Premium business protection insurance solutions: 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. Read more info on Executive Income Protection.
Keyman insurance can be an invaluable asset to a business, allowing them to cover the loss of valuable personnel such as Executives or Board Members. Often, premiums for keyman insurance are tax deductible provided certain criteria are met. Generally speaking, for the policy to be eligible for corporation tax relief it must be used to compensate for profit loss should a key individual die, have a limited term of 5 years or less and must not be convertible into another type of policy. Tax regulations vary from region to region however; therefore each business should speak with its local tax inspector to grow greater clarity on this matter before taking out any kind of coverage.
Options Available: When it comes to running a business, financial security is key. That’s why it is important to consider how best to manage funds for insurance policies, such as Business Loan Protection. One option might be to write the policy into a trust – but this may not always be necessary or advisable. A trust is a separate legal entity from your own business and can be used for various purposes such as inheritance planning, or tax mitigation strategies. In some cases however, a trust would actually complicate matters if you needed to make a claim on the policy, since the payout could be held up while in the trust. Therefore, unless there is some specific reason why you need the money to be placed in trust first (for example, if there will be tax due when paying out), it makes more sense to arrange for the payout to go straight to your lender so that they can quickly settle any outstanding debt.
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.
Shareholder Benefits: Above we looked at how the insured persons spouse or family would benefit but how about the remaining shareholders of the limited company? If we look at the above we mentioned that the insured person’s spouse now owning 33% of the shares that they cannot sell they might instead want to get involved in the business. For the remaining shareholders this can cause a problem as they might not get along with the spouse, the spouse might not have the experience, knowledge and might not be a good fit for the business. This situation can be a threat to the business success.
Why have Business Loan Insurance? For businesses, protecting their investments is paramount. Taking out a loan to either begin or expand a business venture brings with it a heightened level of risk, because the ability to repay the loan often rests on the performance and health of only a few key staff members. To help manage this risk, it is essential that any significant loans taken out by businesses are protected with insurance.
Having key people in an organization can be beneficial in many ways. They offer valuable insight into operational decisions and can often times help problem solve difficult situations. Additionally, they can provide strategic guidance when it comes to reaching desired goals and objectives set out by the company. Key personnel are often seen as mentors across an organization that not only lead but inspire those around them. As such it’s important to identify and retain key personnel, otherwise costly mistakes may be made in the future if their absence is not adequately accounted for. See extra details on Key Person Income Protection Insurance.