Financial Professional Awareness

Posted on June 10, 2022August 3, 2022

Insuring A Better World Fund was created by two lifetime financial service professionals with a combined 70 years of experience in the life insurance industry. This 501(c)(3) charity was created to help bridge the gap between potential donors of life insurance policies and the charities they wish to support.

Insuring A Better World Fund transforms an unhappy client who may lapse a life insurance policy after years of premium payments into a happy client who has fulfilled their philanthropic goals and secured their legacy at no cost to them or their chosen charity. A donation of a life insurance policy to Insuring A Better World Fund improves the client’s cash flow; may allow them a charitable tax deduction and fulfill a gift that they committed to in testamentary documents.

Although industry statistics state that 88% of all life insurance policies lapse, life insurance is still a compelling purchase for most individuals and many corporations. In fact, there is over $20 trillion of death benefit in force in the United States. There are a myriad of ways the life insurance industry has served their clients faithfully and in their best interest. Life insurance is purchased for income protection, wealth transfer, estate planning, business succession and many other reasons. The industry estimates that US households are UNDER insured by $12 TRILLION.

However, the overwhelming majority of these policies lapse without paying a death benefit. No change to human behavior is required. Instead, we transform the potential waste of a lapsing life insurance policy into your client’s philanthropic ideal. Insuring A Better World Fund is an attractive exit strategy to those policy owners who are lapsing a life insurance policy. Gain the expertise to fulfill your client’s philanthropic goals through the no-cost donation of life insurance to Insuring A Better World Fund, a new and attractive exit strategy.

This will enhance your relationship with your client in several ways, while benefiting the charities your clients choose to support.

This is a brand new “no ask“ conversation that all life insurance and financial professionals should be having with their clients in the senior market. With a growing senior market, 10,000 people a day turn 65, this opportunity is a win-win option for your senior clients.
You can help your clients find a feel-good alternative to a life settlement without competing with the market. Many clients are uneasy with the concept of selling their life insurance policy, whether it’s to a for-profit fund, a desire to avoid the long process, or getting a very small or no life settlement offer.
The client can donate that same policy to their favorite charity at no cost AND receive a charitable income tax deduction upon donation to Insuring A Better World Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Insuring a Better World Fund is a no cost option for your client and the charity. This relieves your client of any future premium payments improving their cash flow.

We are also a wonderful tool to approach the charities you support. Financial professionals know that the $20 trillion life insurance asset class is ripe for charitable use. Conversations around philanthropy are a must as the great wealth transfer is already underway. This also helps the charity with the following:

In 2021, estimates of lapsed death benefit in the senior market alone ranged from $100 billion to $180 billion. Though not all of those policies have value, that still leaves tens of billions of dollars of life insurance that can be re-purposed for the benefit of charity.
Charities lack the expertise needed and you can be their expert resource.
Numerous opportunities as the charities’ life insurance expert to sell new policies to board members, donors and support new sales in conjunction with donations.

Insuring A Better World Fund combines the world of financial professionals, their clients, and charities into one team for the benefit of all. The leadership in our industry has always exemplified the philanthropic ideals that life insurance professionals and our industry should promote.

Our co-founders Robert Stuchiner and David Simon both have their own personal involvement with several charities that encompass disease, religion, poverty, and education. Personal causes affecting them and their families, ranging from visual impairment & diabetes to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, are all part of what drives our shared mission to create more charitable impact through this opportunity within the life insurance industry.

Donations of life insurance not only provide much needed revenue to charities, but also provide hope to the people charities are benefitting today. At the recent FORUM400 meeting of top life insurance professionals, one truly outstanding professional, Larry Rybka, was recognized with the Humanitarian Award for building a school in an underdeveloped area.

The standing ovation he received acknowledged not just his accomplishment, but who he is and the legacy he built. The educational opportunity he envisioned will serve hundreds of students, benefit thousands in their households and will positively impact millions in their community for generations. Now that creates a better world for us all.

Insuring A Better World Fund is founded on the principle that each of us has the potential to make an impact and create our own legacy. Now, the donation of a lapsing life insurance policy can be a large part of the equation for your client to realize that legacy.

