Risk Management

Generally, strategies that fall under the Risk Management umbrella are designed to keep you and your family from “moving backward”, financially speaking. These are typically implemented first, in an attempt to secure your present lifestyle. Only after financial security has been achieved can one effectively focus upon true wealth building.

THE SIX COMPONENTS OF A SOLID RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY INCLUDE:

1. Cash Reserves: Have you ever heard the maxim “Cash is king.”? Access to cash allows one to get through a “rough patch” but more importantly, it can allow one to maximize an opportunity. This is a cornerstone for any financial plan.

2. Medical Insurance: Without properly designed medical insurance in place, a lifetime of saving and investing can be wiped out in a very short period of time. One cannot achieve financial security easily without proper protection. We often refer to medical insurance as “bankruptcy protection”.

3. Disability Income Insurance: All of your hopes and dreams for the future will most often be facilitated by your income. Should you get hurt or sick, that income may stop, effectively short-circuiting those dreams for the future. A solid Income Continuation plan will deliver the cash needed to maintain your present lifestyle. Don’t leave home without it.

4. Life Insurance: Over our lives, strategies involving life insurance will evolve to address different needs and wants. Early in life, with a growing family, the security provided by life insurance can be invaluable for Family Protection. Over longer time frames, properly designed cash value insurance can become a very efficient accumulator of capital, especially as household incomes creep up from low income tax brackets to higher ones. Later in life, a well-designed life insurance program can be used to create tax-advantaged income, positioned to create estate liquidity or an effective gifting program.

5. Liability Protection: These are the strategies that, in the event of an accident, protect your assets and create pools of capital to cover liabilities. Home and Auto insurance policies often provide basic liability coverage. A Personal Liability Insurance “Umbrella” policy can be added to the program to strengthen this Risk Management Strategy.

6. Legal Planning: Though we are not attorneys and cannot write legal documents, we are well-versed in the relevant areas of law. The plans that we implement will often impact, or be impacted by, common legal documents that include Last Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney. Regular consultation with qualified legal counsel is a valuable component of any solid Risk Management strategy.