The Agent's Sales Journal has published the following new articles relating to insurance and annuities:
Posted by Trevor Kosmo, Associate Editor, Wealth Strategies Journal
- Maximizing Your Clients' Options for Annuity Investments When you think of a suitable investment vehicle for numerous solutions, the annuity is one of the most flexible products available today. In fact, Webster's Dictionary defines an annuity simply as a contract or agreement providing for the payment of money. But simple, in this case, does not mean limited. According to the most recent persistency study performed by LIMRA, there is roughly $1.3 trillion worth of value held in deferred annuity accounts. Why not put a slice of these assets toward some of the other financial products that your clients need?
- Could 2011 be the Year of the Life Settlement? Life settlements have been subjected to a somewhat macabre reputation over the years, and have also sparked a good deal of confusion. Yet despite the reigning lack of knowledge, industry experts are optimistic about the future: Liquidity is on the rise, the new regulatory environment is stabilizing transactions, and the opportunity to teach producers how to add this product to their portfolio has never been greater or more timely. The results of the 6th annual Agent Media/LISA Life Settlement Market Study reveal just what producers think about the secondary life insurance market, and what the future may hold for this industry.
- Estate Tax Changes: How to Be There for Your Clients in 2011 and 2012 From time to time, you'll experience a period when the doors don't just open, they seem to fly open - and the reason is that opportunity didn't just knock; it practically knocked the doors off their hinges. Welcome to 2011 and 2012. If you're in the life insurance business and have survived the economy of the last three years, congratulations. Even well-established agencies have had to make changes, suck it up, cut the fat, and do things that we haven't had to do in a very long time. And for those of us who are still around, we are leaner, more efficient, and ready for a challenge. The next two years may very well be both the challenge and the reward for having survived.
- Variable and Indexed Life Insurance: Dual Products for Dual Problems Both variable and indexed life insurance allow the client to enjoy invested cash value. These types of policies have certain similarities, but there are also differences between the two. While clients who want a death benefit and investment results could be well-suited for a permanent variable or indexed life policy, they will incur mortality charges and a possible sales load on some insurance products. Because of this, clients who don't need a death benefit often prefer other products.
- Annuity Facts: Updates on New Education Requirements Despite being nullified by legislation and remanded judicially, SEC Rule 151A left a permanent mark on the annuity world. As 2011 gets under way, state insurance departments will quickly enact additional oversight rules to help ensure suitable sales to protect consumers. In order to achieve this, states will incorporate specific annuity courses into their required training regimen, and will also require the insurance companies to verify that the producers selling their products are knowledgeable on each specific product.
Posted by Trevor Kosmo, Associate Editor, Wealth Strategies Journal
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