Together we can ensure a better world for us all, but we need your support. To join us visit our contact page at iabwf.org/contact/ or call us at 312-819-0790.

A Call to Action for Financial Professionals

Posted on March 24, 2022August 3, 2022

Insuring A Better World Fund transforms an unhappy client who may lapse a life insurance policy after years of premium payments into a happy client who has fulfilled their philanthropic goals and secured their legacy at no cost to them or their chosen charity. A donation of a life insurance policy to Insuring A Better World Fund improves the client’s cash flow; this allows them a charitable tax deduction and may fulfill a gift that they committed to in testamentary documents.

Although industry statistics state that 88% of all life insurance policies lapse, life insurance is still a compelling purchase for most individuals and many corporations. In fact, there is approximately $20 trillion of death benefit in force in the United States. There are a myriad of ways the life insurance industry has served their clients faithfully and in their best interest. In our teams tenured experience, we have seen direct impacts:

Upon delivery of death benefit payments to families facing financial burdens

For clients seeking liquidity after the passing of their loved one

For businesses facing financial hardship following the death of an owner or key-man

However, the overwhelming majority of these policies lapse without paying a death benefit. No change to human behavior is required – instead, we transform the value of a policy that would otherwise go to waste for the benefit of your client’s chosen charitable cause. Insuring A Better World Fund is an attractive exit strategy to those policy owners who are lapsing a life insurance policy. When you work with us, you will gain the expertise needed to fulfill your client’s philanthropic goals through the no-cost donation of life insurance to Insuring A Better World Fund, a new and attractive exit strategy.

This will enhance your relationship with your client in several ways, while benefitting the charities your clients choose to support.

This is a brand new “no ask“ conversation that all life insurance and financial professionals should be having with their clients in the senior market. With a growing senior market, 10,000 people a day turning age 65, this opportunity is a win-win option for your senior clients.

You can help your clients find a feel-good alternative to a life settlement without competing with the market. Many clients are uneasy with the concept of selling their life insurance policy, whether it’s to a for-profit fund, a desire to avoid the long process, or getting very little or no life settlement offer motivating the client to sell.

The client can donate that same policy for the benefit of their favorite charity at no cost AND receive a charitable income tax deduction upon donation to Insuring A Better World Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

In 2021, estimates of lapsed death benefit in the senior market alone ranged from $100 billion to $180 billion. Though not all of those policies have value, that still leaves tens of billions of dollars of life insurance that can be re-purposed for the benefit of charity.

Donations of life insurance not only provide much needed revenue to charities, but also provide hope to the people charities are benefitting today. At the recent FORUM400 meeting of top life insurance professionals, Larry Rybka, a truly outstanding professional was recognized with the Humanitarian Award for building a school in an underdeveloped area. Mr. Rybka’s generosity inspired one of his clients to build a hospital nearby the school.

Together we can ensure a better world for us all, but we need your support. To join us visit our contact page at www.iabwf.org/contact or call us at 312-819-0790.

Do I still need my life insurance?

Posted on February 1, 2022March 24, 2022

Mr. and Ms. Smith are the parents in a successful two income family with four children. They own a nice house near the city and are involved in many activities outside of home or work, mostly centered around their children.

Their first born is a 17-year-old daughter excelling in the sciences and looking forward to attending a private college on the west coast. Their second born, a 15-year-old son, is a highly competitive baseball player and may be on a scholarship track to a division one university. Next in line is their 13-year-old son who already performs in a garage band and mixes music on his computer for school dances and parties. The youngest is a precocious girl who loves being around her friends and family and shows a keen interest in medicine at the tender age of 10-years-old.

Mr. Smith owns a textile company with 25+ employees and earns approximately $250,000 a year. Ms. Smith is a structured finance attorney with a mid-sized law firm and also earns approximately $250,000 a year.

There are many reasons to buy life insurance but the four most popular reasons are:

1) To financially protect your family;

2) To replace lost income from the death of an income earner;

3) To pay off debts and estate taxes; and

4) To cover potential future expenses such as education, childcare, and funeral expenses.

