As a business owner, entrepreneur, real estate professional, or self-employed person, you’ve created something valuable. You’ve built a business that generates substantial returns. You understand your market and have developed systems that work.
So let me ask you a direct question: Why would you take money from your thriving business and invest it elsewhere? Your business consistently delivers 15%, 20%, or even 30% returns. Why redirect those profits into mutual funds or stock portfolios that might earn just 8%?
Most financial advisors won’t tell you this truth. When you move money from your business to external investments, you’re making a declaration. You’re essentially saying, “Here, take my money. I think you can do better with it than I ever could with my business.”
This approach contradicts fundamental economic wisdom. Your human life value—your knowledge, skills, and abilities—represents your most significant asset. Not your buildings. Not your equipment. Not your investment portfolio. YOU.
Understanding Human Life Value
Human life value encompasses everything you are beyond material resources. It’s your character and integrity. Your relationships. Your creative thinking. Your unique ability to shape information in ways others value.
Every material thing you enjoy came from human life value applied to resources. The buildings, vehicles, and technology in your business only became valuable when human ingenuity transformed raw materials into something useful.
Your business thrives because of your human life value—your vision, expertise, and execution. Without you, those physical assets would lose significant value. Your business generates returns not because of what it owns but because of who runs it.
The Risk Most Business Owners Ignore
Despite understanding business risk, many entrepreneurs neglect a crucial vulnerability. They insure buildings, vehicles, and equipment but fail to adequately protect their most valuable asset—themselves.
What happens to your business if you’re no longer able to run it? Who steps in if you die unexpectedly or become disabled? Have you protected your family and business against this catastrophic risk?
Most business owners I meet have neglected this critical planning step. They’ve built impressive enterprises but left them vulnerable to collapse without their leadership. This oversight puts everything at risk—their legacy, their family’s financial security, and their employees’ livelihoods.
Protecting Your Human Life Value
Proper protection requires transferring risk away from yourself. Insurance isn’t just an expense—it’s a strategic investment in certainty and peace of mind. When designed correctly, insurance creates favorable conditions for continued production.
Consider a comprehensive approach including:
- Life insurance that provides liquidity equal to your business value
- Disability coverage that replaces income if you can’t work
- Key person protection for your business
- Long-term care insurance to preserve assets during extended illness
- Business succession planning with proper funding
When these protections are in place, something remarkable happens. You gain freedom to focus entirely on what you do best. You remove the constant worry about “what if” scenarios. Your productivity increases because your mind isn’t divided.
The Hard Question
When I meet with potential clients, I ask a straightforward question: “Which do you think is more valuable—your business/real estate or you?”
Most answer, “Well, I am, that’s obvious.” Sometimes they respond, “The business is—I wouldn’t have this without the property.”
Either way, my follow-up reveals the contradiction: “Then why do you value yourself less than your property?”
If you died today, who would run your business? Could your spouse manage it? Have you trained someone who could step in seamlessly? Without planning, your greatest asset—your business—could collapse without its driving force.
The True Cost of Inadequate Protection
The cost of neglecting proper protection extends beyond financial loss. It creates constant background anxiety that limits your creative thinking. Every moment spent worrying about potential catastrophe is a moment not spent growing your business.
Producers understand that certainty drives productivity. Eliminating unnecessary risk allows your mind to focus entirely on value creation. Insurance transfers risk to companies better equipped to manage it, freeing you to concentrate on growth.
This perspective shift changes everything. Instead of seeing insurance as an expense to minimize, you recognize it as a catalyst for increased production. The real question isn’t “How little can I spend on insurance?” but rather “How can I create maximum certainty?”
A Better Approach to Wealth
True financial freedom comes from maximizing productivity in the present. This requires addressing risks that could derail your progress. The wealthiest, most successful people transfer as much risk as possible away from themselves.
They understand the velocity of money—using each dollar for multiple purposes simultaneously. When structured properly, insurance doesn’t just protect against loss. It becomes a financial tool that creates additional benefits while you’re alive.
Properly designed permanent life insurance, for example, can provide:
- Death benefit protection for your family
- Tax-advantaged cash accumulation
- Collateral for business opportunities
- Liability protection in many states
- Long-term care benefits through riders
This multilayered approach delivers far more value than traditional “buy term and invest the difference” strategies. It aligns with how financial institutions manage risk—they never retain what they can profitably transfer.
Taking Action
You’ve done an admirable job building your business and investment portfolio. Now it’s time to protect what you’ve created. Start by recognizing that you—your human life value—represent your most valuable asset.
Work with an advisor who understands business owners and focuses on protection before products. Find someone who asks about your goals before recommending solutions. Seek expertise in creating certainty, not just accumulating assets.
The right protection strategy will:
- Provide immediate peace of mind
- Create liquidity when needed most
- Allow your business to continue or transfer smoothly
- Preserve your legacy for future generations
- Give you freedom to focus entirely on growth
Remember, the question isn’t whether you can afford proper protection. The question is whether you can afford to be without it. Your business, your family, and your legacy deserve nothing less than comprehensive certainty.
When you properly protect your human life value, you don’t just create security. You unlock the full potential of what you’ve built. That’s not just smart business—it’s the foundation of your richest life.
Schedule a Discovery Call now to learn how we can help you protect your number one asset.