Social 333 Podcast: "Using Your Whole Life Insurance to Purchase Other Investments"

Host: Chris D. Bentley
Guest: Devin Burr
Episode: #72
Date: November 19, 2025

Overview:

This episode explores the concept of "infinite banking"—a wealth-building strategy rooted in using whole life insurance as a tool to save, grow, and leverage personal capital for investments while maintaining liquidity, tax advantages, and future legacy. Devin Burr, an expert and practitioner, shares his journey, demystifies common misconceptions, and offers actionable advice for anyone interested in breaking away from conventional financial wisdom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Infinite Banking and Why Use Whole Life Insurance?

• Devin Burr frames infinite banking as a mindset and a strategy rather than just a product sale.
• Key vehicle: Whole life insurance, when properly structured, acts as a powerful wealth foundation (03:39).
• Benefits discussed:
  • Guaranteed, tax-free growth
  • Lawsuit and judgment protection
  • Dividend-paying mutual companies with centuries of stability
• "A whole life insurance policy, if it's structured correctly, is the best vehicle to use... because it gives guaranteed growth, it's tax free, it's protected from lawsuits and judgments, so no one can touch that money."
  — Devin Burr (04:01)

2. How Infinite Banking Works Practically

• The host compares the approach to being your own bank, using policy cash value as collateral for loans (05:13).
• Devin explains you can borrow against your policy to finance investments—sometimes to the extent of building entire real estate portfolios.
• Example: Devin's daughter used her policy to buy a car, paying herself back monthly as if repaying a bank (09:14).
  • "She pays the payment back to herself that she would have paid to a bank … She's getting all the money back for the car, all the principal, plus the interest, she would have paid the bank into a place that's guaranteed to compound and grow tax free."
    — Devin Burr (09:17)

3. Breaking Out of the "Lifestyle Bloat" Trap

• Devin emphasizes savings as the essential precursor to investing (06:30):
  • At least 15–20% of income should be saved.
  • “If you can't save money, you can never invest money.” (06:31)
• Host Chris shares how lifestyle inflation and personal setbacks forced him to reconsider spending habits, echoing Devin’s point.

4. Generational Wealth & Family Trusts

• The Rockefeller method: Devin has structured his family finances so that insurance policy benefits pass tax-free into trust structures, which buy further policies on family members.
• Over generations, this ensures compounding, uninterrupted wealth with legacy control (12:06).
  • "My family just gets wealthier and wealthier and wealthier tax free because of the life insurance and the trusts."
    — Devin Burr (13:04)

5. The Stigma Around Life Insurance

• Most people avoid life insurance because they think only agents benefit, or because they feel invincible at a young age (13:19).
• Proper policy structuring is crucial:
  • "If a policy is structured correctly for the client, the agent makes a lot less commission."
    — Devin Burr (13:29)
  • "Most people think they're invincible ... but I could walk out of here and get hit by a bus. Hopefully that doesn't happen. But if it did, my family's getting like $50 million."
    — Devin Burr (14:10)

6. Who Is This Strategy For?

• Devin and his team work with everyone: W2 employees, business owners, real estate investors (14:49).
• They position themselves as educators—not salespeople—helping clients understand and use the concept rather than just selling insurance.

7. Real Returns & Comparison to Other Strategies

• Debating "buy term and invest the difference" (17:52):
  • Most people don’t actually invest the difference—they spend it.
  • Whole life offers consistent, tax-free returns (5–6%). You’d have to earn 8–9% elsewhere after taxes for the same impact (17:52).
  • Term insurance rarely pays out compared to whole life, making it extremely profitable for companies (19:19–19:58).
• Example Calculation:
  • Borrowing against policy for investments amplifies returns:
    • $100K in policy earns 5%, loaned at 15%. Net: 20% (less loan cost), with the 100K still compounding (18:56–19:19).

8. Start Early for Maximum Compounding

• Devin started a policy for his daughter at two weeks old:
  • By age 40, each $1 invested could be worth $6–$7 via compound growth (10:00).
  • "Compound interest takes time…when she puts that dollar in, it goes up by $7…she can use that full six or seven bucks without interrupting the compound growth because she's not using it, she's borrowing against it."
    — Devin Burr (10:00)

9. Flexibility: Investing While Insured

• You don’t have to choose between life insurance or other investments—you can do both by leveraging policy cash value (22:49).
  • "If it's structured the way we do it, it's instant cash value…put money here, get all the benefits…then use the cash value and go get this whatever it is—Dogecoin, xrp, real estate…"
    — Devin Burr (23:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Saving vs. Earning:

  • "The more you keep, it's better than the more you make."
    — Devin Burr (01:45)

• On Being Your Own Bank:

  • "Banks … take those deposits and lend it to other people. … That's all I do is I teach people how to do that same thing with a policy."
    — Devin Burr (04:09)

• Generational Wealth Setup:

  • "When that happens, the death benefit goes to my trust tax free. And now the trust dictates that that money has to purchase more policies on other family members that grows tax free."
    — Devin Burr (12:06)

• On Stigma and Agent Incentives:

  • "Our commissions are 60 to 90% less than a regular agent … because we're giving a bunch of cash value to the client."
    — Devin Burr (13:29)

• On Term Insurance:

  • "Life insurance on term pays out less than 2% of the time. It's a profit machine for the company."
    — Devin Burr (19:58)

• On Regret & Missed Opportunity:

  • "As I get older and get closer to that 55 mark where my policy expires, I'm like, oh, crap, I should have put more on myself."
    — Chris Bentley (17:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:41–05:13 | Intro to Devin Burr & infinite banking overview
• 05:13–06:26 | Borrowing against life insurance and practical examples
• 06:30–08:37 | Saving habits, lifestyle inflation, and wealth-building foundations
• 08:37–11:20 | Teaching kids, first hand examples, and use of policy loans
• 11:20–13:08 | Trusts, generational wealth, and Rockefeller strategies
• 13:19–14:37 | Stigmas, agent incentives, and the reality of life insurance
• 15:39–17:52 | Who should use infinite banking, policy comparison, and personal experiences
• 17:52–19:58 | Buy term/invest the difference debate, real returns, and term insurance drawbacks
• 20:53–21:54 | Policy as foundation for bigger wealth, legacy, and peace of mind
• 22:02–23:51 | Starting early, using policy as dual-investment tool
• 23:51–24:18 | Where to learn more from Devin Burr

How to Connect with Devin Burr

• Instagram: @mrburr (B, R, R, R, R)
• YouTube: Search "Devin Burr"
• DMs are open for questions.

Summary:
Chris D. Bentley and Devin Burr walk listeners through the logic and mechanics of using whole life insurance as a flexible, protective foundation for serious wealth building. Burr demystifies the infinite banking concept, warns against common pitfalls and misconceptions (especially around term insurance), and advocates for taking ownership of one's financial future—starting with diligent saving and leveraged investing through the unique capabilities of permanent life policies. The episode abounds with practical advice, warnings, and forward-thinking approaches for families and individuals determined to break out of the cycle of "working for the spreadsheet" and start building generational wealth.