August 2010

The Story Behind the Story, How SEC 151A Was Overturned

The headlines have been dramatic lately, with the federal court vacating Rule 151A and Congress passing legislation barring the Securities and Exchange Commission from indexed annuity regulation.

Coming to Grips with Reform and its Impact on Drug Coverage

The health reform headlines have been about doctors and hospitals, but prescription drugs are an important part of the story.

July 2010

The Ultimate Insurance Sales Machine: How to Double Your Sales

One of the nation's pre-eminent sales and marketing experts, Chet Holmes,
wants to help you double your sales in one year.

The Perfect Combination

Wall Street-types tell clients they would be crazy to put tax-deferred annuities
into tax-deferred IRA plans. Here are five reasons why they're wrong.

June 2010

Fix Your Sales: Increase Your Presentation Power by 29 Percent

Stop guessing about what you are doing wrong in sales. LIMRA research shows how you can increase your client's willingness to buy by using choice architecture.

Redefining Income Annuities for a Consumption World

Do you know the words consumers most relate to in selling income annuities?

May 2010

Lessons of Famously Bad Estate Planning

Sure, celebrity screw-ups are a guilty pleasure, but they offer up some important financial lessons for our clients.

ESOPs Let Owners Cash In on the Business They’ve Built

Ownership succession planning represents a growing opportunity for insurance advisors, especially with employee stock ownership plans.

April 2010

Hang On! Traditional Fixed, Indexed and Variable Products Take the Industry for a Ride

In our annual review of annuity market trends, experts in traditional fixed, indexed and variable products look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Universal Life Opportunities Are Poised to Grow in the Small Business Market

While it’s been tough times, no other market segment has been more greatly affected than small businesses and their families in the middle market.

March 2010

Insurers Launch New Attack Against Life Settlements

The life insurance industry called for a ban on securitization for life settlements to prevent STOLI, but the settlements industry is saying the only thing it will prevent is the right of seniors to sell their policies.

The $100 Million Case and Other Big Case Stories

Everybody wants to hear about how to land the big cases, but is it all luck? If so, that’s when preparation meets opportunity.

February 2010

2010 Tax Law Changes Every Advisor Must Know

This is one of those rare years that new laws will actually help producers make sales. See how tax planning can mean opportunities.

Creating a Formal Policy Review Program

Forget the same-old, bad hype about replacements. It is your duty to make sure your clients are in the right policies.

January 2010

Black Swan Events

Learn the power of offering predictable products in an unpredictable world as this theory is applied to life-changing events at all levels of our experiences.

Regulators Target "Source of Funds"

If other states follow Arkansas’ lead, independent agents around the country could find themselves hamstrung in certain annuity sales circumstances.

December 2009

The Year of the Tiger

2010 will be a year of dramatic change according to the Chinese calendar. But you don’t need a calendar to tell you we live in interesting times. Take a glimpse at what’s coming.

The Coming Wave of Roth IRA Conversions

If they haven’t asked about it already, your clients will be looking for information on how to take advantage of this opportunity.

November 2009

Are Life Settlements the $170 Billion Elephant in the Room?

Life settlements have been criticized, demonized and snubbed since they were invented. But not only do they have staying power, their sales could be poised to explode.

The Positive Side of Surrender Charges

Surrender charges can prevent the investor from easily undoing carefully developed, long-term financial plans in a moment of weakness.

October 2009

The Fallen Advisor

There’s fraud and then there’s Epic Fraud. These are the stories that stun even seasoned investigators.

Tap into the 62%

That’s the percentage of clients who don’t know what life insurance they had or even why they bought it. It is time to revisit them.

September 2009

Reform Could Mean the End of the Private Health Care Industry

Health care reform has turned into health insurance reform that is looking to kill private enterprise.

The [B]right Ideas

Mentors in the business share observations on the way to grow successful careers.

August 2009

Capitol Offense

Many hoped this would be the year that simplified, transparent regulation came to insurance. But then reality intruded.

The Trophy Employee

Employers need to keep their best workers now more than ever. Despite perceived past abuses on plan design, deferred compensation remains a powerful tool for businesses.

July 2009

The Shifting Industry

We're operating in an ever-changing landscape reshaped by the economy. As companies react, products are changing.

Do You Have "It" Inside?

Super sales people have the "it" factor, but you can have "it," too. Learn how.

June 2009

Business As Unusual

With the economic turmoil, compliance is becoming more important for the industry. Th is is not the time or place to cut corners.

Is It RIP for ROP?

Are carriers pulling back on return of premium term or eliminating it?

May 2009

Riches to Rags: Famous Estate Planning Failures

Quite a few celebrities might have left a good-looking corpse but a very ugly estate plan. See how you can help your clients avoid their fate.

Bridge the Retirement Gap

It’s no secret that retirees are losing some of their nest egg. New York Life says SPIAs can fill the gap.

Check out the Famous Estate Planning Failures Wall Art

April 2009

WARNING: Policy Loans Not Tax-Free

We often mix the terms “untaxed” and “tax-free” but that could be misleading to clients and dangerous for producers.

Carriers Cut Annuity Production Just As Demand Explodes

Carriers have products that everyone wants, but they find themselves cutting production to make sure they have the reserves to support the annuities they sell.

March 2009

Keeping the Family Business in the Family

Learn how to keep the family business in the family, and make sure no one gets hurt by taxes.

Attract the Millionaire Next Door

You can attract small business clients with an SEP-IRA, and annuities are popular assets to use in them.

February 2009

Million Dollar Legacy

Help your clients minimize their tax liability while you maximize your life insurance sales.

The Go-To Products in 2009

Your business clients are looking to you to help provide health benefits in these tough times.

January 2009

Riding the Income Rapids: Sales Strategies for Every Generation

Get all the generations aboard in income-planning. Helping younger generations can build a lifetime of business.

SEC Rule 151A

NAFA says today, more than in any previous market decline, market downturns will be what motivates consumers to fly.

December 2008

Outlook 2009: What's Next?

If you are ready to tear your eyes away from the traffic wreck that 2008 was, here is a look at the road ahead...

Safety First

You sell what consumers need right now, safety for funds and families. Life insurance offers stability and iron-clad promises.

November 2008

The Days After: How to Prosper as Wall Street Digs Out

It's a Brave New World, but it is up to advisors to bring the bravery to their clients. Here's how.

Life Settlements: The Multi-purpose Planning Tool

For financial professionals working with life settlements, considering more advance financial planning strategies can help expand your business while benefiting eligible clients.

October 2008

Should We Take Them At Face Value?

After a year or so of trying to tune out the noisy clutter of election time, we take a good look at the candidates. What do we see?

Tipping the Scales

Life insurance should be a key part of the funding strategy for a tax-qualified retirement plan.

September 2008

It's a Changing World

It's not business as usual out there... many sense significant changes are coming. We explore major trends affecting the insurance industry.

Riding the Bear Market

In this bear market, variable annuities are one of the few products for investor security.

August 2008

The SEC vs The Insurance Industry

The fight is on. The SEC proposed rules 151A and 12h-7 would classify equity-indexed annuities as securities and not insurance products, but that's not the end of the story.

The Silver Tsunami

The boomer generation is starting to retire. Will you be able to meet their needs?