The Smith family illustrates all four of these reasons. Although the amount of coverage varies by lifestyle, assets and income, the reasons for purchasing life insurance remain the same.

Mr. and Ms. Smith each own life insurance policies to make sure that the future expenses of their children, including college, post college education, childcare and funeral expenses will be covered in the case of an untimely death of either one of them.

Each of the Smiths bought enough life insurance to make sure that any debts they have on their house, cars, credit cards or bank loans would be paid at the death of either one of them. As their assets accumulate during their earning years, they have also included an amount to cover any estate taxes that may be due at death.

The Smiths current lifestyle relies on the income of both Mr. and Ms. Smith. Their income is used for their daily needs such as food, clothing, housing, and medical bills as well as their desires for travel, summer camps, concert tickets and the like. The amount of life insurance coverage was calculated to make sure that the family is financially protected in the case of the death Mr. or Ms. Smith, or both of them.

There is over $20 Trillion of life insurance death benefit in force in the United States today. Yet statistics show that almost 90% of life insurance policies lapse without the life insurance company paying a death benefit claim. Why?

Well as the above example illustrates, as life changes needs change and the reasons for purchasing life insurance also change. As for the Smiths, when the children are grown, finished with college and secondary education and are on their own, the need to cover future expenses evaporates. At that point, the life insurance policies may no longer be needed to support their children.

As the Smiths pay down their mortgage, credit cards and bank loans, they may no longer need life insurance to help pay off debts. At some point, the Smiths may accumulate enough retirement savings and other assets that they no longer need to rely on life insurance to replace income for the surviving spouse.

However, the number one reason owners of life insurance allow their policies to lapse is the cost of insurance premiums as they age.

Insuring A Better World Fund provides an alternative for seniors which allows them to donate their unneeded life insurance policies to the charity of their choice at no cost to them or the charity. Insuring A Better World Fund does not have to change human behavior to be successful. There are Billions of dollars of life insurance owned by seniors that lapse every year. Together, we can prevent these policies from going to waste. Everyone leaves a legacy, and this is a unique opportunity to leave a legacy-sized gift at no cost to the donor/policy owner or the charity.

If you own life insurance that you no longer need, Insuring A Better World fund is a no cost exit strategy leading to your legacy.

If you are a financial professional, this is a new, no cost, charitable exit strategy for clients that are considering lapsing their life insurance policies.

If you are a charity, life insurance donations are a vast asset class with sizable potential for your donors to donate legacy-sized gifts, with no out-of-pocket or administrative costs to your charity.

Charitable Tax Deductions Through Unneeded Life Insurance

Posted on December 9, 2021August 3, 2022

Charitable Tax Deductions Through Unneeded Life Insurance

Eliminate premium payments on an unneeded life insurance policy by supporting your favorite charity. You may receive a charitable income tax deduction.

Charitable gifts of life insurance are one popular method of legacy giving that allows many donors to give more to their favorite cause than possible with a cash gift. Donating your life insurance to charity may also provide valuable tax benefits to the donor. These potential tax advantages depend on the method an individual uses to donate their life insurance policy to charity.

Insuring A Better World Fund’s innovative approach to charitable gifts of life insurance allows donors the opportunity to take full advantage of charitable tax benefits. Upon donation, ownership of the policy is transferred to Insuring A Better World, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and donors may receive a charitable income tax deduction*.

*Please note that we are not tax advisors and cannot give tax advice. Please consult with your tax professional for your specific circumstance.

Traditional methods of donating life insurance versus Insuring A Better World Fund

Traditionally, there have been three ways to donate a life insurance policy to charity:

1. A donor names a charitable organization as the owner and beneficiary of their existing policy.

If the policy is “paid up” i.e. no more scheduled premiums, then the charity receives the death benefit amount upon the donor’s death. If the life insurance policy donated requires additional premium, the donor agrees to pay the cost of the premium in the form of annual tax-deductible gifts to the charity. The charity acts as a conduit and pays the premium to the life insurance company. Unfortunately, these types of donations often lapse when the donor stops paying premium due to the financial burden of increased unplanned premium. Due to the prolonged low interest rate environment, required increased premium from the donor is quite common today.

