Studemeyer Risk Advisory & Planning

Studemeyer Risk Advisory & Planning Independent insurance planning firm serving GA, NC, SC and TN families. Term life insurance, long-term care and permanent insurance planning.

You've seen the "be your own bank" videos. Infinite banking, all of it.Here's the honest version.The instinct is actuall...
08/04/2026

You've seen the "be your own bank" videos. Infinite banking, all of it.

Here's the honest version.

The instinct is actually right. Wanting money that stays liquid, grows tax-advantaged, and stays in your control is a smart thing to want. The idea was never the problem. The ex*****on is.

A high cash value policy only works when it's designed correctly. Built poorly, it quietly underperforms for years before anyone notices. That's the part the internet skips right past.

Done right, here's what it can look like.

Age 45, funding $25,000 a year. By year 5 you've put in about $125,000 and the cash value is right there with it. By year 10 it's pulled ahead substantially in a tax-advantaged account. And clients borrow against it along the way for a real estate deal while the policy keeps compounding.

You don't have to choose between growing your money and using it. That's the whole point.

If you earn well, you've maxed the 401(k), and you want another bucket you can actually reach, it's worth seeing your own numbers.

Most people think of whole life insurance as a death benefit you pay for and never touch until you're gone. The ones who...
07/22/2026

Most people think of whole life insurance as a death benefit you pay for and never touch until you're gone. The ones who use it well think about it completely differently.

They treat it as a private reserve.

Here's the idea. A properly structured permanent policy builds cash value you can actually access, tax-advantaged, and borrow against on your terms.

You keep the money working inside the policy while you use it outside the policy. Buy the equipment, cover the payroll gap, fund the opportunity that showed up on a Tuesday, then pay yourself back on a schedule you set.

It's not magic and it's not for everybody. If you haven't maxed out the basics, term coverage and retirement accounts, this isn't your move yet.

And it only works if the policy is built for it from day one. Most aren't. A lot of what gets sold as "be your own bank" is a poorly designed policy with a good story attached.

But for an owner who already has the fundamentals covered and wants a pool of capital that's liquid, stable, and doesn't ask permission, this is a real tool. The kind of thing that's boring right up until the moment you need cash and every other door is slow or closed.

Most people think life insurance is money you only get by dying. One version isn't, and that's the part worth understand...
07/21/2026

Most people think life insurance is money you only get by dying. One version isn't, and that's the part worth understanding.

A real case off my desk this month. Healthy 45-year-old man, preferred health.
The design: $25,000 a year for 10 years, then he never writes another check. $250,000 total. Done at 55.

At the illustrated rate, the cash value crosses everything he's put in around year 5. And he can reach it. No age 59.5 rule. No waiting until retirement.

Here's the mechanic most people have never had explained.

When he pulls money out as a policy loan, the carrier lends against the policy. The cash value stays inside and keeps getting credited. He's accessing money that's still working, and the proceeds come to him tax-free.

A business opportunity at 52. Income at 70. Whatever comes up.

Two things I tell every client looking at this.

The numbers run on an illustrated rate, not a guaranteed one. Anyone showing you projections like these who doesn't say that out loud is selling, not teaching.

And the tax treatment holds as long as the policy stays in force. That's a management issue, which is exactly why this gets reviewed every year instead of filed in a drawer.

Handled right, this is one of the most flexible places a high earner can put money.

It's not a first move. It's for people who've already maxed the 401(k), done the Roth, and want somewhere else for the dollars that grows and stays reachable.
If that's you, worth seeing your own numbers.

Illustrated values, non-guaranteed, subject to underwriting. Actual results vary by age, health, and the assumptions used.

"I have enough money, I'll just pay for care myself."I hear this from successful people all the time, and the logic is s...
07/20/2026

"I have enough money, I'll just pay for care myself."

I hear this from successful people all the time, and the logic is sound. If you've got real assets, self-funding long-term care feels like the obvious move.

Then we do the math.

CareScout's latest Cost of Care Survey came out this March. National medians:

- Private room, nursing home: $129,575 a year
- Assisted living: $74,400 a year
- Care at home: $35 an hour, about $80,080 a year at 44 hours a week

Three years in a nursing home at today's median is roughly $389,000.

And that assumes costs hold flat from here, which they didn't this year and haven't for most of the 20+ years they've been tracking this.

So yes, you can afford it. Most people in this position can.

What you're actually deciding is whether a long illness should quietly drain the pile you spent 40 years building, the pile you meant to leave to your kids or your causes.

For a lot of people, seeing the number changes the plan.

