Why go to the students when you can ask the teachers how to properly value your business


Why go to the students when you can ask the teachers how to properly value your business

As an author, his research must be in-depth, concentrated and focused on business valuation formulas and data analysis. In addition, as a recently published author his experience with business valuations is fresh, current, & relevant. Lance’s credentials are extensive and he is far from a quitter. Anything you throw at Lance he will combat immediately and head-on. We’re getting the word out on Lance Wallach’s Business Valuations Website and hope you will to. Stop by his site for any information on business appraisals, litigation support, financial forensics, mergers & acquisitions, or advisory management. His team will take care of you and your team. Happy Valuating!

Business Valuations



Lance Wallach

The Four Most Important Things to Remember When Valuing Your Business
  1. There is No Magic Formula
    There is not set formula to determine the price of a business. Two businesses in the same industry in the same location for sale at the same time may not sell for the same price, based on other intangible factors.
  2. It is Difficult to Set a Price on Goodwill
    One of the big reasons that it is difficult to find a magic formula for a business price is due to "goodwill." Goodwill is said to be the difference between the appraised value of the assets of the business and the selling price. In other words, it is the value of customer loyalty or the customer list. The new owner may or may not be able to count on customer loyalty or repeat business from current customers, so how does he or she know what to pay for it?
  3. There is No Way to Predict the Future
    It has been said that the business you are selling is not the business the new owner is buying, because the business changes in character from the day the new owner steps in. The intangible factor of the owner's personality, and his or her relationship with customers, employees, and vendors, can and will change the business to something new and different.
  4. Value is Not Price
    The value of a business, by whatever business valuation method it is obtained, is not the selling price of the business. The price is determined in the market by a buyer and seller coming to an agreement. As Warren Buffett said, "Price is what you pay; value is what you get." They are not the same.
In the end, even if a business valuation is prepared and discussed, the ultimate sales price of the business will depend on many other factors, including those discussed above.

Lance Wallach, National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year and member of the AICPA faculty of teaching professionals, is a frequent speaker on retirement plans, financial and estate planning, and abusive tax shelters. He writes about 412(i), 419, and captive insurance plans. He speaks at more than ten conventions annually, writes for over fifty publications, is quoted regularly in the press and has been featured on television and radio financial talk shows including NBC, National Pulbic Radio's All Things Considered, and others. Lance has written numerous books including Protecting Clients from Fraud, Incompetence and Scams published by John Wiley and Sons, Bisk Education's CPA's Guide to Life Insurance and Federal Estate and Gift Taxation, as well as AICPA best-selling books, including Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Small Business Hot Spots. He does expert witness testimony and has never lost a case. Contact him at 516.938.5007, wallachinc@gmail.com or visit www.taxaudit419.com/TaxHelp.html and www.taxlibrary.us



The information provided herein is not intended as legal, accounting, financial or any other type of advice for any specific individual or other entity. You should contact an appropriate professional for any such advice.


Business Succession Planning; Facilitating the Sale of the Business How captive insurers can reduce taxes and insurance costs