If the donor refuses to pay the increased premium, the gift to the charity lapses without the charity receiving any benefit, clearly a bad unintended outcome.

2. A donor creates a new policy and designates the charity as the owner and beneficiary

This method requires an “insurable interest” that can be demonstrated to the insurance company (usually board members or a history of giving by the insured). Similarly, the donor will pay the cost of the premium in the form of annual tax-deductible gifts to the charity. The charity acts as a conduit and pays the premium to the life insurance company. Unfortunately, the same financial burden to the donor applies and these donations may lapse without paying a death benefit to charity, a bad unintended outcome.

3. A donor names a charitable organization as the beneficiary to a policy while retaining ownership.

This option allows donors the right to change the beneficiary at any point and the donor determines the portion of the death benefit for charity. However, the income tax benefits for charitable giving do not apply because the ownership of the policy is not transferred to a charitable organization.

Insuring A Better World Fund offers advantageous tax benefits: a potential income tax deduction. Unlike the methods above, Insuring A Better World Fund eliminates all costs for donors and their chosen charities. We pay all costs after donation. Charities can be confident that the policy will not lapse due to the financial strain on donors and donors are relieved of an unneeded policy while still receiving the opportunity to gain a charitable tax deduction from the transfer of ownership.

How do I donate my policy?

Our donation process is simple and costs nothing. Submit your policy for review using the form below and our team will reach out to you within two business days to start the qualification process.

Visit our charitable gifts of life insurance page to learn more about how Insuring A Better World Fund determines which policies are eligible for donation.

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Partners in Philanthropy: Professional Advisors and Community Foundations

Posted on November 22, 2021August 3, 2022

Partners in Philanthropy: Professional Advisors and Community Foundations

In a year when charitable giving has skyrocketed, many individuals are seeking information on how to maximize their assets for the cause they care about most. Financial professionals including wealth managers, retirement planners, personal bankers and philanthropic advisors are key resources for individuals looking to leave a legacy.

While methods of giving have increased in recent years from donor-advised-funds to impact investing, few individuals realize they may be on the verge of throwing away a legacy-sized gift that would cost them nothing to donate to their favorite charity: their unneeded life insurance policy.

88% of life insurance policies lapse without paying a death benefit. This untapped asset class holds billions of dollars in charitable funding that would otherwise go to waste as policy-owners decide they no longer need the coverage. Insuring A Better World Fund works with financial professionals and charities to transform their clients and donors’ unneeded life insurance into philanthropic ideals at no cost.

We save lapsing policies and drive their value to charity. By donating an unneeded life insurance policy, donors can make legacy-sized gifts to their favorite charity with a simple, no-cost process. Upon donation, we pay all premium and other costs for donated policies to relieve donors and their selected charities from the financial burden of maintaining the policy. Donors choose. We pay. Charities receive.

Community Foundations: Catalysts for Change

Community foundations are public charities that create grants, steward funds and identify community needs within specific geographic locations. The Council on Foundations confirms there are over 750 community foundations within the United States providing critical resources and community leadership. In 2017 alone, community foundations across the nation gave an estimated $5.48 billion to charitable causes.
Many community foundations work closely with financial professionals of all types to create individualized giving plans for their clients. They provide experience in charitable gift planning as well as trusted nonprofit relationships within the donor’s community. Their position as nonprofit professionals and financial stewards makes them the perfect partner for professional advisors with clients who have philanthropic goals.

Interested in finding a community foundation near you? You can use the foundation locator from the Council on Foundation’s to search your area.

Find a community foundation near you!

