About Us

I’ve been worried about outliving my retirement savings since the markets have been so bad, but I didn’t want to take on a lot of risk. Now I’ve got a solid plan for the present, and for the future. It’s a good feeling.

A. S. | California

How RAF Strategies Helped...

Strategies for the “New Normal”

RAF Strategies was founded by Robert A. Fink, JD, a tax and estate planning attorney, to help his clients deal with the challenges of saving, growing and protecting assets after the 2008 stock market crash. The changes that have taken place are more fundamental than a dip in the market – we are facing a “new normal” that requires new thinking. Rob’s unique combination of legal, tax and insurance knowledge helps his clients take full advantage of IUL (Indexed Universal Life) to meet their goals. He has had great success in putting together financial strategies to deal with market volatility and record low rates of return, and to minimize taxes. 

Rob works with individuals, business owners, professionals and advisors to tailor solutions to cope with the new normal. 

IUL has become a very popular option the past few years, but Rob has been working with these policies for more than a decade. He knows how to properly structure and correctly fund them for long-term security and maximum gain. There are now dozens of life insurance companies offering IUL, each with different options. Rob has vetted the offerings, and is expert at matching the best IUL policy to a client’s need.

Typically, insurance agents and financial advisors do not have the legal and tax background or experience necessary to properly design and implement this strategy.

Further down this page  there are some examples of successful solutions that were created by RAF Strategies.

About Rob Fink

Robert A. Fink, J.D.
CEO, Managing Director

Robert A. Fink, J.D. has an exceptional professional history perfectly suited to creating and implementing innovative wealth building and asset protection programs. 

Rob received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1994 from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law where his focus was estate planning, taxation, insurance and business planning. He relocated to San Diego to establish a practice specializing in advanced estate and insurance planning. He is a member of the bar in both Michigan and California, and maintains a life and health insurance license. Having worked in this arena for almost 18 years, he is recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent experts in his field.

How RAF Strategies clients have found retirement peace-of-mind

Helping a 32-year old father prepare for retirement & provide for the kids

A successful commercial real estate broker was referred to RAF Strategies by his CPA to explore ways to protect and maximize his retirement money. He has been participating in his company’s 401k up to the limit, but he knows that everything he takes out when he retires will be subject to ordinary income taxes. He is concerned that he won’t have enough after-tax income to live the lifestyle that he and his wife want in retirement. They are also concerned about saving for their children’s college education. They have been investing in stocks and mutual funds through their broker, but they lost over a third of their principal in 2008 and want to find a better way. They are sitting on cash in a bank account to protect it, and are receiving less than 1% interest on the money. They didn’t know what to do.

The solution recommended by RAF Strategies was an IUL policy. The risk of market loss has been completely eliminated, but the assets can still participate in growth of the market. Gains are locked in annually, and the money can be accessed tax-free for retirement or the kids’ education. And the policy provides a tax-free death benefit for his wife and children.

The result:

	The risk of loss of retirement capital has been completely eliminated, but growth potential remains intact
	Money pulled out for retirement is tax free

A 46-year old physician has maxed out her profit-sharing plan

A physician in her peak earning years has maxed out her profit-sharing plan. She knows that she could be saving more for later in life, but she is concerned about the safety of the money and doesn’t know where to put it. She is also aware that she will pay the ordinary income tax rate on the profit-sharing money, and that it will not be available to her until she is 59½. She is looking for safety for her savings, and wants the flexibility of being able to access it sooner than retirement age.

RAF Strategies recommended that the physician purchase an IUL. She was able to put her existing savings into the policy with the assurance that none of her capital would ever be lost due to market losses. She can continue to fund the policy with virtually no limit on her contributions. As the market grows, the value of her policy grows, and she can access the money tax free whenever she wants to.

The result

	She can fund the policy with virtually no limit on her contributions
	She can access the money before retirement age, and pay no tax

The owner of a small business, 58, needs an exit strategy

One of the challenges of owning a small business is devising a workable exit strategy that will provide financial security. An owner of a very successful small business is worried about how he will save and protect enough money to retire. Unfortunately none of his children are interested in taking over the business, and he knows the odds of being able to sell are extremely small. He has realized that he can’t rely on the sale of the business to fund his retirement, and is at a loss for ideas. His corporate attorney suggested that he meet with RAF Strategies to look at alternatives.

An IUL policy was the perfect solution. While his business is doing well he can make unlimited contributions to the policy, knowing that he can take the money out tax free when he is ready. He sees the market improving and wants to be able to capture that upside, but with less than ten years until he wants to retire the safety of the money is his first concern. The guarantee of no market losses is compelling. IUL lets him meet his financial goals, even in his compressed time frame.

The result:

	He has an effective exit strategy without relying on the sale of the business
	He can save and protect an unlimited amount of money while the business is thriving, which he can pull out tax free later down the road

Finding solutions for a retiree in his 70’s

A long-time client came to RAF with seemingly impossible goals: eliminate the market losses he was suffering on his assets and reduce his taxable estate but still have access to the money in the future if he needed it.

The solution was to gift each of his three children $500,000, which they used to purchase investment-grade Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policies. This effectively reduced the size of his taxable estate to save the kids taxes in the future. The money is protected from any further market losses, but the kids still have the upside potential of market increases. If he needs to access the money in the future the kids can borrow against the cash value of the policies without paying any taxes. Eventually the money will pass to the grandchildren, tax-free. The kids can also borrow against the policies to fund the grandkids’ education or help with a down payment for a home. Win, win, win.

The result:

	Each of his children has a safe and flexible asset, one that will grow tax-deferred and allow the kids to take out money when they need it, tax-free
	Eventually his grandchildren will receive a death benefit, 100% tax free