Slippery Rock
Gazette February 17
By Lance Wallach

 Industry Consultant Most business owners want to: build wealth and maximize the value of what is left behind for heirs; protect their wealth to insure that what they have spent a lifetime building isn’t eaten away by taxes, inflation and/or the cost of medical care; distribute their wealth so that their loved ones may be taken care of, and see to it that their assets and possessions go where they want them to go in the time frame they want this to happen. This is the essence of estate planning. Eventually the business owner leaves the business. If a family member or employee can buy the established business, planning needs to be done years in advance for the best possible results. If an outside buyer is desired, the company should be positioned so that, if a favorable opportunity arises or an unfortunate event occurs, the company is completely ready for transition. In other words, the business should be ready for sale versus up for sale. Determining the value of a business is an art. There are no fixed rules, just general guidelines. All characteristics of the business must be considered. The value, however, is ultimately what a buyer will pay considering all relevant circumstances and bargaining at arms length. This is referred to as the fair market value. Non-cash Payment Today’s would-be sellers are seeing attractive purchase prices offered in currencies other than cash. The purchase might be part cash, and the remainder an unsecured promissory note. But cash is the only sure thing. Should the business falter, the remainder of the purchase price may evaporate or become subject to litigation. A sale to the highest bidder is not always the most appropriate sale. Make plans for the future Most small business owners are so busy running the company they fail to plan for the eventual transfer of the business. By not planning, they jeopardize the futures of the business and, possibly, of his or her family. We are often consulted at this time, but, at this point, it is almost too late to help. Succession and estate planning involves various questions of tax, law and business planning. The business owner(s) should make the final decisions after being provided with various types of information. If planning is done early, the process is not difficult and the results are maximized. No one plans to fail, but many fail to plan. How to use a captive insurer to save money Small companies have been copying a method to control insurance costs and reduce taxes that used to be the domain of large businesses: setting up insurance companies to provide coverage when they think outside insurers are charging too much or coverage is simply unavailable. A small company can also use this as a tax reduction strategy, with the ability to get money back tax free. Often, they are starting what is called “a captive insurance company”— an insurer founded to write coverage for the company, companies, or people who founded it. Here’s how a captive insurer usually works. The parent business creates a captive so that it has a self-funded option for buying insurance, whereby the parent business provides the reserves to back the policies. The company then either retains that risk or pays reinsurers to take it. The price for coverage is set by the parent business; reinsurance costs, if any, are a factor. In the event of a loss, the business pays claims from its captive, or the reinsurer pays the captive. A captive insurance company would be an insurance subsidiary that is owned by its parent(s). The better way for large tax deductions There are a number of significant advantages that my be obtained through sharing a large captive (“Group Captive”) with other companies. The most important is that you can significantly decrease the cost of insurance for your insureds, as compared to a stand alone captive, through this arrangement. The second advantage is that Group Captives do not require any capital commitment. By sharing a large captive you only pay a pro rata fee to cover all General and Administrative expenses of the insurance company. The cost for administration is very low per insured as compared to forming and operating a traditional stand alone captive insurance company. By renting a large captive, loans to its insureds (your company) can be legally made. So you can make a tax deductible contribution, and then take back money tax free. Sharing a large captive requires no significant financial commitment beyond the payment of premiums. Operation of a stand alone captive insurance company may not achieve similar cost saving results that a small business could obtain through sharing a large captive. More importantly, group captives require little or no maintenance by the insureds, and can be implemented in a fraction of the time as compared to stand-alone captives. If you do this correctly, you can reduce insurance costs and obtain a large tax deduction, with the ability to get money back tax free. __________________ Lance Wallach speaks and writes extensively about retirement plans, estate planning, and tax reduction strategies. He speaks at more than 70 conventions annually, writes for 50 publications and was the National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year. For more information and additional articles on these subjects, call (516)938-5007 or email lawallach@aol.com... The information provided herein is not intended as legal, accounting, financial, or any other type of advice for any specific individual or other entity. You should contact an appropriate professional for any such advice.

Section 79, captive insurance, 412i, 419, audits, problems and lawsuits

Section 79, captive insurance, 412i, 419, audits, problems and lawsuits



April 24, 2012     By Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC



Captive insurance, section 79, 419 and 412i problems
WebCPA


The dangers of being "listed"
A warning for 419, 412i, Sec.79 and captive insurance

Accounting Today: October 25,
By: Lance Wallach

Taxpayers who previously adopted 419, 412i, captive insurance or Section 79 plans are in
big trouble.

In recent years, the IRS has identified many of these arrangements as abusive devices to
funnel tax deductible dollars to shareholders and classified these arrangements as "listed
transactions."

These plans were sold by insurance agents, financial planners, accountants and attorneys
seeking large life insurance commissions. In general, taxpayers who engage in a "listed
transaction" must report such transaction to the IRS on Form 8886 every year that they
"participate" in the transaction, and you do not necessarily have to make a contribution or
claim a tax deduction to participate. Section 6707A of the Code imposes severe penalties
($200,000 for a business and $100,000 for an individual) for failure to file Form 8886 with
respect to a listed transaction.

But you are also in trouble if you file incorrectly.

I have received numerous phone calls from business owners who filed and still got fined. Not
only do you have to file Form 8886, but it has to be prepared correctly. I only know of two
people in the United States who have filed these forms properly for clients. They tell me that
was after hundreds of hours of research and over fifty phones calls to various IRS
personnel.

