Are you licensed to sell life insurance in New Jersey?

Yes. Chaka A. I. Ali is a licensed life and health insurance producer, National Producer Number 11126989, which you can verify yourself through the National Insurance Producer Registry at nipr.com before you ever speak to us.

Do I have to meet in person to get covered in New Jersey?

No. The whole process, from the strategy session through the illustration, application and underwriting, can be done by video and phone. New Jersey is served by video and phone, Monday to Saturday. Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Trenton and statewide.

Can I book a time outside business hours?

Yes. The calendar is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sessions themselves run Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm Eastern. A strategy session is 30 minutes. A review of a policy you already own is 60 minutes. Both are free, with no obligation.

Serving New Jersey

Life Insurance, IUL and the New Jersey Inheritance Tax

New Jersey ended its estate tax in 2018 and kept its inheritance tax. That tax does not care how large an estate is. It cares who receives it, and a brother or a niece can owe on money a son would receive with no inheritance tax at all.

Licensed in New Jersey · NPN 11126989. Look me up before we talk. I would rather you did.
Book any hour · sessions Mon–Sat, 9am–8pm ET
Independent, not captive to any one carrier

Book a Free NJ Strategy Session (980) 304-1500

New Jersey is served by video and phone, Monday to Saturday. Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Trenton and statewide.

New Jersey death tax

New Jersey taxes some heirs, and close family is exempt.

Most people think of the estate tax as a rich person's problem. Federally, that is close to true. New Jersey is a different question, and it is one almost nobody is told about until a family is already dealing with it.

Rate: 11% to 16% for siblings and a child's spouse, 15% to 16% for nieces, nephews and friends
Checked: October 2026

Close family and charities pay nothingA spouse, a civil union or domestic partner, a child, a grandchild, a parent or a grandparent pays no New Jersey inheritance tax. Charities and New Jersey public bodies are exempt too.
A brother, a sister or a child's spouse pays after $25,000Siblings, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law are Class C. The first $25,000 each one receives is exempt. Above that the rate starts at 11% and reaches 16% above $1,700,000.
A niece, a nephew or a friend pays from the first dollarEveryone else is Class D, at 15% on the first $700,000 and 16% above it. A share under $500 is not taxed, but a share of $500 or more is taxed in full.
Life insurance to a named beneficiary is exemptNew Jersey exempts life insurance paid to a named beneficiary from the inheritance tax. A policy paid to the estate is taxed with everything else.

What a death benefit does about it

A death benefit paid to a named beneficiary is income-tax-free under IRC §101(a). It also skips probate, the court process that settles an estate, so it is not held up by that delay. It arrives as cash, in weeks rather than months, while the rest of an estate is still being sorted out. When a family owes a state death tax, that timing is the point. The bill is due before anybody can sell a house to pay it.

What it does not do

It does not make the money invisible. Under IRC §2042, a policy the insured owned or controlled at death is counted in the gross estate. A policy bought to cover an estate tax bill can enlarge the estate tax bill. Ownership is what decides it, and changing ownership has its own rules and its own three-year look-back. That is work for an estate attorney, and we will say so rather than guess.

Source: New Jersey transfer inheritance tax, N.J.S.A. 54:34 and N.J.A.C. 18:26, as published by the NJ Division of Taxation, including the life insurance exemption. The New Jersey estate tax does not apply to deaths on or after January 1, 2018. Figures current for deaths in 2026. Checked October 2026.

We are licensed insurance producers. We are not attorneys, accountants or tax advisors, and nothing here is tax or legal advice. State death tax law changes, and the figures above carry the date we checked them. Before you act on any of it, talk to a qualified tax professional or an estate attorney in your state.

One tax ended, and the other stayedFor deaths on or after January 1, 2018, New Jersey charges no estate tax. The inheritance tax stayed, and most families here never knew there were two.
Close family pays nothingA spouse, a civil union or domestic partner, a child, a grandchild or a parent pays no New Jersey inheritance tax. That is why most families never hear about it.
A sibling, a niece or a friend is a different answerA brother or sister pays on what they receive above a set amount. A niece, a nephew, a cousin or a friend pays on all of it. Blended and childless households meet this most.
The most crowded state, and the highest property tax billsNew Jersey is the most densely populated state, and its average property tax bill is the highest in the country. A household budget here has less room for surprises.

Why New Jersey Families Work With Us

What's different about New Jersey

Who you name decides what is owed

In New Jersey the beneficiary line is a tax question. A death benefit paid straight to a sibling or a friend is treated differently from one paid to the estate.

Life insurance to a named person is exempt

The Division of Taxation exempts life insurance paid to a named beneficiary from the inheritance tax. Paid to the estate, it is taxed with everything else. That one line matters.

