A life insurance trust and an ILIT are not competing products. The real decision is whether...
Read the articleArticles & Insights
Insights from John McDonough
A library of educational articles on permanent life insurance, irrevocable life insurance trusts, premium financing, and the planning questions ultra-high-net-worth families face most often. Strategy first — written to inform, never to sell.
The Library
Articles Worth Reading Before You Decide
Each article is written by John McDonough to help you think clearly about a single planning decision. Read them in any order — they are designed to inform, not to pressure.
How Premium Financing Works: A Step-by-Step
Premium financing can preserve liquidity and support advanced planning, but the structure is more involved than...
Read the articlePremium Financing vs Cash Payment: Which
Premium financing and cash payment can both support a life insurance strategy, but they solve the...
Read the articleWhole Life vs Universal Life: Which
Whole life vs universal life is usually framed as a product comparison, but the real decision...
Read the articlePermanent Life Insurance Costs: What You’ll
Permanent life insurance costs involve more than a premium quote. This UHNW buyer guide explains what...
Read the articleThe Buyer’s Guide to Permanent Life
Permanent life insurance becomes strategically useful when it’s engineered as long-duration capital. This buyer’s guide explains...
Read the articlePlanning for What You Love, Not
Legacy planning works best when it starts with life, not death. This article recaps key webinar...
Read the articleHow UHNW Families Engineer Permanent Life
Maximum cash value growth comes from structure, not hype. Disciplined funding, MEC-aware design, efficient internal economics,...
Read the articlePermanent Life Insurance as Strategic Capital
Permanent life insurance is rarely about returns or product selection at higher levels of wealth. Instead,...
Read the articleCash Value Accumulation Strategies for Maximum
Most cash value life insurance policies underperform due to poor design, inconsistent funding, and unrealistic assumptions...
Read the articleWhen Buy–Sell Agreements Fail, It’s Never
How high-performing business owners structure and fund Buy–Sell Agreements to ensure continuity, control, and liquidity when...
Read the articleWhy Fee-Only Fiduciary Advisors Dismiss Cash-Value
An examination of how fee-only fiduciary advisors evaluate cash-value life insurance, and how differing objectives around...
Read the articleEstate Tax Life Insurance: How Much
For substantial estates, the right amount of life insurance can mean the difference between wealth preservation...
Read the articleLife Insurance Estate Planning: How UHNW
How ultra-high-net-worth families use life insurance estate planning to manage estate taxes, create liquidity, and preserve...
Read the articleILIT vs. Revocable Trust: Which Is
Discover the key differences, tax implications, and why sophisticated estate plans use both to protect wealth...
Read the articlePrefer to Watch?
Education on the JMac Wealth Channel
John McDonough shares the same strategy-first perspective in video on the JMac Wealth YouTube channel — a companion to the articles above for those who prefer to watch and listen.
Related Resources
Explore the Topics in Depth
Life Insurance Planning
How permanent life insurance fits within a coordinated wealth preservation strategy.
Premium Financing
A closer look at the leveraged strategy explored across several of the articles above.
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
Why and when a policy may be better held inside an ILIT for estate planning purposes.
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