The filing instructions for Form 8886 presume a timely filing. Most people file late and follow
the directions for currently preparing the forms. Then the IRS fines the business owner. The
tax court does not have jurisdiction to abate or lower such penalties imposed by the IRS.
Many business owners adopted 412i, 419, captive insurance and Section 79 plans based
upon representations provided by insurance professionals that the plans were legitimate
plans and were not informed that they were engaging in a listed transaction.
Upon audit, these taxpayers were shocked when the IRS asserted penalties under Section
6707A of the Code in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Numerous complaints from
these taxpayers caused Congress to impose a moratorium on assessment of Section 6707A
penalties.

The moratorium on IRS fines expired on June 1, 2010. The IRS immediately started sending
out notices proposing the imposition of Section 6707A penalties along with requests for
lengthy extensions of the Statute of Limitations for the purpose of assessing tax. Many of
these taxpayers stopped taking deductions for contributions to these plans years ago, and
are confused and upset by the IRS's inquiry, especially when the taxpayer had previously
reached a monetary settlement with the IRS regarding its deductions. Logic and common
sense dictate that a penalty should not apply if the taxpayer no longer benefits from the
arrangement.

Treas. Reg. Sec. 1.6011-4(c)(3)(i) provides that a taxpayer has participated in a listed
transaction if the taxpayer's tax return reflects tax consequences or a tax strategy described
in the published guidance identifying the transaction as a listed transaction or a transaction
that is the same or substantially similar to a listed transaction. Clearly, the primary benefit in
the participation of these plans is the large tax deduction generated by such participation. It
follows that taxpayers who no longer enjoy the benefit of those large deductions are no
longer "participating ' in the listed transaction. But that is not the end of the story.
Many taxpayers who are no longer taking current tax deductions for these plans continue to
enjoy the benefit of previous tax deductions by continuing the deferral of income from
contributions and deductions taken in prior years. While the regulations do not expand on
what constitutes "reflecting the tax consequences of the strategy", it could be argued that
continued benefit from a tax deferral for a previous tax deduction is within the contemplation
of a "tax consequence" of the plan strategy. Also, many taxpayers who no longer make
contributions or claim tax deductions continue to pay administrative fees. Sometimes,
money is taken from the plan to pay premiums to keep life insurance policies in force. In
these ways, it could be argued that these taxpayers are still "contributing", and thus still
must file Form 8886.

It is clear that the extent to which a taxpayer benefits from the transaction depends on the
purpose of a particular transaction as described in the published guidance that caused such
transaction to be a listed transaction. Revenue Ruling 2004-20 which classifies 419(e)
transactions, appears to be concerned with the employer's contribution/deduction amount
rather than the continued deferral of the income in previous years. This language may
provide the taxpayer with a solid argument in the event of an audit. 

Lance Wallach - Life insurance, Expert Witness Testimony, Expert Witness Services

Lance Wallach - Life insurance, Expert Witness Testimony, Expert Witness Services

New BISK CPEasy™ CPE Self-Study Course



 New BISK CPEasy™ CPE Self-Study Course


Author/Moderator: Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC, CIMC



Excerpt:

 

 

Why it Makes Sense to Have a Business Valuation Done Before Selling Your Business – And How To Make Sure it’s Done Right

If you’re a business owner who’s received a buyout offer, or you’re getting ready to put your business up for sale, you need to know what your business is worth on the open market. Having a business valuation performed is one of the most important things an owner can do – especially before selling a business.

Why Does Business Valuation Make Sense?
A professionally prepared business valuation will validate and benchmark the value of the company – which offers distinct advantages to the owner. Because it’s based on a wide number of factors, such as economic outlook, industry trends and future earnings potential, a business valuation offers a much more accurate picture of what a business is worth than internal financial statements alone. Without such well-organized documentation, a business seller could end up conceding more to the buyer than is necessary.

With a business valuation in hand, you’ll be better prepared to begin negotiations with potential buyers on all terms of the sale: from the sales price to financing. However, a valuation is only as good as the information on which it’s based, and the skill of the person appraising that information. That’s why it also makes sense to hire a CPA with additional training in business valuation and appraisal.

Insights Provided by a Business Valuation
A business valuation report will identify the company’s strengths, as well as areas that can be improved. It will provide valuable information on competitors in the industry, and compare your business to theirs.

