Indexed Universal Life vs Roth IRA (iul vs roth ira): In-Depth Analysis

By: Patrick GarciaPosted on

You’re standing at a financial crossroads. In one direction, the path of Indexed Universal Life vs Roth Ira, glimmers with potential and promise. On the other side, lies the well-trodden road of traditional retirement planning options like social security or term life policies.

You’ve got some hard-earned money to invest in your future but uncertainty looms large – which route do you take? Would you venture down an unfamiliar path that could lead to unprecedented growth or stick with what’s tried-and-tested?

This post is your trusty compass for this journey. It’ll help demystify Indexed Universal Life vs Roth IRA, compare their unique features, explore tax implications, discuss benefits like lifelong coverage versus tax-free distributions.

Don’t sweat it, this choice might not be as tough as you think.

Understanding IUL and Roth IRA Policies

The financial world is packed with tools to help you prepare for retirement. Two of these, indexed universal life (IUL) insurance and the Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA), offer unique benefits that can shape your retirement planning.

Defining Indexed Universal Life

An IUL is a type of permanent life insurance policy. Unlike term life policies, which only provide coverage for a specific period, an IUL offers lifelong protection.

This type of universal life policy does more than just give out death benefits tax-free though—it also accumulates cash value over time. This means part of your premium payments go into a separate account within the policy where it has potential growth based on market upswings in specific economic sectors.

IULs aren’t relying solely on stock market performance either—they come with minimum guaranteed earned rates to ensure some level of growth even during market downturns.

Defining Roth IRA

Roth IRAs work differently but share the goal of helping you secure future finances. They are essentially retirement accounts allowing individuals to save post-tax money for their golden years—money that grows tax-free as long as certain conditions are met.

A big perk here is when it’s time to start drawing down those savings after age 59½—the payouts from this retirement plan, including earnings, are typically free from federal income taxes since they were funded by post-tax dollars initially deposited into the account. Furthermore, unlike traditional IRAs or other types of pre-taxed retirements accounts, Roth IRAs don’t have required minimum distributions (RMDs), letting your account grow for as long as you like.

Key Differences between Indexed Universal Life and Roth IRA

When it comes to IULs and Roth IRAs, they play by different rules. Sure, you’ve got some wiggle room with your IUL premium payments, but when it comes to yearly contributions for a Roth IRA, that’s a whole other ball game.

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Looking to get Certificates printed, framed and mailed out?

By: ReynaPosted on

Young man holding a framed certificate.

This is a question we receive now and again, and the short answer is Yes – we do that. And we’d be happy to talk with you if you are searching for a way to accomplish this.

However, when we are working with our clients, or talking with prospective companies about setting up a System to mail out framed certificates, there are several important factors to consider. It’s best to fully consider all aspects to determine if it is possible for you to get certificates printed, framed, and mailed.

This blog will highlight some of the major considerations to keep in mind if you are looking to outsource the printing, framing, and mailing of your certs.

1. Who Knew Style Could Be Fragile?

Everyone comes to this discussion with a similar intent: To reward your recipients – doctors, graduates, honorees, etc – with an impressive, meaningful, framed award certificate that will immediately be hung on a wall for years to come. It’s a noble, commendable goal.

However, keep in mind that a large, beautiful frame that checks all the boxes in the design category might be fragile, and easily damaged during shipping. Ensuring that it does arrive in a pristine shape means the packaging costs might become more than you have bargained for. But, when thinking about what your end Product will be to your recipients, it’s best to think about it in terms of utilizing a frame that is simple, sturdy, and not overly large.

Another common misstep is to automatically rule out using frames that have clear acrylic as a faceplate, in lieu of using frames that have a glass face plate. As we all know, glass is fragile, and even the best-packed frames can sometimes break during shipment. If your goal is to deliver a meaningful memento, having him/her open the package to discover glass shards is not a great lasting impression.

It’s our recommendation to consider using frames that have a clear acrylic faceplate, to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

2. There’s a Reason it’s Called Snail Mail

As you may know, SimpleCert® is an online self-service tool that allows you to instantly create any number of certificates. Certificate recipients have a high-quality, electronic certificate waiting in their email inbox the second you send them out from SimpleCert®. Instant gratification!

When we send certificates out for clients via mail your recipients can easily be waiting for many days, even weeks before they receive their certificate. The perceived value of your certificate may diminish to a recipient during that time. Of course, this can be offset to some extent depending on how much money you are willing to spend to ship them out.

