We offer several A+ rated companies serving millions of Annuity and Life Insurance customers throughout the United States. We work with the strongest life insurance companies in the country. Our strategy is one of high quality, low risk investing which has allowed us to grow amidst increasing competition and economic change. Our companies have survived through recessions, depressions and wars, remained sound, secure and committed to honoring promises made to our policyholders.

Life insurance can be used to attain many different goals: Mortgage Protection, Estate Planning, Gifts for Children and Grandchildren, Planning for future needs, and Security in the event of an unexpected death. Please call us at 262-783-6275 for your free Life Insurance Needs Questionaire or Retirement Planning Booklet. Life insurance is also an excellent and important tool for any business. For more information about Buy/Sell Agreements, Cross-Purchase Plans, Key-Employee Programs and general Business Protection strategies, please click on Commercial.

One responsibility that many people "put off until tomorrow" is making a will. If you die without a valid Will, your spouse, your children or your heirs will most likely face critical problems as they try to settle your estate. Your property could be tied up for years by the courts, without any guarantee that it would ever be distributed in the manner you would have wanted. It may be necessary for the court to appoint an administrator to handle your estate, instead of the person you'd prefer. Without a Will, your assets must be distributed exactly as State law dictates. This prevails regardless of the needs, character or worthiness of the people among whom the State decides will receive your estate proceeds. Guardianship issues and increased legal costs are also likely.
We recommend that all of our customers update their Will if:

• there is a significant change in the value of your property
• you move to another state or acquire property in another state
• your executor become unable to serve
• you have a significant increase or decrease in financial resources or
• there is a death, birth, marriage, divorce or change in the competency of the heirs or witnesses

Many people forget to update their Will following the trauma of a divorce. Always use an attorney to create a valid Will and don't try to revise your Will by crossing something out or writing in revisions yourself- these kinds of changes can void the entire Will. An important aspect of today's Will is the development of a Trust. Life insurance is a perfect product for funding a Living Trust or as a safeguard to pay estate taxes.

Term Insurance is an excellent low-cost approach to insurance needed for a specific use (eg. funding a buy/sell agreement, for older owners/partners buying needed business continuation protection, or for young parents who can't afford a permanent plan at this point in their life). At our agency, we believe that Term Insurance should be purchased when you need coverage but have limited cash or a short-term need. Term insurance may also be suitable for families with older children and/or an established long-term investment program that they are contributing to on a consistent basis.

Term Insurance policies do carry some risk for the consumer. Generally, your annual premium rate is only guaranteed for 5 or 10 years. If you still need insurance at the end of this time period, you are now 5-10 years older and will be paying new rates calculated on your older age. In addition, if you developed a significant health problem during the years of the original policy, you may not be eligible for renewal or any other type of life insurance plan.

Many people compare the Term Vs Permanent debate to the principles accompanying the Renter vs Homeowner argument. Both have their merits, but in the end, the homeowner (or owner of a permanent life policy) has a tangible asset, whereas the renter (or term policy owner) has probably paid less, but does not have a true asset.

As a single parent and small business owner, I have both a permanent Universal Life Plan, which is flexible, tax-deferred and interest-earning and a larger Term policy to help insure that enough money will exist for my kids to get the care and education I want for them, even if something happens to me. We will be happy to discuss the options and costs of all types of policies with you to help determine which is the best option for you and your goals.
The most common policy types are outlined below:

10 & 20 year Renewable Term
10 year & 20 year term policies ar a cost-effective way to plan for the future. Policies offers uncomplicated Life Insurance protection designed with your budget in mind. Each policy provides you with premiums guaranteed to remain level for the first five years and a maximum premium guarantee for the last five years of the policy. Some of these policies to fifteen years may be converted to a permanent plan or may be renewed, with proof of insurability at the time of renewal. The minimum death benefit is $50K. This year we also introduced a Yearly Renewal Term Product with a minimum death benefit of $500K. If you are in excellent health, this product will offer you more coverage per dollar than any other product available.

Mortgage Protection:
Mortgage Protection is the primary reason that many people buy Life Insurance. Most policies that are called "Mortgage Protectors" are actually Decreasing Term policies. You pay the same amount each month for the entire life of the policy but the face amount of the death benefit decreases over time. At the end of the coverage period the policy terminates without value. Since it is a form of Term Insurance, it provides benefits only upon death and doesn't build any cash value. This policy type serves only one purpose and we usually try to find a better option for our customers.

Universal Life:
A Flexible Universal Life policy offers you all the advantages of a permanent life insurance program coupled with a cash accumulation account which earns competitive interest and affords you flexibility not available with other policy types. Universal life is a "newer" form of Life Insurance and we highly recommend its advantages to anyone saddled with an older Whole Life policy. This policy is designed to meet a variety of current and future Life Insurance and cash accumulation needs and can be readily adjusted as your circumstances change.

Unlike most insurance programs, with this policy you decide when and how much to pay towards your insurance programs. You may increase or decrease your benefits during the life of the policy or request that the death benefit remain level thereby increasing the compound interest in your cash accumulation account. As your account grows, less and less pure insurance is needed to maintain your level death benefit, which results in a significant buildup of cash value. The growing accumulation account is your source of cash value.

This policy is an asset and the cash value may be accessed at anytime. Under current tax laws, all interest in this account is tax-deferred, which means you won't be taxed each year, but rather only when you take any money out. If you wait until retirement, you may be in a lower tax bracket. Farmers Flexible Universal Life offers you life insurance protection, tax-deferred status, professional management, access to your cash value, and the ability to avoid income taxes, capital gains and estate taxes. We highly recommend this policy for almost any type of life insurance need. The minimum death benefit is $75K.

Premier Whole Life, Fixed Premium Whole, Premier Whole 50+
& Juvenile Whole Life:
Whole Life Insurance, in all forms offered by Farmers, is an affordable solution to many who seek permanent insurance protection. The minimum death benefit on these policies is 25K, which is much lower than on our other plans. The Premier Whole Life plan add sthe flexibility of one year and single premium riders to the traditional Whole Life Policy, which helps young couples, new businesses and those with limited resources obtain a permanent policy that also builds cash value and has a level death benefit and level premiums. Whole Life policies can be an affordable, stable option for those seeking permanent insurance.

Children/ Grandchildren:
The earlier you start an effective insurance program for your child/grandchild, the greater the financial rewards. Starting early means "discounted coverage"- your child/grandchild will pay the same low premiums for his coverage, based on the age at which the policy began. It can also affect guaranteed insurability. This allows the child to purchase additional insurance even though changes in his/her health or occupation may have made it difficult or impossible to do so. In addition, the payor benefit option waives the premiums until the child is 25, if the payor's death occurs before that date. The Deposit Fund, now earning more than most banks or savings accounts, adds another dimension to this program. Most permanent policies cost as little as $15-20 per month. The time to start is now.

For more information on a estate planning, living trusts, wills and probate issues try:

• http://www.nolo.com/chunkep/ep.index.html