These insights will allow you to make improvements prior to the sale – which can boost the company’s value, as well as its selling price. The areas of your business that can be improved prior to the sale include:
·         Hiring more skilled employees or getting rid of “dead weight.”
·         Improving your customer base by increasing marketing efforts.
·         Diversifying your vendors and customers to avoid over-dependency on one or two.
·         Improving documentation, or updating manuals, procedures and operations processes.
·         Selling or disposing of unproductive assets or obsolete inventory.
The business valuation will allow you to look at every aspect of your business from a buyer’s prospective. In addition, the insights provided by the business valuation can offer a strategic advantage over the buyer, which can benefit you in terms of price and other contract terms. Plus, in most cases, this legitimate business expense can be written off your taxes (be sure to verify this with your CPA).

How to Make Sure Your Business Valuation is Done Right
Now that you know why it makes sense to have a business valuation before selling your business, it’s important to perform due diligence on the appraisal firm. Why? To make sure it’s going to be done correctly. Here are a few tips on what to look for:
·         Will it be performed by an experienced business valuation expert, such as a CPA who has been accredited or certified by a national accrediting organization? Look for credentials such as Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) or Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA).
·         Before you choose an appraisal firm, find out what types of valuations they’ve done, what their strengths are and what companies they have experience with.
·         Ask if the company belongs to an industry trade group with a code of ethics.
·         Find out if the firm specializes in business valuations for privately held and family businesses.
·         Does the CPA firm and valuation adhere to the provisions of the American Institute of Certified Pubic Accountants’ (AICPA) Statement on Standards for Valuation Services (SSVS), which promotes greater transparency and provides a set of guidelines for valuation services?
·         Will the valuation adequately examine and discuss all common valuation methods?
·         Is the fee comparable to valuations of similar-sized businesses?
·         Is it based on data from privately owned businesses, and on actual business results?

Above all, ensure that the CPA you’ve hired for this important task is objective, experienced and qualified. Ideally the CPA should have passed the Uniform CPA Exam.

The Value of a Business Valuation Depends on Whether It’s Done Right
Not only will a professional business valuation assist a business owner in determining the value of his or her business prior to putting it up for sale, but it can also provide strategic benefits and opportunities to increase value. With so much riding on the valuation, it only makes sense to make sure it’s done right, and use the information to your best advantage.

By Grant Webb with Bisk CPA Review. Over the last 40 years Bisk has a built a proven track record of helping exam candidates pass their exam. Learn more about Bisk.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lance Wallach, National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year.
Lance has written numerous books including Protecting Clients from Fraud,
Incompetence and Scams published by John Wiley and Sons, Bisk Education's CPA's
Guide to Life Insurance and Federal Estate and Gift Taxation, as well as AICPA best-selling
books, including Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Small
Business Hot Spots. He does expert witness testimony and has never lost a case. Contact
him at 516.938.5007, wallachinc@gmail.com or visit www.taxaudit419.com or www.taxlibrary.
us.



Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.


Using Captive Insurance Companies for Savings

Small companies have been copying a method to control insurance costs and reduce taxes that used to be the domain of large businesses: setting up their own insurance companies to provide coverage when they think that outside insurers are charging too much.

Often, they are starting what is called a "captive insurance company" - an insurer founded to write coverage for the company, companies or founders.

Here's how captive insurers work.

The parent business (your company) creates a captive so that it has a self-funded option for buying insurance, whereby the parent provides the reserves to back the policies. The captive then either retains that risk or pays reinsures to take it. The price for coverage is set by the parent business; reinsurance costs, if any, are a factor.

In the event of a loss, the business pays claims from its captive, or the reinsurer pays the captive. 


http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=35592

Will Your Municipal Bond or Your Life Insurance Company Still Have Value Next Year


Lance Wallach |


Will Your Municipal Bond or Your Life Insurance Company
Still Have Value Next Year?
By Lance Wallach

Investor protection with municipal bonds is so spotty that there is potential for much mischief.

Disclosure, that bedrock of fair securities markets, is the heart of the problem facing municipal investors. Municipal issuers often don’t file the most basic reports outlining their operating results or material changes in their financial conditions.

Even though hospitals, cities and states that borrow money are required by their bond covenants to make such filings, nondisclosure among the nearly 60,000 issuers is common.

With the S.E.C. largely on the sidelines, disclosure enforcement in the municipal market is left to participants. Do you think they really want to police themselves very closely? That leaves individuals who trade the securities, the investors, and the dealers, to monitor the disclosure information. There is almost no penalty for not complying with those requirements. This is another disaster waiting to happen. If you own municipal bonds, you had better be careful. You may want to investigate www.financeexperts.org and select someone that knows what they are doing to assist you.

