Note
First, readers should understand that Concert Financial Planning does not sell insurance, nor do we have any economic interest in whether a client procures insurance. We simply consider insurance as part of a broader “Resilience” plan and hold our clients’ hand as they go through the process with a licensed insurance broker.
Background
A client couple, both professionals, approached us for a financial review. They had basic life and disability insurance coverage through their employers, but they weren’t sure if their policies were sufficient given their financial goals. Their primary concerns included:
Providing financial security for their children (including private school and college tuition)
Ensuring mortgage and other liabilities were covered in the event of an untimely passing or disability
Understanding their workplace benefits and whether they needed supplemental coverage
Challenges Identified
Through our review, we identified several coverage gaps:
Inadequate Disability Insurance:
Their workplace disability insurance only covered 60% of base salary and did not include bonus compensation.
The policy benefit was taxable, meaning the take-home replacement income would be far less than expected.
Insufficient Life Insurance Coverage:
Their employer-provided life insurance was only 1-2x their annual salaries, far below what they needed to fully support their family’s financial plan.
They had not calculated the true cost of replacing income, covering education expenses, and paying off their mortgage.
Lack of a Clear Strategy for Supplementing Coverage:
They had never gone through a structured needs assessment to determine how much additional insurance to purchase and what type of policies made the most sense.
They weren’t sure whether term life insurance or whole life insurance was the right fit.
Our Approach and Solutions
Analyzing Disability Insurance Needs
We used the “Maximum Insurable Benefit” approach to determine the highest level of disability coverage they could obtain based on their income, employer benefits, and policy limits.
The couple decided to supplement their workplace disability insurance with individual policies to:
Cover both base salary and bonuses
Ensure benefits were tax-free by paying premiums out-of-pocket
Eliminate restrictive definitions that could make claiming benefits difficult
Using the LIFE-S Method for Life Insurance Planning
To determine the right level of life insurance, we broke down their needs using the LIFE-S framework:L – Liabilities: Covering their mortgage, student loans, and any other debts
I – Income Replacement: Ensuring the surviving spouse wouldn’t have to work under financial stress
F – Final Expenses: Covering funeral and medical costs
E – Education: Funding private school and college for their children
S – Self-Insurance: Factoring in existing insurance coverages and savings that reduce the need for additional coverage
Implementing a Balanced Insurance Plan
We helped them select term life insurance policies with coverage aligned to their peak earning years and their children’s dependency timeline.
We walked them through the pros and cons of whole life insurance, ultimately deciding against it in favor of lower-cost, high-coverage term policies.
We coordinated with an insurance broker to get multiple quotes, ensuring they got the best pricing and terms available.
Outcome
✅ Increased disability coverage to fully replace their household income in case of an unexpected event
✅ Purchased term life insurance policies tailored to their family’s long-term needs at a fraction of the cost of whole life insurance
✅ Optimized their insurance strategy so they had the right coverage—without overpaying for unnecessary policies
By taking a structured, strategic approach, this couple was able to close coverage gaps, protect their family, and move forward with peace of mind.
Get in Touch: Contact@ConcertPlanning.com
Read More: Blogs and Case Studies