Seminar F: This Isn’t Your Father’s Life Insurance Policy

2025 Annual Meeting
March 22, 2025 – 8:00am – 9:30am
Palm Springs, CA

What Advisors should know about current developments in life insurance policies, structures and alternatives and cross-border implications in a world of individual mobility and multi-jurisdictional families.

Life insurance is not just a product, it is a valuable asset to both the insured and the insured’s beneficiaries. Insurance issuers have developed more policy offerings that include sophisticated investments in support of the policy performance, as well as policies that provide benefits for long term care/assisted living. Additionally, through Private Placement Life Insurance, there are opportunities to use alternative investments in the insurance contract to build on the policy’s cash value so long as the MEC and IRC regulations are followed.

From an international perspective, there are considerable differences between life insurance products offered in civil law European countries and life insurance products available in the U.S. Additionally, countries outside of the U.S. regulate and tax life insurance differently. Given the increased global mobility of individuals, the implications of a change in residency to existing or newly acquired insurance products has increased relevance.

This panel will discuss the varying types of insurance policy products offered in the U.S. and in civil law European countries, when they may be appropriate and what a client (including a client’s advisor) should consider before acquiring a policy or converting it. The panel will also discuss the implications of mobility of the policy holder or insured person and will feature a fiduciary counsel Fellow to share the trustee’s perspective, particularly given that the vast majority of life insurance products are owned through irrevocable trusts.

Speakers: Nuno Miguel Da Cunha Barnabé, Andrea C. Chomakos, Joshua E. Husbands