Do you have a life insurance or annuity policy? If so, you may be in trouble. The plummeting financial markets are dragging down the life insurance industry, which is an important component of the U.S. economy. Continuously escalating losses weaken the companies’ capital and eat away at investor confidence.

More than a dozen life insurers have been awaiting action on applications for aid from the government’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, and the industry is expecting an answer to its request for a bank-style bailout in the upcoming weeks. So far, the government hasn’t stated whether or not insurers qualify for the program.
Life insurers have undoubtedly been taking a beating in recent weeks. The Dow Jones Wilshire U.S. Life Insurance Index has fallen 82% since its May 2007 all time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 21% this year to date.

Several of the hardest-hit companies are century-old names that insure the lives of millions of Americans. Shares of Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. are down 93% as of the close on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 from their 2008 high. MetLife Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. are both suffering as the value of their vast investment portfolios declines.

As the economy weakens, analysts say many insurers face losses can eat away at the capital cushions regulators require them to maintain. In addition, experts say the industry is going through its most chaotic period in recent history and it’s a pretty scary situation right now.
The consequences of a weakened life-insurance industry for the overall economy are significant because life insurers are among the biggest holders of the nation’s corporate debt. For example, if life insurers stop buying bonds, the capital markets may not fully recover. Their buying activity has already declined.

Wall Street analysts say another problem for some life insurers is obligations for variable annuities, a retirement-income product that often guarantees minimum withdrawals or investment returns. As stock markets plunge to new lows, life insurers need to set aside additional funds to show regulators they can meet their obligations, further crimping sparse capital.

Life insurers’ woes have come largely from investment grade corporate bonds, commercial real estate and mortgages, regulatory filings show. Many insurers ended 2008 with high levels of losses that, due to accounting rules, they haven’t had to record on their bottom lines.
Hartford Financial had $14.6 billion in unrealized losses at year’s end. In addition, Hartford Insurance, through its agents, sold life insurance policies that were part of a welfare benefit plan popularly known as Niche Marketing, which has long been under IRS attack and is almost certainly regarded by the Service as an abusive tax shelter and/or listed transaction. Prudential, the second-largest insurer by assets, had nearly $11.3 billion in unrealized losses, up $5.4 billion in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter.

For additional advice and articles on this specific subject, you may want to look at www.IRS.gov, www.taxlibrary.us and www.financeexperts.org. You better review your policy and keep track of what is going on.
Lance Wallach, the National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year, speaks and writes extensively about retirement plans, Circular 230 problems and tax reduction strategies. He speaks at more than 40 conventions annually, writes for over 50 publications, is quoted regularly in the press, and has written numerous best-selling AICPA books, including Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Business Hot Spots. Contact him at 516.938.5007 or visit www.vebaplan.com.

The information provided herein is not intended as legal, accounting, financial or any other type of advice for any specific individual or other entity. You should contact an appropriate professional for any such advice.

Older People Hurt by Insurance Salespeople

         By Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC 



Insurance agents are taking advantage of older people. Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Small Business Hot Spots, by Sid Kess; Author/Moderator: Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC - Excerpts have been taken from this book about: Senior abuses.
The following example is unfortunately not an isolated incident of an abusive sales practice. If accountants were consulted more often by their clients, maybe the following would never happen.

Senior citizen clients thought they had every reason to trust Mr. Sell BigPolicy as a financial counselor. The insurance agent had obtained a designation recognizing him as WE DO NOT WANT TO MENTION THE NAME Senior Advisor. He obtained this designation in 2002, a credential he made sure to advertise on fliers sent to retirees.

He did not mention how easy it had been to get that title.

He had paid $1,095 for a correspondence course, then took a multiple-choice exam with questions like, “Marketing can best be described as:” (The answer: “The process or technique of promoting the sale or distribution of a product or service.”) Like more than 18,700 other applicants since 1997, he passed.

Insurance companies, eager for sales representatives, embraced Mr. Sell Bigpolicy, as they have thousands of other newly credentialed advisors.

The following year, multiple insurers paid him commissions totaling $720,000 as his business with retirees soared.

But many of those sales came from steering older Americans into unwise investments, regulators contend in a lawsuit.

Mr. Sell Bigpolicy denies all wrongdoing, but one of his clients – a 73-year-old widow caring for a son with Down syndrome – said he tricked her into buying complicated insurance contracts that left her unable to pay dental and home repair bills.

“His office was filled with things saying he was certified to help seniors,” said that client. “The only one he really helped was himself.”

