06/13/2022
Three ways term insurance can help protect your business
With an affordable pricing structure and the ability to convert to a high quality permanent policy, Ohio National’s Term Plus policies can work for many business owners.
See three ways term insurance may help your business.
Prepare for business continuation
Term life insurance can be an ideal funding vehicle for a buy-sell agreement that is triggered on the death of a business owner.
Buy-sell planning is an agreement providing for the sale of a business when a business owner dies or retires.
A fully funded buy-sell agreement can help:
Predetermine the price at which the buyer agrees to purchase, and the owner agrees to sell, their interests in the business
Create a market for each owner's share of the business
Provide money to fund the purchase at the exact time it is needed
Establish the business' value for federal estate-tax purposes
Each owner can purchase an affordable tem policy with a face amount large enough to cover the agreed-upon purchase price.
If the owner dies, the death-benefit proceeds from the affected policy pass income-tax free to the surviving owner. The surviving owner can then use the proceeds to help purchase the business interest of the deceased partner per the buy-sell agreement.
Learn more about Buy-Sell Agreements.
Protect against the loss of a key employee
Successful businesses are built on a variety of assets: equipment, inventory, real estate, accounts receivable, cash, goodwill, and most importantly, key people. The death of a key person could have a devastating effect on the future of your business.
A key person would be anyone who contributes significantly to its success and whose death would result in a tangible loss. Key person insurance helps to indemnify your business for the death of a key person and the loss of that individual’s skill and expertise.
To put key person protection in place, you could buy a term policy with a benefit based on the employee's value to the organization (most often, a multiple of salary). The business is both policy owner and beneficiary. Should the key person die, the death benefit proceeds are used to offset losses such as sales, productivity, and credit.
Learn more about Key Person Insurance.
Reward your key people with a powerful fringe benefit plan
To attract and keep innovative, quality people, you need to offer quality fringe benefits. Fringe benefits don’t have to be difficult or complicated. In fact, a simple plan can often be the best.
With an executive bonus plan, the key employee owns life insurance on his or her life and your business pays the premium directly or indirectly through a salary bonus. The bonus amount is typically deductible by your business as an ordinary and necessary expense. The same bonus amount is taxable to the employee as ordinary income just like any other cash bonus. In addition, you always have the option to increase bonus payments to offset your employee’s income tax liability.
You can start the plan using an Ohio National Term Plus policy. In later years, the employee has the option to convert the policy to permanent insurance.
Learn more about Executive Bonus Plans.
We can help
We can help you use term insurance to protect your business. Contact me about business planning today.
