Top rated key person insurance solutions: How the policies should be set up: There are various ways in which shareholder protection can be taken out and set up. We work closely with your accountant and other professional connections to ensure the cover is setup in the correct way for your business. In order to protect individual shareholders, it is recommended that each shareholder takes out a separate “own life” policy. This policy will insure them for a sum assured equivalent to the value of their company shares. By taking out this coverage, the shareholder can rest assured knowing that if something were to happen, their investment in the company would be protected. Additionally, if they choose to write this policy into trust, they can benefit their co-shareholders in case of unforeseeable events. Read additional info at executive income protection.
Who can have Key Person Insurance: Any business looking to protect their business from, life cover, terminal illness, critical illness cover (covering illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, cancer). As will as the typical limited company businesses key person cover can benefit sole traders and partnerships. As mentioned above it is important to get the right level of cover, set up in the most tax efficient manner to give peace of mind, protect the business profits and reduce business risk from the loss of a valuable employee. It gives a much needed cash injection to give cash flow by means of a lump sum payment.
How Much Cover is Needed? When it comes to the amount of cover you need, it is important to reflect the amount that would be needed to pay the debt or loan back in full. To ensure you have the right level of protection, there are two main types of business loan protection insurance available; level and decreasing. Level protection is suitable if your debts stay at a consistent level over a set period, such as with an interest only mortgage. Decreasing protection allows you to address your liabilities in smaller amounts which makes more sense when responding to repayments on longer-term loans such as car finance. Business loan protection can provide significant support during a financially challenging time, allowing the continuity of trading while deferring payments on those outstanding debts. It’s vital that all businesses review their current debt levels regularly and consider the implications if one or more were suddenly unable to be paid off quickly, before selecting an appropriate level of loan protection insurance.
It’s always important to consider the tax implications of any business decision and shareholder protection is no exception. By paying for shareholder protection through the business, corporations can save on their taxes by claiming it as an expense. However, it’s important to ensure that the agreement is correctly arranged in order to avoid any unexpected tax liabilities. One of the key considerations when arranging a shareholder protection agreement is whether or not the shares will go into the deceased shareholder’s estate before being purchased by surviving shareholders. If the agreement stipulates that the shares must be sold by the estate and purchased by surviving shareholders, then they may not qualify for business property tax exemption and could have significant inheritance implications. However, with careful wording, it is possible to structure the agreement in a way that allows for this exemption while still achieving the desired outcome. Ultimately, seeking advice from a specialist business protection adviser can provide invaluable support in navigating these complexities and ensuring that all parties are adequately protected while minimizing any potential tax liabilities.
Business loans can be critical for a business to function and grow, but without loan protection, borrowing money becomes a much riskier endeavor. Business loan protection insures the debt should an unforeseen event cause the illness or death of an owner or director who was personally responsible for it. By protecting their loan, business owners minimise their exposure and ensure that the lender is less likely to be left with unpaid debts in such scenarios.
Often called key-man insurance this type of policy is sometimes miss understood. It is important to ensure that the policy is set up in the correct manner using the right trusts or structure. There are also a lot of confusion and miss information on the tax treatment of these policies. The policy can be for life only or for life and critical illness cover . In another article we also explore key person income protection insurance. The death or illness of a key employee can have devastating consequences for a business and thus protecting a business from this should be an important part of protecting a business if the financial impact and help the business survive a difficult time. Discover additional info on Executive Income Protection.
Business protection aims to help a business survive if any of its directors, shareholders or key employees either die or become seriously ill. Traditional business protection policies such as shareholder protection policies and key person insurance policies are what most people think of when they think of business protection insurance. However the market has developed over the last decade and now there are other types of business protection products that can not only help the business but also help the directors provide tax efficient policies for their families. Products such as the Relevant Life Policy and Executive Income Protection have seen massive growth over the last decade.