Use the foundation locator from the Council on Foundations to search your area

Search Here

How we work with Community Foundations & Professional Advisors

As a financial professional, you are uniquely situated to help your clients achieve their philanthropic goals. We help you simplify charitable gifts of life insurance for your clients. Your level of involvement is up to you. We will work with you and your client together or with your client alone. From start to finish we provide:

1. Industry Experience

Insuring A Better World Fund’s unique method of aggregating hundreds of donated policies allows us to take advantage of the law of large numbers that insurance companies have relied on for years. In general, a single charity is not able to acquire enough policies within a portfolio to establish actuarial credibility.

Our leadership team uses their combined 70 years of experience in the life insurance space to maximize the value of charitable gifts of life insurance. We accept only those policies that have value to charity.

2. Nonprofit Accountability

Your clients can be confident that their donation will be distributed to their charity. We work with a third-party servicer and custodian to ensure transparency and accountability throughout the entire life of a policy. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Insuring A Better World Fund’s sole mission is to transform this untapped asset class into valuable charitable funding for decades to come.

3. Free Consultation

Not sure if your client’s policy qualifies? Our consultations are always free for you or your client. You can also view our resources for financial professionals to read more about our qualification process and what policies are generally accepted for donation.

Spotlight: Foundation for Appalachian Ohio

We spoke with Tracy Mann, Director of Professional Advisors at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), about the impact Insuring A Better World Fund had at FAO. Insuring A Better World Fund partnered with FAO to host a webinar for their professional advisors in Ohio that highlighted the no-cost opportunity of charitable gifts of life insurance for their clients. FAO is a community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio that works to retain investments and increase opportunities for Appalachian Ohio communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy.

Here is what Tracy had to say:

View our webinar with FAO that highlights the vast opportunity in the life insurance space for community foundations and financial professionals to benefit themselves and their clients/donors.

Watch Now

“Insuring A Better World Fund makes it possible to receive a type of gift that otherwise would not be possible for us to receive. Through our partnership with Insuring A Better World Fund, our donors have the opportunity to donate their unneeded life insurance policies to FAO and/or its funds.
Insuring A Better World Fund’s team has relevant, inspiring communications about their services. They bring the technical knowledge and the personal impact of charitable giving. We have gotten great feedback from our professional advisors and fund representatives. They see it as an added gift option, increased investments for Appalachian Ohio and good feelings for donors.”

view a recording of the webinar here

How do I get started?

It is as simple as sending us a message or calling us. We will answer any question you have about our donation process and provide you with resources that will help you identify policies that are valuable as charitable gifts. If not now…when? Call us today at (312) 819-0790 or send us a message below!

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A New, No-Cost Ask of Your Donors

Posted on November 2, 2021November 2, 2021

A New, No-Cost Ask of Your Donors

In a famous Seinfeld episode Jerry and George pitch George’s idea for a new TV show to big network executives. When George describes the show to the network executive, the honcho asks what is the show about? George’s answer is the show is about “nothing.” Even Jerry looks at him bewildered and says well it’s about something. George emphatically states no. The show is about “nothing,” absolutely “nothing”.

With Insuring A Better World Fund, the cost to the charity and the donor is nothing, absolutely nothing.

Insurance is risk transfer. Life insurance, like any other form of insurance, is a safeguard for a tragic scenario. It provides financial security for those who are financially dependent on the insured. It is peace of mind for individuals, families and businesses alike, and Americans have shown that life insurance is a valued asset to them. Today, there is roughly $20 Trillion of life insurance in force in the United States.

However, many policy owners arrive at the point where the original reason for purchasing life insurance is no longer relevant (i.e. the spouse or children they needed to provide for are no longer dependent on them and/or the premium cost is too high). Rarely, policy owners will opt for a life settlement, the sale of their life insurance policy. The rest, nearly 90% of policy owners, will simply lapse or surrender the policy.

In fact, The Life Insurance Settlement Association estimates that their industry is serving a very small percent of their potential market. Over $100 Billion of death benefits is lost each year!

What if that wasted value could be driven to charity?

That is exactly what we thought. Charitable gifts of life insurance are not a new concept to gift planners and charitable organizations. Key findings from a special report published in 2019 by Giving USA showed that 19% of respondents had listed a charitable beneficiary on a life insurance policy.

