be 20 or 30 years later?

[Read more…] “The Ticking Tax Time-Bomb of Conventional Retirement Plans”

Vacations are for People, NOT Your Retirement Plan

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Do you remember how much value the stock market lost in the crashes of 2000 and 2007? I’m talking about what percent the market lost during each of those crashes.

If you’re not sure, take a guess before you read on.

The tech crash happened just 15 years ago. The S&P 500 lost 49% from March, 2000 to October, 2002. Many investors – myself included – had moved their money into NASDAQ tech stocks, which plunged 78% during that same 2-1/2-year period.

Then the S&P 500 peaked again in 2007 – just a few years later. By March of 2009, it had plunged 57%.

That makes two heart-stopping losses of more than 49% just in the last 15 years. [Read more…] “Vacations are for People, NOT Your Retirement Plan”