Taking care of the finances of older Americans is a huge and potentially lucrative field, and the market is growing. Attracted by this market, many financial planners have shifted their focus to it – and bring widely varying attitudes and professional training to the consultation table. Training and certification in financial gerontology is now being offered by at least four groups.

The Securities and Exchange Commission does not regulate these groups – or any other groups that provide financial planning certification, for that matter. “The S.E.C. does not endorse any professional designation,” said Susan Wyderko, director of the office of investor education of the S.E.C.

The absence of government supervision is a problem, said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America. “There’s an opportunity for fraud,” he said, adding that older people need to be very careful about whom they trust for advice.

Regardless of any planner’s credentials, the S.E.C. and consumer organizations say the best approach is “buyers beware.”

Investors can learn how to check the background of a financial planner, including any disciplinary actions, at the S.E.C.’s website, www.sec.gov. Such background checks, along with a discussion about an advisor’s approach to investing, are well advised before signing up with a planner.

“We see too many investors who might have avoided trouble,” Ms. Wyderko of the S.E.C. said, “had they asked basic questions right from the start.”

Mr. Sell Bigpolicy is one of tens of thousands of financial advisers working hand-in-hand with insurance companies to market themselves to older Americans using impressive sounding credentials.

Many of these titles can be earned in just a few days from businesses concerned only with the bottom line and sound similar to established credentials that require years of study, difficult tests and extensive background checks.

Many graduates of these short programs say they only want to help older Americans. But they are frequently dispensing financial counsel that they are not qualified to offer, advocates for the elderly say. And thousands of them are paid by some of the country’s largest insurance companies to sell elderly clients complicated investments that some economists say most retirees should never own.

More than two dozen such programs now exist, and have enrolled more than 39,000 people over the last decade.

But some of the existing programs, which are often linked to insurance companies, have taught agents to use abusive sales techniques, regulators say.

Some insurers have been listed as sponsors at seminars with names like the Million Dollar Academy, where thousands of sales representatives were advised to scare retirees by saying, “I am all that stands between you and potential catastrophic loss.” Other seminars instructed agents to “drive a wedge” between retirees and their established advisors.

“The insurers are happy to turn a blind eye to what salesmen are doing, as long as they make a sale,” said Minnesota’s attorney general, Lori Swanson, who is suing several companies, contending that their products are at best inappropriate, and possibly worse.

Insurance companies say they investigate the backgrounds of all agents, screen all sales to consumers to make sure they are appropriate, and have terminated representatives using improper sales methods. Those companies said they were not aware of abusive methods taught at any seminar they endorsed.

Some insurance companies say that they do not tolerate misrepresentation.

Another insurance company, in a statement, said “Any evidence of sales agent misconduct, without exception, results in immediate termination.”

Nonetheless, complaints over sales of insurance products have soared. In particular, grievances have stemmed from annuity sales. Obviously, occasionally a buyer of a product buys it without a full understanding of the product. If the product does not perform as expected, possibly because the stock market went down, the buyer may have a selective memory failure. The buyer can then complain to the insurance company, among other places. If the salesperson sold in good faith, and the product was appropriate, sometimes the buyer may still have recourse. Is this fair?

Over one third of all cases of financial exploitation of the elderly involve annuities, according to the North American Securities Administrators Association, a regulatory group [EM1]. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against insurers over annuity sales to the elderly. A judge in Minnesota ruled in 2007 that just one class action suit against a large insurance company could encompass as many as 400,000 plaintiffs. Do all of the plaintiffs deserve to be compensated? Who ends up with much of the money if the lawsuit is won? If you do not know the answer to the last question, ask yourself if it is a coincidence that huge class action litigation attracts prestigious large law firms like a picnic does flies.

In interviews, sales agents who have been accused of wrongdoing invariably say that they followed the guidance of insurance companies.

But consider, for example, that the vast majority of annuity sales do not offer immediate payouts. Instead, they require buyers to wait as long as 10 years to begin receiving benefits. Such contracts, known as deferred annuities, made up 97% of all annuity sales last year.

Deferred annuities, however, offer sales agents the richest commissions, which is one reason so many of them are sold every year, regulators say. Selling a $100,000 deferred annuity, for example, typically earns a sales representative $9,000, though buyers are sometimes prohibited from touching much of their money for 10 years without incurring penalties. No-load annuities, may feature little or no commission, and may not have penalties. Annuities with shorter tie ups carry much smaller commissions.