Every use case is different, so be sure to ask yourself how important it is that your certificates are received quickly. Will the perceived value of your certificate be diminished by the amount of time it might take to mail to a recipient?

3. The Elephant in the Room That’s Standing on your Certificates

In a word: Cost.

The cost per certificate, to print, frame, and mail a certificate can quickly become a factor if you are sticking to a budget. As has been mentioned above, each use case is different. And we can help you assess and determine if the cost will be a factor for you to mail certificates.

In general, here are some ballpark costs that you can expect to pay, if you are looking to have your certificates framed and mailed, per certificate and BEFORE actual shipping costs are factored in:

  • SimpleCert® creation of certificate: $.10 cents
  • Certificate cardstock: $.45 – $1.10
  • Printing: $.49 cents
  • Mailers and packaging: $.55 – $3.50 dependent on the size of the certificate frame
  • Certificate frames: $4.50 – $15.50 per frame

With these numbers, it’s safe to project that you are looking at ballpark costs of between $6.09 – $20.69, per certificate as a good estimate, not including shipping costs. Of course, additional custom features, like gold foil stamping, can increase these costs as well. However, If these numbers are within your budget, then let’s talk and we can get you set up.

Suffice to say when projecting out these costs across an entire Certificate program, many companies opt for an alternative method to distribute certificates. The vast majority of these companies opt to utilize SimpleCert® for its original design as a way to provide high-quality certificates to recipients online.

4. It’s the Content, not the Container

Taking these factors into account, it will become easier to determine what is the right avenue for you to take.

If budget is a factor but there is still a strong need to mail certificates, consider engaging SimpleCert® to print high-quality certificates that would be mailed without a frame. Taking out the certificate frame will greatly reduce shipping and packaging costs, and eliminate any possibility of damage in shipment.

Of course, it’s our opinion that the true value of any certification you give is in the actual certificate itself, and less so in an actual frame. SimpleCert® is designed to automate the process of Certificate Management and provide your recipients with a high-quality certificate that they can store and enjoy digitally OR physically if they choose to print the certificate out.

At the end of the day, however, it’s our job to support you, so click the link below if you have questions, or are looking for a way to get certificates printed. We’re happy to help.

SimpleCert

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Building a Strong Personal Brand for Career Success

By: ReynaPosted on

Today’s job market is highly competitive. In order to advance your career in the direction you want, you need a strong personal brand. This is essentially the image and reputation that others perceive about you. It can make a difference in the kinds of offers and opportunities you get.

To help you in the process, here are some tips for building a successful brand:

Think about what you want it to communicate.

This depends on you, as well as the work you do and the industry you’re in. Generally, identify what values, attitudes, habits, and hard skills define who you are as a professional and what you can do for a potential employer. If you don’t have a clear understanding of the value you bring to the table, you’re not going to be able to communicate your brand to others.

Create an online presence.

Once you have a clearly defined brand, use online platforms to broadcast it. LinkedIn is obviously one site to use. Others include those in your specific industry. You can even create a personal website with information about you, including samples of your work. Along the way, engage with others in your industry online, so you can start promoting your brand.

Make your brand memorable.

If your brand is boring, bland, or long-winded, it’s not going to gain much Traction. Instead, it should be clear-cut and punchy, like an elevator speech. People who look at your website or see your LinkedIn profile should get what you do and who you are in a few moments. So whether it’s through text or visuals, work samples, videos, or podcasts, make sure you leverage all the tools available to you to make a great impression with your brand.

Become an industry expert.

If you’re an entry-level worker, this might not be attainable. However, if you have years of work experience under your belt, you have knowledge and expertise that’s valuable to someone else. Start to share it, whether online in a blog post, a podcast or video, or whatever way best suits your brand, and begin to build your reputation as an industry Expert.

Network and forge relationships.

Ultimately, building a strong brand requires connecting with others in your industry. Do this both online and in person, whether at industry events, conferences, seminars, Social media, and through other opportunities.

Be real.

Don’t come across as phony or fake in your brand. Be your true, authentic self and work toward projecting that kind of image in your brand. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Need help building a brand that lands you a new job?

At Provisional Recruiting, we’re one of Spokane’s top employment agencies and can connect you with rewarding opportunities that help you take that next big step in your career. Search our jobs now to get started by clicking the link below!

Provisional | Career Success

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