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Why this blog?
"A lie can be told in one sentence. The truth requires an entire chapter."
A lie fits in one sentence:
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“You’ll be fine.”
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“This is a great return.”
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“Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
Simple. Clean. Comfortable.
But the truth?
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The truth takes work.
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The truth needs math.
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It needs time.
It needs someone willing to slow down long enough to actually prove what’s happening.
Because real financial truth isn’t a slogan—it’s something you can see, test, and walk through step by step.
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Life Insurance Is Like Baking Soda: More Uses Than You Think
When most people hear the phrase “life insurance,” they think of death benefits. Likewise, when they think of baking soda, they picture cookies. But both life insurance and baking soda are far more versatile than most people realize. From kitchens to boardrooms, from recipes to retirement, these two humble tools have an uncanny resemblance in their range of unexpected and powerful uses. 1. The Obvious Purpose: What Everyone Knows Baking Soda: It Makes Things Rise It’s a leave
David H. Kinder
May 243 min read
The Kyle Busch Pacific Life Case: A Painful Reminder About What Life Insurance Is Really For
The recent lawsuit involving NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and Pacific Life has become one of the most discussed life insurance stories in the country. According to public reports, Kyle and Samantha Busch alleged that they were sold Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policies using projections and expectations that ultimately did not perform as they believed had been represented. The lawsuit reportedly involved substantial premiums, aggressive policy illustrations, and concerns surrou
David H. Kinder
May 215 min read
What Building a Business Owner Consulting Program Taught Me About Professional Education
Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to study under some exceptional educational programs, learn from outstanding professionals, and spend nearly two decades refining how I communicate complex planning concepts to clients and other advisors. What I never expected was to eventually be asked by an established professional industry association to help develop and evolve a business-owner consulting designation program of its own. What began as a curriculum
David H. Kinder
May 1110 min read
Myth #19: “Borrowing Your Own Money” — And the Strategic Truth Business Owners Need to Understand
One of the most common—and misleading—statements about cash value life insurance is this: “Why would you borrow your own money and pay interest on it?” It sounds logical. It feels intuitive.And it’s completely wrong. If you misunderstand this concept, you’ll dismiss a strategy that—when used properly—can be one of the most efficient ways to access capital without disrupting long-term planning. Let’s clarify what’s actually happening. You Are Not Borrowing Your Own Money When
David H. Kinder
Apr 24 min read
Consumer Alert: The Hidden Risks of DIY Estate Planning
What You Don’t Know About “DIY” Estate Planning Could Hurt the People You Love Most Estate planning has become easier than ever. You can go online, answer a few questions, click a button, and generate a will or trust in less than an hour. Some financial professionals even offer to “help” you through the process. It feels simple. Affordable. Convenient. But here’s what most people don’t realize: Estate planning is not just paperwork. It’s law. And when it’s done incorrectly—or
David H. Kinder
Mar 224 min read
Why Tax-Exempt Retirement Planning Isn’t Just About the Math — And Why That Matters More Than Ever
Most retirement planning discussions begin with numbers. Rates of return. Tax brackets. Projected balances. Distribution strategies. Those elements are important—but they are not sufficient. Increasingly, people are making retirement planning decisions based on something deeper than spreadsheets: trust . And for many taxpayers today, that trust has been seriously shaken. When Taxpayer Anger Is Rational Recent reporting and ongoing investigations in Minnesota allege that hundr
David H. Kinder
Dec 316 min read
Why Fee-Only Fiduciary Advisors Often Dismiss Cash-Value Life Insurance — and Why Consensus Is Sometimes Impossible
Fee-only fiduciary advisors are trained to be highly sensitive to cost. In the world of investment management, that discipline is not only appropriate—it is essential. Excessive fees compound negatively, erode long-term returns, and can materially impair client outcomes. Viewed through that lens, cash-value life insurance often appears indefensible. Permanent insurance policies carry mortality charges, administrative expenses, rider costs, and opportunity costs relative to ma
David H. Kinder
Dec 28, 20256 min read
Meeting Prospective Clients Where They Are — And Guiding Them to Accuracy
Why Language Is a Process, Not a Punchline One of the most misunderstood aspects of professional advising isn’t strategy. It’s language and terminology . Not grammar. Not jargon. But where conversations begin , how ideas are framed , and whether understanding is allowed to evolve . Great advisors don’t confuse clients by being too technical too soon. And they don’t leave clients confused by never becoming precise. They understand something essential: Language is a progression
David H. Kinder
Dec 27, 20254 min read
Experience Over Credentials
Credentials matter. Education matters. Theory matters. But experience matters more —especially when real people are living off real portfolios in real time. Recently, a LinkedIn exchange highlighted a tension that exists throughout our industry: the difference between what the math says should be an opportunity and what actually happens when retirees face a market downturn without the luxury of time, surplus capital, or emotional distance. On paper, market corrections are “o
David H. Kinder
Dec 22, 20253 min read
The 50-Year Mortgage: Relief, Risk, and the Real Math of Affordability
Why longer mortgage terms could unlock the housing market — and what it really means for buyers and investors.
David H. Kinder
Nov 9, 20254 min read
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