Charitable gifts of life insurance can be a powerful tool for an individual to make a legacy gift. However, as many working in planned giving know, life insurance can be a problematic asset for charities.

Traditionally, there have been three ways to donate a life insurance policy to charity.

1. A donor names a charitable organization as the owner and beneficiary of their existing policy.

- - The donor may agree to pay the premiums to the charity. The charity acts as a conduit and pays the premium to the life insurance company. The charity receives the death benefit amount upon the donor’s death. Caution: These donations often lapse when either the donor stops paying the premium to the charity or when the life insurance requires increased unplanned premium to keep the policy in force. Due to the prolonged low interest rate environment, required increased premium is quite common today.

- - If the donor does not want to continue paying premium, the charity will cash the policy in for the surrender value. As the policy is “cashed in,” there is no death benefit to the charity.

Donors may receive a tax deduction.

2. A donor creates a new policy and designates the charity as the owner and beneficiary

Provided an “insurable interest” can be demonstrated to the insurance company (usually board members or a history of giving by the insured) similarly, donors will pay the annual premium by gifting the premium amount to the charity each year. The charity acts as a conduit and pays the premium to the life insurance company. The charity receives the death benefit amount upon the donor’s death. Caution: These donations often lapse when either the donor stops paying the premium to the charity or when the life insurance requires increased unplanned premium to keep the policy in force. Due to the prolonged low interest rate environment, required increased premium is quite common today. Donors may receive a charitable tax deduction.

3. A donor names a charitable organization as the beneficiary to a policy while retaining ownership.

This option allows donors the right to change the beneficiary at any point and the donor determines the portion of the death benefit for charity. Caution: These donations often lapse when either the donor stops paying the premium to the charity or when the life insurance requires increased unplanned premium to keep the policy in force. Due to the prolonged low interest rate environment, required increased premium is quite common today. Donors or their estate may receive a charitable deduction.

All these scenarios require skilled financial planners, significant administrative work from the charity and continue to place an annual financial burden on the donor. Most importantly, despite that coordination many of these gifts lapse. These barriers mean that for most charities and prospective donors, life insurance is significantly under-utilized as a charitable legacy gift.

These barriers have led us to now: a tragedy where American seniors and charities lose billions in benefits annually by lapsing or surrendering unwanted life insurance policies.

The Alternative: Insuring A Better World Fund

Gifting a life insurance policy through Insuring A Better World Fund removes these barriers. Our in-house expertise, policy-aggregation method and secure funding allows a charitable organization to accept a gift of life insurance at no cost to them or their donor.

Our unique aggregation methodology provides for charities designated by donors to receive regular distributions from a large portfolio of donated polices. Traditionally, a single charity does not have the resources to accumulate enough polices to be actuarially credible. We aggregate hundreds of individually donated life insurance policies to establish a vast new source of predictable cash flow to charities. No more waiting for your donor to die!

Our innovation expands charitable organizations’ access to this largely untapped asset class. A charity does not need a robust gift planning program or a life insurance specialist on their team to maximize a policy’s value. This means gift planners (or other staff wearing multiple hats) have more time to focus on stewardship rather than risk assessment.

There is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for charities in the life insurance space. Each year will bring more opportunity as we are seeing The Great Wealth Transfer unfold. By providing ease of access to charities and removing barriers to donors, Insuring A Better World Fund is making sure policies that inevitably lapse are repurposed to better the world.

How can my charity get started with Insuring A Better World Fund?

Get in touch.

Our leadership team will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding charitable gifts of life insurance or Insuring A Better World Fund’s process. You can also view our resources for charities.

Engage your donors.

Insuring A Better World Fund will provide your organization with free marketing information and answer any questions from donors on your behalf.

There is over $100 Billion of life insurance that is being thrown away each year by your potential donors. 10,000 people a day turn 65. The statistics show that many of your prospective senior-aged donors are already considering lapsing their policy. No change to human behavior is required. This is a no cost ask that transforms an asset they do not want into your next legacy gift.

There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Together, we can ensure a better world for us all, one unneeded life insurance policy at a time.