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Objective Coverage Aligned with Your Financial Plan
Commission-free assessment of insurance and liability exposure — ensuring the right coverage at the right cost, fully integrated with your balance sheet and estate goals.
Wealth Management Solutions
Explore each discipline within our integrated wealth management platform. Select any service below to preview our approach — then visit the full page for a deeper look.
Objective Guidance — No Commissions, No Conflicts
Most insurance advice comes from people who earn a commission on the product they recommend. That creates a fundamental conflict of interest — the bigger or more complex the policy, the bigger the payday for the person selling it.
Bull Run Investment Management is a fee-only fiduciary. We never receive commissions on insurance products — not from carriers, not from agents, not from anyone. When we evaluate your coverage needs, the recommendation is based entirely on what your financial plan requires, not on what generates the highest payout for us.
For straightforward needs like term life insurance, we shop the market and source competitive policies directly. For more complex situations — annuity analysis, long-term care, disability, or transitioning out of legacy commission-based products — we partner with DPL Financial Partners, a commission-free insurance platform built specifically for fee-only advisors like us.
- BRIM never receives commissions on insurance products
- DPL consultants are not compensated by commissions on products they recommend
- All recommendations are driven by your financial plan — not product sales
- Insurance policies integrate directly into your Black Diamond wealth dashboard
- Coverage is reviewed annually alongside your investment and estate strategy
Why Fee-Only Insurance Guidance Matters
The insurance industry is built on commissions. A traditional agent earns more when you buy a more expensive, more complex product — whether you need it or not. Here's how our approach is fundamentally different.
The Traditional Agent
- ✕ Agent earns a commission — often 50–100%+ of first-year premium on whole life and annuity products
- ✕ Financial incentive to recommend complex, high-cost products over simple ones
- ✕ Whole life, universal life, and variable products pushed even when term would suffice
- ✕ Annuities sold with high surrender charges that lock up your money for years
- ✕ Insurance advice disconnected from your investment, tax, and estate plan
- ✕ No ongoing review — once the policy is sold, the relationship often ends
Fee-Only, Fiduciary Guidance
- ✓ Zero commissions — BRIM earns no compensation from insurance products. DPL consultants are salaried, not commissioned.
- ✓ Recommendations based solely on your financial plan, risk exposure, and estate goals
- ✓ Term insurance sourced at competitive rates — no pressure toward expensive permanent products
- ✓ Commission-free annuities that can save up to 80% compared to traditional load products
- ✓ Insurance fully integrated with your investment management, tax, and estate planning
- ✓ Policies reviewed annually — coverage evolves with your plan, not a sales cycle
Insurance Aligned with Your Financial Plan
We assess your full risk exposure — income replacement, estate liquidity, liability protection, and retirement income needs — and recommend only the coverage your plan actually requires. Nothing more, nothing less.
Term Life Insurance
For most clients, term life is the right answer — simple, affordable, and effective. We shop the market across carriers to source the most competitive rates for the coverage your plan requires. No cash value gimmicks, no unnecessary complexity.
Disability Insurance
Your income is your most valuable asset. We evaluate own-occupation disability coverage to protect your earnings through career changes, health events, and the unexpected — especially for high-earning professionals and business owners.
Long-Term Care
Long-term care costs can devastate a retirement plan. We model the risk alongside your financial plan and evaluate traditional LTC policies, hybrid products, and self-insurance strategies based on your assets, health, and family situation.
Umbrella & Liability
As your net worth grows, so does your exposure. We review umbrella coverage, professional liability, and asset protection structures to ensure your wealth isn't vulnerable to lawsuits, accidents, or unexpected claims.
Commission-Free Annuities
When an annuity makes sense — guaranteed income, principal protection, or tax-deferred growth — we source commission-free products through DPL's marketplace of 60+ annuities from 20+ top-rated carriers. No load, no surrender penalties, no hidden fees.
Estate Liquidity & ILITs
For clients with estate tax exposure, we coordinate with your estate attorney to evaluate Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs) — providing tax-free liquidity to cover estate taxes, debts, or equalization needs without inflating your taxable estate.
DPL Financial Partners — Commission-Free Insurance Built for Fiduciaries
DPL Financial Partners is the leading commission-free insurance and annuity platform built specifically for fee-only RIAs. Their consultants are not compensated by commissions on the products they recommend — the entire model is designed to eliminate the conflict of interest that has plagued the insurance industry for decades.
DPL serves as agent of record on all policies, which means we don't need to send you to a traditional insurance agent. Their salaried consultants help us evaluate your specific situation, compare products across carriers, and execute the right solution — all within a fiduciary framework.
For clients who already own legacy annuities loaded with commissions and surrender charges, DPL provides tools to analyze whether transitioning to a commission-free product could reduce costs and improve benefits — sometimes saving up to 80% compared to the original product.
Trapped in a High-Cost Annuity? There's a Way Out.
If you bought an annuity through a commission-based advisor, there's a good chance you're paying far more in fees than you need to — often buried in surrender charges, mortality and expense fees, rider costs, and sub-account expenses that compound silently over decades.
Through DPL, we can evaluate your existing annuity contracts and determine whether transitioning to a commission-free alternative makes financial sense. In many cases, clients see meaningful fee reductions while maintaining the same (or better) guarantees, income riders, and death benefits.
Contracts that aren't yet candidates for exchange — due to surrender periods or other restrictions — can be transferred to DPL as agent of record and monitored for the right transition window. Nothing is forced. Every move is analyzed and compared before any action is taken.
Everything Connects — Insurance Included
Most advisors treat insurance as a separate conversation with a separate agent. In our model, every policy flows directly into the same technology platform that powers your investments, financial plan, and reporting — giving you a single, consolidated view of your entire financial life.
How We Evaluate & Implement Your Coverage
Insurance is never a standalone conversation at BRIM. It's a component of your financial plan — evaluated alongside your investments, tax strategy, and estate structure to ensure every dollar spent on coverage is justified.
Risk & Exposure Assessment
We inventory your current policies, evaluate coverage gaps, and model your exposure across income replacement, estate liquidity, liability, and long-term care. This analysis is built directly from your financial plan — not a generic questionnaire.
Product Research & Comparison
For straightforward needs, we shop term life and disability markets directly. For complex situations — annuities, LTC, or hybrid products — we engage DPL's consultants and their Avenew platform to compare options across 20+ carriers and 60+ commission-free products.
Recommendation & Coordination
We present our recommendation with full transparency — why this product, why this carrier, what it costs, and how it fits within your broader financial plan. If estate planning is involved, we coordinate with Bobby Feisee, Esq. to align trust structures and beneficiary designations.
Execution & Dashboard Integration
DPL serves as agent of record and handles fulfillment — no insurance license required on your end. The policy data flows directly into your Black Diamond dashboard through the Advent Insurance Marketplace, pulling in carrier info, market value, tax status, riders, and beneficiaries automatically.
Ongoing Review & Adjustment
Coverage is reviewed annually as part of your financial plan review. Life changes — new children, home purchases, career shifts, retirement — trigger a re-evaluation. We also monitor legacy annuity contracts for transition opportunities as surrender periods expire.
Insurance Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum
Your insurance coverage touches your estate plan, your tax strategy, and your investment portfolio. We coordinate across your entire advisory team to ensure every piece moves together.
Ready for Insurance Advice You Can Actually Trust?
Schedule a complimentary consultation to review your current coverage, evaluate legacy annuity contracts, or discuss your risk exposure. No commissions, no sales pressure — just objective, fiduciary guidance aligned with your financial plan.