Old universal life policies from the 80s and 90s are quietly failing all over the place, and the ones with loans on them...
07/15/2026

Old universal life policies from the 80s and 90s are quietly failing all over the place, and the ones with loans on them are the ones that hurt.

The math got them.

Sold at 11% illustrated, credited 3 or 4 for twenty years, cost of insurance climbing the whole time.

Add a policy loan compounding in the background and the cash value gets eaten from both ends.

The part that surprises people: if it lapses with the loan outstanding, you can get a tax bill on the gain.

Money you never saw, taxed in the same year the death benefit goes away.

Good news is these are usually rescuable. Bad news is only while they're still inforce.

If you or your parents have one in a drawer, look at the annual statement for two numbers. The loan balance, and how long it's projected to last.

That's the whole diagnostic.

Most people think their work life insurance has them covered. It usually doesn't.Here's the part nobody explains. That p...
07/13/2026

Most people think their work life insurance has them covered. It usually doesn't.

Here's the part nobody explains.

That policy through your job is tied to your job. Change employers, get laid off, start a business, and it's gone. And the amount is usually one or two times your salary, which sounds like a lot until you do the math on 20 years of a mortgage and two kids getting through college.

Group coverage is a nice perk. It's a floor, not a plan.

If the only life insurance you have is the kind that disappears when you leave your desk, it's worth an honest look at what you'd actually need.

If you make $125,000 a year and die tomorrow, your family loses $125,000 every year for the next 20, 30, maybe 40 years....
06/25/2026

If you make $125,000 a year and die tomorrow, your family loses $125,000 every year for the next 20, 30, maybe 40 years.

That's $2.5 million in future income gone.

Most people never run that number.

A healthy 35 year old can lock in $2.5 million in term life coverage for around $70-$80 a month.

And modern term policies do more than most people realize.

Many include living benefits, meaning if you're diagnosed with a critical illness, terminal diagnosis, or become too sick to work, you can access a portion of that death benefit while you're still alive.

Some policies also give you the option to convert to permanent coverage down the road without proving insurability again. Your health locks in today.

$70 a month. $2.5 million in protection. Living benefits built in. Future flexibility if your needs change.

Run the math on your own income. The number will surprise you.

If you recently changed jobs or got a promotion, congratulations. But before you get settled in, there is one question w...
06/23/2026

If you recently changed jobs or got a promotion, congratulations. But before you get settled in, there is one question worth asking.

What happened to your life insurance and disability coverage?

Most people assume their benefits transfer. They do not. Group life insurance and group disability are tied to your employer. The day you leave, that coverage walks out the door with you.

If your income just went up, your coverage needs to catch up too. A new salary, a bigger mortgage, a growing family. The stakes are higher now than they were at your last job.

Individual life insurance and disability policies are different. They are yours. They go where you go regardless of where you work.

A job change is one of the best times to get this right. The window to ask the right questions is during the transition, not after you have settled in and moved on.

If you or someone you know just made a career move and has not thought about this, feel free to reach out.

Here's a question worth sitting with: if something happened to you tomorrow, would your family be financially okay?Term ...
06/22/2026

Here's a question worth sitting with: if something happened to you tomorrow, would your family be financially okay?

Term life insurance is the simplest way to make sure the answer is yes. It covers you for the years your family needs it most, and it's often far more affordable than people expect.

I've made it easy to see your options. Answer a few quick questions and get a real term quote, no phone tag and no pressure:

https://studemeyeradvisory.com/term-insurance/

I'm an independent advisor, so I shop multiple top-rated carriers to find what fits you. Prefer to just ask a question first? Drop it below or send me a message.

After nearly a decade behind the scenes of the insurance industry, I decided it was time to sit on the other side of the...
06/20/2026

After nearly a decade behind the scenes of the insurance industry, I decided it was time to sit on the other side of the table.

I spent years as a wholesaler, helping financial advisors place coverage, understand products, and navigate carriers. I knew the industry inside and out.

But the people I kept thinking about weren't the advisors. They were the families on the other end of those policies. The ones who needed straightforward guidance, not a pitch. The ones who didn't know what they were buying or why.

So I started Studemeyer Risk Advisory & Planning.

We're an independent firm based in Charleston, SC focused on three things:

→ Term life insurance for young families
→ Permanent planning for business owners and high earners
→ Long-term care strategies for those planning ahead

No captive bias. No carrier quotas. Just honest planning built around what's right for you.

If you've been putting off getting coverage, or you have it but aren't sure it's right, I'd love to have that conversation.

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Johns Island, SC
29455

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