In summation, if it is true that sales agents who push large deferred annuities with long tie up periods are only following company guidance, that may be as negative a commentary on the companies as on the agents.

“An annuity that pays a fixed immediate income offers seniors a lot of security,” said Jean Setzfand, director of financial security with AARP. “But a deferred annuity is almost always a bad idea for a retiree.”

Those concerns, however, have not stopped many insurance agents from aggressively selling deferred annuities.

Some of those agents have been trained by organizations that require only a few days of classroom instruction.

For instance, the 1,200 people who have enrolled in a different senior adviser program spent only four days in a classroom, according to a spokesman.

The organization which gave Mr. Sell Bigpolicy his credentials is a for-profit company that has trained 24,000 enrollees since it was started in 1997.

The company that gave Mr. Sell Bigpolicy his designation has a course that lasts three and a half days, according to recent participants, and includes uplifting lectures, overviews on the sociology of aging and exercises including peering through vision-blurring lenses to get a sense of how some clients’ eyesight can falter.

Regulatory authorities tend to be ultra critical of these programs.

“There are limitless phrases being coined to convey an expertise in senior finances,” said Massachusetts securities regulator William F. Galvin. “Most of them seem designed to trick seniors into listening to swindlers.”

Most insurance salespeople are honorable and are not swindlers. As in most lines of work, however, not everyone is honorable and does the correct thing.

A representative for the organization said the program’s courses and questions were written and evaluated by experts. In a statement, the company said its training was intended to supplement, not substitute for, professional credentials and education. The organization began asking titleholders in March to disclose to potential clients that designation alone does not imply expertise in financial, health or social matters.

Despite that disclaimer, the company has trained thousands of insurance agents and other financial advisors. And about 100 companies, many of them insurers, endorse the designation, said a spokesman for the group.

Soon after Mr. Sell Bigpolicy received his designation, Mr. Sell Bigpolicy started displaying it in ads and on letters inviting retirees to seminars over free chicken lunches, according to Massachusetts regulators.

At those meetings, Mr. Sell Bigpolicy told retirees that they were perilously close to financial calamity, according to Massachusetts regulators and attendees. He warned them that the stock market’s ability to offset inflation was “a big lie,” according to documents collected by those regulators. Banks contained “weapons of mass destruction,” read one handout.

But annuities, Mr. Sell Bigpolicy noted, offered guaranteed returns, attendees said. At the time, he was authorized to sell annuities offered by more than two dozen insurance companies, state records show.

Mr. Sell Bigpolicy’s script, Massachusetts regulators say, used materials from another training company that had more than a dozen insurers as “partners” or “carriers” on the company’s Web site.

There are a few dozen companies, like the training company in question, that teach sales agents how to find retirees willing to buy annuities.

Some insurance companies say they endorse only training programs that are committed to ethical sales tactics and that their support is often limited to providing speakers or marketing materials. But they acknowledge that they cannot always police how agents present themselves.

Dozens of lawsuits against insurers contend that those companies failed to adequately supervise sales agents who sold inappropriate annuities to aging clients and then did not act when buyers complained.

Some insurers, in court filings and interviews, say they spend millions of dollars supervising sales agents and investigating consumer complaints.

Some insurance companies, and some state regulators, have changed the rules governing how annuity sales agents can behave.

This year, Massachusetts prohibited most financial advisers from using some titles unless they were recognized by an accreditation organization or the state. In 2007, two of the largest insurers told sales agents they could not use the designation of WE DO NOT WANT TO MENTION THE NAME senior adviser.

But in most other states and at most insurance companies, sales representatives can use any title they choose.

For his part, Mr. Sell Big Policy, while he awaits the outcome of his case, is still approved to sell annuities by more than two dozen insurers, according to state records. This is not an isolated example, which does not mean that an accountant should think that all insurance salespeople behave like this sales person. This example, in differing versions, does happen. If the customer consulted his or her accountant, which admittedly most do not, the above example, or something like it, may not happen.

