For income and retirement
Protection for the people who depend on you
Life insurance replaces income that other people rely on. A fixed annuity turns savings into income you cannot outlive. Both are simple ideas sold in complicated packaging — we start from what you are protecting rather than from a product.
On this page
The three things we place
There are only a handful of genuinely different products here. Most of the complexity in this market is packaging.
Term life
Coverage for a set number of years — commonly ten, twenty or thirty — at a fixed premium. If you die during the term, it pays. If you do not, it ends and pays nothing. It is the cheapest way by a wide margin to cover the years when a mortgage is outstanding or children are at home, and for most households it is the right answer.
Whole life
Permanent coverage that does not expire while premiums are paid, and which accumulates cash value over time. It costs substantially more than term for the same death benefit. It earns its place where the need is genuinely permanent — a lifelong dependent, an estate or business obligation, final expenses — and rarely as a substitute for term.
Fixed annuities
You hand an insurance carrier a sum of money and it guarantees a rate of return, or a stream of income you cannot outlive. The trade is liquidity: your money is committed for a surrender period, and taking it out early costs you. Useful for the portion of a retirement plan that must not be exposed to market risk.
How much life insurance you actually need
The honest starting question is what happens to the household finances if your income stops. Work forward from that rather than from a multiple somebody quoted you.
What has to be paid off
The mortgage, any other debt that would not die with you, and final expenses. This is the part with a hard number attached and it is the easiest place to start.
What income has to be replaced, and for how long
Not your salary forever, but the years during which somebody genuinely depends on it — until the youngest child finishes school, or until a spouse reaches their own retirement income. That end date is what sets the term length.
What is already in place
Employer group life, existing policies, savings, and a surviving partner’s income all reduce the gap. Group life through a job is worth counting but not relying on — it usually ends when the job does.
What a non-earning parent is worth
Routinely underinsured. If one parent is at home, replacing that work with paid childcare and household help is a real cost, and it lands on the survivor at the worst possible moment.
Some straight answers about this market
Life insurance and annuities pay considerably more commission than health coverage, which shapes how they get sold. Since that affects us too, here is where we stand.
Term first, in most cases
If your need has an end date, buy term and put the difference somewhere useful. We will say this even though the alternative pays us more, because you will find out eventually and we would rather you found out from us.
Be careful with insurance as an investment
Permanent policies marketed primarily as tax-free retirement vehicles deserve skepticism. The illustrations are projections, not promises, and the early-year costs are substantial. There are situations where these genuinely work — they are narrower than the sales material suggests.
Annuities are not all one thing
We place fixed annuities, where the guarantee is stated plainly. Variable and indexed products with participation rates, caps and riders are a different animal, and if you cannot explain how one credits interest, you should not sign for it.
Answer the medical questions honestly
Underwriting will find out. A misstatement discovered during a contestability review can void the policy exactly when your family needs it. If your health history is complicated, that changes which carrier we approach, not whether you can get covered.
What the process looks like
Nothing here commits you. A quote costs nothing, takes a short conversation, and you are free to walk away from it.
A conversation, then quotes
We work out what you are protecting and for how long, then compare carriers on price and on how they underwrite your particular health history. Carriers differ enormously on the same applicant.
Application and underwriting
An application, health questions, and depending on the amount and your age, possibly a medical exam or a records request. Some policies issue in days; some take several weeks. Coverage begins when the policy is issued and paid, not when you apply.
Review it every few years
A policy bought around a new mortgage rarely still fits after a move, a birth, or a divorce. Call 702-213-7375 when something changes and we will check whether the cover still matches the need.
Common questions about life insurance and annuities
Should I buy term or whole life?
For most households, term. It covers the years when other people depend on your income at a fraction of the cost. Whole life earns its place when the need is genuinely permanent — a lifelong dependent, an estate or business obligation, guaranteed final expenses — rather than as a general-purpose substitute for term.
Is the life insurance through my job enough?
Usually not, and it is rarely portable. Employer group life is commonly one or two times salary, which is well short of replacing an income for a decade, and it typically ends when the job does. It is worth counting toward the total; it is not worth relying on as the whole plan.
Can I get covered with a health condition?
Very often yes. Carriers differ substantially in how they underwrite specific conditions, which is precisely where an independent broker is useful — we can approach the carrier most likely to treat your history well. Answer every medical question honestly: a misstatement can void the policy when it is needed most.
What is the catch with a fixed annuity?
Liquidity. Your money is committed for a surrender period, and withdrawing more than the allowance before it ends triggers a surrender charge. The guarantee is also only as good as the carrier behind it, so financial strength ratings matter. Fixed annuities suit the portion of a plan that must not be exposed to market risk — not money you may need soon.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Quotes and the conversation around them cost you nothing, and there is no obligation to buy. We are paid a commission by the carrier if you go ahead — our disclosures page explains how that works and why it does not change your premium.
Talk to a licensed broker
Call or send a message. We usually reply within one business day, and calling is faster when it's urgent.
Or email ollie@wellcoveredsolutions.com