Episode 61 – Leveraging Capital: Rethinking Premium Financing and Legacy Planning with Skyler Wanberg

In this episode, David Warren – Co-Founder and Chairman of Bridgeford Trust Company – sits down with Skyler Wanberg – Executive VP, Legacy Funding at Leverage Capital Partners – for a conversation on innovative premium funding strategies and the role life insurance can play in sophisticated legacy planning. Skyler shares his entrepreneurial journey—from launching a life insurance brokerage at 19 to building and exiting companies across several industries before ultimately returning to insurance. David and Skyler then compare traditional premium financing with Leverage Capital Partners’ model, examining how existing assets and customized funding structures may be used to fund large life insurance policies with little or no out-of-pocket cost. Through examples involving professional athletes, business owners, and multigenerational families, they explore how these strategies may support estate tax planning, create tax-advantaged income, and preserve wealth across generations. They also discuss the importance of independent trustees and advisors, Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Private Placement Life Insurance, and how these tools can work alongside South Dakota trusts as part of a comprehensive legacy plan.