Not Your Average Financial Podcast™

Not Your Average Financial Podcast™


Episode 432: Why Does the SEC Chair Paul Atkins Have 54 Life Insurance Policies?

December 12, 2025

In this episode, we ask:

  • What does he know, that we don’t?
  • What is his net worth?
  • What does the SEC chair do?
  • What is the cornerstone of his wealth?
  • Is this a quiet vote of confidence in life insurance over volatile securities?
  • What protections does life insurance offer that stocks don’t?
  • What is a state insurance department?
  • What are consumer protections?
  • What reserves are the insurance companies required to hold?
  • What about reinsurance companies?
  • What is a state guarantee association?
  • Why 54 policies? Is this overkill?
  • Is he diversifying?
  • What is a life settlement?
  • What’s the importance of having multiple policies?
  • What are the benefits?
  • What gives you tax-free access to cash?
  • Did you know you are forced to take money out of qualified government accounts by a certain age?
  • Do required minimum distributions (RMDs) exist in life insurance?
  • What do retirement researchers like Roger Ibbotson, David Blanchett, and Wade Pfau say about life insurance?
  • What is the efficient market frontier?
  • What about the volatility buffer?
  • What about taking distributions from the life insurance cash value during crashing stock values?
  • How can a policy be “overfunded”?
  • How many policies will be enough to buffer volatility?
  • How about an example?
  • If one policy is good, are 54 policies better?
  • What is a modern tool for building resilience?
  • What is the purpose of each policy?
  • What about policies with various carriers?
  • What about different terms on paid up additions (PUAs)?
  • What about guarantees?
  • Do you want to meet one-on-one?
  • What about policy loan rates?
  • How do the rates vary by company?
  • What is a 1035 exchange?
  • Would you like to subscribe to this podcast?
  • Who needs to hear this?
  • Would you like to meet with Mark or one of Mark’s associates?