Lance Wallach, National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year and member of the AICPA faculty of teaching professionals, is a frequent speaker on retirement plans, abusive tax shelters, financial, international tax, and estate planning.  He writes about 412(i), 419, Section79, FBAR and captive insurance plans. He speaks at more than ten conventions annually, writes for more than 50 publications, is quoted regularly in the press and has been featured on television and radio financial talk shows including NBC, National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and others. Lance has written numerous books including “Protecting Clients from Fraud, Incompetence and Scams,” published by John Wiley and Sons, Bisk Education’s “CPA’s Guide to Life Insurance and Federal Estate and Gift Taxation,” as well as the AICPA best-selling books, including “Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Small Business Hot Spots.” He does expert witness testimony and has never lost a case. Contact him at 516.938.5007, wallachinc@gmail.com or visit www.taxadvisorexpert.com.

The information provided herein is not intended as legal, accounting, financial or any type of advice for any specific individual or other entity. You should contact an appropriate professional for any such advice.
           

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.

Lance Wallach | LinkedIn

Lance Wallach | LinkedIn

What Businesses Can Gain From Them



 



America’s Best-selling CPE Programs

 

Below is a short excerpt from Business Valuation

 by Lance Wallach

               Business Valuations: What Businesses Can Gain From Them

A business valuation measures the worth of a business on the open market. It analyzes the company’s management, capital structure, future earnings potential and market value of its assets – and can be critical to running a successful enterprise.

Business valuations are often performed during a sale, merger or divorce proceeding. But every business can benefit from an annual valuation. After all, a business is typically the owner’s largest asset – and understanding its true worth can lead to opportunities for greater success.

The Information a Valuation Will Return
Business valuations are full of information essential to running a successful business, including:
·         Details about the reason for the valuation.
·         A description of the company and its market position.
·         An analysis of risk factors specific to the business and industry.
·         An assessment of economic conditions and industry trends.
·         Detailed past and projected financial statements.
·         A review of valuation methods, and justification for those selected.
·         An estimate of value, typically based on a weighted average of the various valuation methods.

Using This Information to Your Advantage
A business valuation allows owners to make informed decisions when working on long-term or expansion planning, retirement planning or estate planning. Without one, you could be making plans based on an underestimated value, and foregoing tax-saving strategies. On the other hand, an inflated view of your business could result in wasting time and money on a business that’s not worth as much as you thought.

The economy affects the value of every business, based on prevailing market forces. Armed with up-to-date economic information, a business owner can make solid decisions, such as putting off buying equipment or hiring employees. Or, he or she may decide it’s time to borrow money to fund an expansion, or tighten up on expenses to save cash.

The valuation’s thorough review of industry trends can be used to gauge where a business stands, compared to its competition. For example, if your business is not performing to the same level as comparable companies, you may be compelled to find out why. Without this information, it could be years before you discover you’re behind your competitors – and too late to catch up.

Do You Really Know What Your Business is Worth?
Many business owners rely on internal financial statements to determine the company’s value. But a professional business appraiser will take a thorough approach – so you have a highly accurate picture of your business’s worth.

The appraiser will gather a great deal of information about the business, the industry in which it operates, current and projected economic conditions and other factors that affect value. In most situations, the various accepted valuation methods will yield different results. For example, the income approach bases value on expected income generation, while the asset approach bases value on business’s assets. The market approach bases value on past sales of shares in the business or a similar one. Each approach will supply a range of reasonable values, which are supported by valid means of justification. In any case, you’ll have a clear and accurate snapshot of how well your company is doing – or not. Without a professional business valuation, you could be at a serious disadvantage.

An Annual Valuation Can Keep You On Track for Growth
Business valuations should be included in every business owner’s plan.




Lance Wallach, National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year and member of the AICPA faculty of teaching professionals, is a frequent speaker on retirement plans, abusive tax shelters, financial, international tax, and estate planning.  He writes about 412(i), 419, Section79, FBAR and captive insurance plans. He speaks at more than ten conventions annually, writes for more than 50 publications, is quoted regularly in the press and has been featured on television and radio financial talk shows including NBC, National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and others. Lance has written numerous books including “Protecting Clients from Fraud, Incompetence and Scams,” published by John Wiley and Sons, Bisk Education’s “CPA’s Guide to Life Insurance and Federal Estate and Gift Taxation,” as well as the AICPA best-selling books, including “Avoiding Circular 230 Malpractice Traps and Common Abusive Small Business Hot Spots.” He does expert witness testimony and has never lost a case. Contact him at 516.938.5007, or visit www.taxadvisorexpert.com



The information provided herein is not intended as legal, accounting, financial or any type of advice for any specific individual or other entity. You should contact an appropriate professional for any such advice.