Author Archives: Yisroel Sandel

The focus of the Berkshire Annual General Meeting is usually the economy, investing, and Berkshire’s many businesses. There are inevitably questions about Mr. Buffett’s succession plans. But Mr. Blum’s question stood out, because it was much more personal. Here are his exact words: “I can design plans that eliminate estate tax and pass down great […]

Growing your estate without undue market risk and taxes. Often we see investors shift gears near retirement and beyond. Many become risk adverse and move their assets into fixed income type investments. Unfortunately this often results in the assets being exposed to higher rates of income tax and lower rates of return – never a […]

Owners of successful private corporations are well aware of the importance of cash flow. Many are protective of how they allocate corporate capital so that business ventures are adequately funded and investment opportunities are not missed. The Immediate Financing Arrangement offers an opportunity to provide life insurance coverage and accumulate wealth on a tax-advantaged basis […]

If you are an owner in a family enterprise, the likelihood of your business successfully transitioning to the next generations is not very good. This has not changed over the years. Statistics show a failure rate of: • 67% of businesses fail to succeed into the second generation • 90% fail by the third generation […]

Life insurance is a powerful asset class that deserves a place in your portfolio due to its unique risk and return characteristics. Did you know that the underlying mathematical principles dictate that life insurance is the highest returning, safest asset a client can own? Portfolios, regardless of the size, should be as diversified as possible, […]

Or so the saying goes. This certainly is true in Canada where there is a “deemed disposition” when a taxpayer dies. What this means is that a taxpayer is deemed to dispose of all his or her assets at fair market value immediately preceding death. How does this affect your assets? • For certain assets […]

The recent developments in investment markets, the volatile performance of equities and the low interest rate in fixed income investments have brought about a new appeal to an old workhorse. For investors looking for a diversification in their investment portfolio and a more tax efficient fixed income investment alternative, a compelling argument can be made […]

Warren Buffet in a refresher course on his approach to investing in his 2014 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholders. Fortune magazine published an excerpt of it on line at that time. Fortune writer Carol Loomis, who is a long-time friend of Buffet, edits his annual letter. The billionaire uses two personal real estate […]

Has it been a while since you last looked at your insurance portfolio? Are you a little sketchy in your recollection of all the coverage you have and why you have it? Are you uncertain as to whether or not your portfolio reflects your current situation? If this is the case, this might be the […]