Paid by New York or Philadelphia

A lot of New Jersey paychecks come from employers across the river. Group life from that job ends with that job, wherever you live.

Coverage Available in New Jersey

Two very different conversations

Most people arrive wanting one of these. They are not the same product and they are not for the same person, so we will tell you which one fits.

Indexed Universal Life (IUL)

For New Jersey households building long-term, tax-advantaged wealth on top of protection. It works best with an outlook of at least five to seven years.

Uncapped Index Account; 113% participation, current and set by the carrier, and a 0.75% floor on the indexed credit. Participation rates and caps are at the carrier’s discretion and can change.
Blended across S&P 500, Fidelity SMID Multifactor Index, Nikkei 225
Access designed to be income-tax-free when properly structured
Death benefit in force from day one

Not right for everyone. If you have no emergency fund yet, build that first, and we will say so.

How the IUL works

Final Expense Coverage

For New Jersey families who want the funeral and the last bills handled so nobody has to fundraise during a week they should be grieving.

Coverage from $1,000 to $100,000, ages 0 to 85
Most applicants qualify with health questions and no medical exam
Guaranteed issue where health is a barrier, and it is worth knowing what that means: the full amount is not payable in the first two years. Most people do not need it, because a few health questions get them day one coverage instead. How to tell which one you are looking at
Premium locks at the rate you qualify for and does not increase

Straightforward, quick, and a completely different conversation from wealth building. Plenty of our NJ clients only ever need this.

How final expense works

Where We Work in New Jersey

Newark · Jersey City · Paterson and statewide

Newark
Jersey City
Paterson
Elizabeth
Lakewood
Edison
Woodbridge
Toms River
Trenton

Anywhere in New Jersey works by video and phone, application and underwriting included. New Jersey is served by video and phone, Monday to Saturday. Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Trenton and statewide.

In Their Own Words

What clients say

Verified Google reviews, in the reviewer's own words. Same theme in every one: he explains, he doesn't push.

5.0from 7 Google reviews

Chaka was very helpful and knowledgeable about the different products. He helped me understand and choose the best option that was suitable for my family.
Rhonda H.a year ago
It was great meeting you and how you explained everything to me, took your time to make sure I understood everything about the policy and I really appreciate it. Thank you
Sife Coachinga year ago

Reviews are shown as posted on our Google Business Profile. Where a quote is shortened for length it is marked with an ellipsis and no wording is changed. We abbreviate reviewer names out of respect for our clients' privacy, the full names are on Google if you want to check. Read all 7 on Google · Worked with us? Leave a review

Book whenever suits you. Including 11pm.

Thirty minutes, free, no obligation. We look at what you already have, clarify where it stands, align the strategy, and write the coverage that fits.

Book My Free Session Take the 5-Minute Assessment

Also licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.

Straight answers

New Jersey questions, answered

Does New Jersey have an estate tax or an inheritance tax?: New Jersey taxes some heirs, and close family is exempt. The rate depends on how the heir was related to the person who died. This is separate from the federal estate tax, and a family can owe nothing federally and still owe New Jersey. Source: New Jersey transfer inheritance tax, N.J.S.A. 54:34 and N.J.A.C. 18:26, as published by the NJ Division of Taxation, including the life insurance exemption. The New Jersey estate tax does not apply to deaths on or after January 1, 2018. Figures current for deaths in 2026. Checked October 2026. We are insurance producers, not tax advisors, so confirm it with a tax professional before you act on it.
Does life insurance avoid the New Jersey death tax?: For the inheritance tax, yes, when it is paid to a named beneficiary: New Jersey exempts it. A policy paid to the estate is taxed with everything else, and New Jersey has no estate tax for deaths since 2018. A death benefit paid to a named beneficiary is income-tax-free under IRC §101(a). It also skips probate, the court process that settles an estate, so it is not held up by that delay. It arrives as cash, in weeks rather than months, while the rest of an estate is still being sorted out. When a family owes a state death tax, that timing is the point. The bill is due before anybody can sell a house to pay it.
Are you licensed to sell life insurance in New Jersey?: Yes. Chaka A. I. Ali is a licensed life and health insurance producer, National Producer Number 11126989, which you can verify yourself through the National Insurance Producer Registry at nipr.com before you ever speak to us.
Do I have to meet in person to get covered in New Jersey?: No. The whole process, from the strategy session through the illustration, application and underwriting, can be done by video and phone. New Jersey is served by video and phone, Monday to Saturday. Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Trenton and statewide.
Can I book a time outside business hours?: Yes. The calendar is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sessions themselves run Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm Eastern. A strategy session is 30 minutes. A review of a policy you already own is 60 minutes. Both are free, with no obligation.