About James
James K. Boyles, CLU, CFS, serves as an expert reviewer for Legacy Assurance Plan, where he reviews estate planning content for accuracy, clarity, and practical relevance. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College of Financial Services, one of the oldest and most respected credentials in the financial services industry.
The CLU designation requires advanced coursework in life insurance, estate planning, taxation, and professional ethics. As a CLU designee, James adheres to a strict code of professional ethics and maintains his expertise through ongoing continuing education. The CFS designation requires 30 hours of continuing education every two years, and his Florida 2-15 license requires an additional 20 hours every two years. All of James's designations and licenses require ethics coursework as part of their continuing education requirements, ensuring he stays current with evolving estate planning law, tax policy, financial planning best practices, and professional ethical standards.
With more than 40 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry, James brings a rare depth of knowledge spanning personal sales, agent training, and insurance industry leadership. His career has given him firsthand insight into the real-world planning challenges families face when protecting their assets and providing for future generations.
James's reviews ensure that Legacy Assurance Plan articles meet the highest standards of accuracy and reflect current best practices in estate planning.
Credentials & Designations
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) — The American College of Financial Services — Verify Designation
- Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) — Institute of Business & Finance — Verify Designation
- Florida 2-15 Life, Health, and Variable Annuity License — Florida Department of Financial Services (20 hours CE every 2 years) — Verify License
Areas of Expertise
James's CLU, CFS, and Florida 2-15 credentials combine into an integrated skill set spanning protection planning, asset diversification, and real-world product implementation:
- Integrated Protection + Asset Diversification Planning — Coordinating Florida-approved life, health, and annuity products with asset diversification strategies to build cohesive retirement and estate plans.
- Estate and Income Preservation Strategies — Using life insurance and annuities for liquidity, survivor income, and legacy while applying asset diversification principles for retirement income, education funding, and tax-aware preservation.
- Technical, Analytical, and Legal/Ethical Expertise — CLU-level insurance and estate knowledge, CFS-level financial product analysis, and 2-15 licensing experience with real-world product selection under Florida law and professional standards.
Recent Continuing Education (2026)
- Retirement Planning Strategies — completed March 2026
- Social Security Strategies — completed March 2026
- 2025-2026 Law and Ethics Update: Life, Health, and Variable Annuities (215) — completed March 2026
- 4-Hour Annuity Suitability and Best Interest Standards — completed March 2026
- Medicare Advantage Plans and Supplemental Benefits — completed March 2026
- Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Clients and Your Practice — completed March 2026
- Elder Financial Abuse — completed March 2026
Courses verified through the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Past Notable Courses
- Senior Needs Planning
- Social Security Disability Planning
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
Published Work
Books
A Consumer's Guide to Estate Planning Issues: What Every Family Needs to Know — The comprehensive foundation covering wills, trusts, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, probate, guardianship, Medicaid planning, estate taxes, and digital assets. 25 chapters of plain-language guidance to prepare you for the conversation with your attorney. Available on Amazon.
A Consumer's Guide to Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts: Protect What You Built — A 15-chapter consumer guide covering Medicaid eligibility, the five-year lookback period, estate recovery, and how MAPTs work day to day. Coming soon on Amazon.
A Consumer's Guide to Estate Planning for Business Owners: Why Your Operating Agreement May Matter More Than Your Will — For business owners whose operating agreements, buy-sell provisions, and partnership documents may control more of their estate than their will or trust. Includes a Business Estate Planning Agreement Audit and a 60-day action plan. Coming soon on Amazon.
Expert Reviewer — Legacy Assurance Plan
James serves as the expert reviewer for Legacy Assurance Plan's library of estate planning articles, reviewing content for accuracy, practical relevance, and alignment with current best practices across trusts, wills, probate, Medicaid planning, beneficiary designations, power of attorney, and guardianship.