Every profession comes with its own unique challenges and financial considerations. Entrepreneurs face start-up costs and a need to generate business capital. Commercial developers need liquidity to purchase real estate and to build on property. Sales positions may require extensive travel or a savings reserve to supplement income when commissions are low. And medical professionals are no exception. Being a doctor comes with two inherent costs: medical school and malpractice insurance.
Cash flow banking for doctors offers a tax-advantaged way to manage these expenses, as well as personal expenses, paving a path to financial freedom. But that’s not all. When properly structured, cash flow banking can also generate a guaranteed rate of return and potential dividends, exponentially increasing wealth.
In this article, we’ll explain why doctors are ideal candidates for a cash flow banking strategy, the benefits of cash flow banking, and talk about next steps in advancing a financial portfolio that aligns with your wealth and retirement goals.
CASH FLOW BANKING EXPLAINED
Cash flow banking is a concept that utilizes permanent life insurance to secure tax advantages, generate wealth, capture interest costs, and reduce reliance on banks. Most often, a whole life insurance policy from a mutual life insurance company is the product of choice. It offers a guaranteed rate of return and non-guaranteed dividends (the mutual life insurance companies we work with at Paradigm Life have historically paid dividends for over 100 years), and can be structured for rapid growth, exponentially increasing wealth over your lifetime.
Not only is the cash flow banking strategy used by business professionals and wealthy families, it’s also used by banks and large corporations to help protect assets and increase liquidity while reducing exposure to market fluctuations on Wall Street.
Banks use permanent life insurance in the form of Tier 1 Assets to meet liquidity requirements mandated by the Feds. They hold billions of dollars in whole life policies. And banks aren’t the only major companies who rely on life insurance for cash flow. Large corporations like General Electric and Wal-Mart also have large holdings of whole life insurance.
Why do banks and corporations care so much about life insurance? And why should you care? Let’s explore the key benefits of cash flow banking and how they are uniquely suited to doctors.
BENEFITS OF CASH FLOW BANKING FOR DOCTORS
Doctors often rely on banks for the following:
- Paying for continuing education
- Buying a medical practice
- Purchasing medical equipment
- Personal expenses like home and auto loans
To help cover these costs, doctors may end up paying banks and other creditors hundreds of thousands of dollars more in interest than the average worker, not to mention interest paid in medical school loans. Cash flow banking for doctors offers an alternative way to manage both your personal and unique professional expenses. Here are the benefits of this proven wealth strategy:
Certainty
One of the greatest benefits of permanent life insurance is that you earn a guaranteed rate of return on the cash value you accumulate. Your life insurance company may also pay out a yearly dividend. The certainly whole life insurance offers takes the guesswork out of your financial portfolio. And with level premiums, it’s easy to budget.
Cash flow banking for doctors: If you’re trying to pay down student loans from medical school or need to budget for malpractice insurance, it’s helpful to know just how much your policy will earn in a given year. Cash flow banking helps you budget for your unique expenses.
Liquidity & Cash Flow
When structured correctly, the whole life insurance policyholder can access all of the premiums that have been paid into the policy as cash value, at any time, without penalty. Whether for personal expenses, business expenses, or even retirement funds, the cash value of your policy is your bank to use as you need.
Unlike other investment accounts, cash value in permanent life insurance continues to earn a rate of return even if you take out a policy loan against it. In other words, you can borrow from your policy and earn money at the same time.
Cash flow banking for doctors: Doctors are always in need of capital. With that capital comes two distinct costs:
- The capital is borrowed from a bank that charges you interest.
- The capital is spent in cash, which eliminates the money’s additional earning potential (it could be earning interest somewhere else)
As a doctor, you can use the liquidity and guaranteed policy loan provision of your permanent life insurance to pay for your medical practice. You can also use it to pay for continuing education courses and important medical conferences. Or use it to add new equipment to your office to stay on the cutting edge of medical technology.
Safety & Asset Protection
Trusting your money to the market can be a gamble, as we’ve seen in recessions past and present. Whole life insurance helps avoid market risk. It can offer safety similar to what you find in a money market account but with improved returns. And in retirement it can act as a volatiliy buffer, providing retirement income outside of a 401(k) or IRA in years following a market downturn.
What’s more, your insurance policy is a private contract between you and your insurance company. It is typically protect from judgements and creditors and offers asset protection in relation to your estate.
Cash flow banking for doctors: The insurance industry is regulated more conservatively than the banking industry. The cash value within your policy isn’t directly invested in the stock market, and cash value in permanent life insurance may often be protected from judgements resulting from malpractice lawsuits.
Tax Advantages
Cash flow banking helps you keep more of your hard-earned wealth by providing key tax advantages exclusive to permanent life insurance policies. Here are the six main tax benefits of a whole life policy:
- Earns interest and dividends tax-free
- Estate tax-free death benefit
- Tax-free policy loans
- Tax-free retirement income
- Growth of cash value can be used tax-free
- Income tax-free death benefit
Cash flow banking for doctors: As a doctor, your income may put you in a higher tax bracket, which means tax benefits are even more important to you. You need a specialized wealth strategy that protects your wealth from the government for you and your family.
Legacy
Whole life insurance policies include a guaranteed death benefit, which provides a lasting financial legacy for loved ones. It can be used to pass down generational wealth. It can be used to create a business succession plan. Or, use it to leave a legacy by donating to a charity of your choice.
Cash flow banking for doctors: If you want to support your alma matter or medical school, or leave an impact on a charity or foundation, like supporting cancer research or scholarships for medical students, the death benefit of a whole life insurance policy can help ensure you continue to improve people’s quality of life even after you’re gone.
THE BEST WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE FOR DOCTORS
At Paradigm Life, we work with medical professionals to help them obtain financial freedom with cash flow banking. Properly structured whole life insurance enables you to use your money now while still earning a rate of return. Unlike a 401(k), IRA, or other mutual fund investment, it isn’t susceptible to the downside of market fluctuations. It helps protect your assets and offers unique tax advantages that help you keep more of your wealth. It can be used to pay down loans, pay for malpractice insurance, and even support your family or fund retirement.
Stop paying interest to banks and creditors. Learn how to self-finance your medical practice (and personal expenses) while using the same cash flow banking strategy major financial institutions and companies employ.
At Paradigm Life we can customize a policy to fit your financial situation. Our expert Wealth Strategists are available to answer your questions and show you customized illustrations, outlining an individual plan of action to help you achieve your goals.
, no strings attached.
QUALIFYING FOR PREMIUM FINANCING
Premium financing is a service available to high-net worth clients where a third-party covers the cost of large life insurance premiums. This option is typically utilized with policies that are held by real estate owners, business owners, hedge fund owners, and doctors, using the cash value of the policy as collateral, rather than business assets.
Premium financing can help protect business assets, reducing out-of-pocket costs for life insurance, freeing up funds for other investment opportunities, and reducing estate taxes. If you’re interested in premium financing, please call us at 1-800-877-9360.
Related: Grow a Healthy Medical Practice with Life Insurance
