Risk Management

In the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, two of the worst storms to make landfall in the U.S., the fate of thousands of homeowners is still up in the air. So, it may seem a bit trivial to point out that the storms also destroyed thousands of luxury and classic cars. While the dollar amount of damages pales in comparison to the loss of homes, estimates put the total at somewhere between $100 million and $300 million for luxury and classic car damages alone, which is not a trivial amount.

With rates as low and competitive as they have ever been, it’s as close to a “buyers” market in life insurance as we’ll get.  Still, in these cash-strapped times, curbing all costs and expenses is a priority for most people, and buying life insurance is no different.

Ever since the introduction of variable life insurance in the 1950s the debate over life insurance as an investment has raged on, and, to this day, the issue remains largely unsettled.

As anyone would have expected, the extraordinary convergence of extreme stock market volatility, low interest rates, declining home values, diminished retirement savings accounts, and chronic economic sluggishness has taken a severe toll on the American psyche. For many investors, it may have forever altered the way in which risk is perceived and managed.

Even as the stock market works its way to new highs, retirement savers, still shell-shocked from the extreme volatility of recent years, are slow to wade back into equities. Smaller investors tend to ignore the history that shows that the market eventually rewards those who can withstand the fluctuations and stay the course through the various market cycles. In fact, for accumulators, their biggest risk is not the potential 25 percent decline in the market; rather it’s missing the next 100 percent increase.