Mavenlink Now Offeres Insurance

Mavenlink members are eligible to work with our affiliates to access affordable insurance and benefits plans.

Mavenlink Insurance is now exclusively available to subscribers! Users will now be able to work exclusivley with our affiliate insurance professionals to find and purchase health insurance for their employees and families. Along with medical coverage, Mavenlink will also offer other benefits at pre-negotiated rates including dental, life insurance, disability, and retirement management for its members.

Mavenlink’s Member Services team, working closely with our affiliate partners, was also able to secure deeply discounted rates on commercial insurance products , like workers compensation, Professional Liability, and property and casualty coverage, essential coverage for many consultants who run their own business. Savings on these non-medical offerings are particularly dramatic; often half of what independent professionals would have to pay in the open market.


“Our goal is to make it easier for self-employed professionals and small firms to run their business and to therefore be more successful,” said Ray Grainger, Mavenlink Chief Executive Officer. “Mavenlink’s Member Services, and our ability to offer healthcare and various insurance offerings for our US members, is a central part of carrying out that mission.”

Personal Benefits

  • Medical - Mavenlink members are able to access pre-negotiated group and individual medical plans. All Mavenlink members will be entitled, free of charge, to a Comprehensive Summary Matrix of all available plans best suited for their specific needs and demographics. Enrollment assistance into any of these plans is also provided free of charge.

  • Dental - Dental is provided to members through Reliance Standard with group rates that are extremely competitive and guaranteed for 2 years. Two PPO plans are available with over 80,000 providers to choose from nationwide.

  • Life Insurance - Life Insurance is extended to members through Reliance Standard, an A rated carrier, without medical underwriting: If you have under 5 employees up to $50,000 in coverage. If you have 5-9 employees, plans are available from $75,000-$200,000 of coverage.

  • Long & Short-Term Disability - Long & Short-Term Disability will be made available to member groups between 2 and 10 employees up to $7,500 per month of benefit, again, through Reliance Standard.

  • Benefit Management - Participation in Mavenlink’s member benefit program includes an Electronic Platform for enrollment where appropriate and personalized claims assistance.

  • Retirement Solutions - Plans are designed specifically for individuals and small businesses and include 401K, 403B, Simple Plans, Solo Plans, IRAs and Roth IRAs.

Commercial Risk

  • General Liability - Insures a business against accidents and injury that may take place on the premises as well as exposure related to the products it sells.

  • Errors & Omissions - Also referred to as Professional Liability, Errors & Omissions covers errors or “mistakes” which cause a financial harm to others.

  • Internet Liability Insurance - Companies that disseminate information publicly via the web face the same legal exposure as publishers. New legislation continues to create potential liabilities mitigated by Internet Liability Insurance.

  • Workers Compensation - Workers Compensation is required by law in all states for all employers. Over 20 markets will be surveyed to determine the most competitive position.

  • Directors & Officers - Business owners can be held personally liable for their management decisions. Anyone, including the government can sue private and public companies and their boards for mismanagement.

  • Claims Management Services - Helps to control the cost of your Workers Compensation premiums over the “long run” by managing the claims throughout the process acting as your liaison between you and the carrier.

  • Property & Casualty Insurance - Covers equipment, computers, furniture, autos and other personal property against the loss from fire or theft.

  • Employment Practices Liability - EPLI, as its commonly referred to, covers risks like wrongful termination, sexual harassment and discrimination.

Mavenlink, a software company that has built the first comprehensive online work environment for independent consultants and small consulting firms, today announced that it now offers affordable healthcare options and a range of other essential insurance products exclusively through Mavenlink.com.

Mavenlink is the first company to focus exclusively on improving the interactions between businesses and their consultants. We have started by creating an intuitive technology platform that embraces the consulting lifecycle, managing all business relationships and transactions so that your projects are a success. This is just the beginning, as we are going to continually deliver innovative technologies and services that forever change the way people work together.

To learn about Mavenlink’s insurance options, visit www.mavenlink.com, or www.mavenlink.com/insurance.

Life Insurance Settlement Industry Creates Secondary Market.

Think of a world where buyers are ready and willing to purchase your vehicle at a price substantially more than its trade-in value and you can choose the highest bidder. No advertising, no bargaining, no expense to you. Fiction? Nope. Such a world exists,not for vehicles, but for life insurance policies intended for lapse or surrender. These owners will receive a settlement before death.

The life settlement industry has given birth to a secondary market for buying and selling of life insurance policies from qualifying life insurance holders, who receive an offer guaranteed to exceed the current cash value of the policy. In 2002, life settlement providers paid about $340 million to buy policies with an aggregate cash value of $94 million.

Life Insurance Policyholders who qualify for life insurance settlements are generally older than sixty five years of age; have deteriorating health, but are not considered terminally ill; and have “ascertainable and limited” life expectancies between two and 15 years. Qualified policies are at least two years old, pay death benefits between $100,000 and $5 million and are issued by an “A” rated insurance company.

A CHANGING INDUSTRY

Relatively new, the life insurance settlement industry evolved from “viatical” settlements, which catered to the specific needs of terminally ill policyholders. Viatical life settlements enable an insured to receive benefits, before death, to pay for the high costs of medical care. Life settlements, also known as senior settlements, do not involve a terminally ill policy holder (less than 24-month life expectancy) but a determinable life expectancy based upon the insured’s age, health and lifestyle.

The life insurance policy’s fair market value is the present value of the death benefit, considering the policy’s duration and carrying costs. Other factors affecting the fair market value include the type of life policy, the policy’s cash value and any loans against the policy.

A life insurance settlement transaction creates a taxable event with two tiers. The first tier is the difference between the cost basis and cash value, most likely taxed as ordinary income. The second tier is the excess of life settlement proceeds over the surrender value.

The IRS has not provided any specific guidance yet, however, whether this money is considered to qualify as a long-term capital gain. The tax treatment of a viatical settlement is markedly different. The Internal Revenue Service considers these tax-exempt accelerated death benefits.

WHEN SHOULD I SELL OR BUY LIFE INSURANCE?

Life settlements are a great option when you can’t afford your premiums. Declines in interest rates on the short end have cut down the cash flow of seniors living on a fixed income. With life insurance settlements, premiums disappear and distressed policy holders receive cash up front.

Potentially the senior citizen has outlived all beneficiaries and the payout of life insurance would create a taxable estate. What if the senior citizen, due to health issues, doesn’t qualify for long-term care insurance. Life Insurance Settlement funds could be used to pay for long term health care.

From a financial perspective, life insurance settlements should be considered when a business is for sale or the owner is retiring. If your client is a non profit, or charity, it may be possible to consider selling donated life policies to realize cash and eliminate future premiums

Why do individuals want to buy life insurance policies? Many life insurance settlement providers are funded by big banks that view life insurance as an asset in a diversified investment portfolio. These financial conglomerates] rely on actuarial and other quantitative data to acquire a favorable life insurance policy that will produce a expected rate of return at maturity. These insurance policies are held in a blind trust that may be used as collateral for a bond offering in a process known as secondary market securitization.

POTENTIAL FIDUCIARY ISSUES

Life insurance products are acquired] for a host of reasons and should be a part of every estate and financial plan. As with any financial vehicle, these policies should be reviewed frequently. Usually they are not.

A good insurance policy at the time of purchase does not mean you have a good policy years later. In today’s low short term interest rate environment, many policies written in an environment when rates were substantially higher might require replacement?