Life Insurance Selling April 01, 2009

• Amount of the Trial Application: Getting the Right Quote, Right Away

  By Bob Pedigo

  Note: This is the third article in a series of 12 discussing the benefits of using the Laser Underwriting Approach, which utilizes an agency-based staff underwriter. Each story in the series addresses one of the 10

• In short term, HIPAA shuts out many LTCI policyholders

  By Paul S. Bunkin

  By Paul S. Bunkin, CLTC As my clients are aging and starting to need their long-term care policies, I'm so relieved when I realize that some of the policies were written and issued prior to the passage of the long-term care insurance provisions

• Create Your Own Market

  By David J. Scranton

  Recently, I began a presentation to a room full of financial advisors by asking how many had heard the statistic that a financial advisor's time is worth between $500 and $1,000 an hour when they are

• LTCP Training Update -- Making Progress

  By Staff Writer

  In this edition, we offer an overview of the progress that has been made in establishing long-term care partnerships around the country. We report on which states now have partnerships in operation, which states are setting up programs, and what

• The Training Myth

  By Benson F. Smith

  This article is excerpted from Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World's Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers, by Benson Smith and Tony Rutigliano, Copyright 2003 by the Gallup Organization (Warner Business Books).When we asked the

Features

• New guidelines give seniors a fair shake

  By Richard Gordon

  Over the past few years, the underwriter's toolbox has expanded to include new tools and guidelines that may often lead to more favorable coverage. The result could be a win for clients with lower premium

• Sales opportunities with salary continuation planning

  By Bob Herum

  In sales, an old but true adage goes, "I used to do this, but I got so busy that I stopped doing it."That is certainly true of many agents and brokers who historically marketed disability insurance. The lasting turmoil from the disability

• How educating your clients can lead to real health care reform

  By Scott Leavitt

  At the risk of stating the obvious, times have changed for us as health insurance agents, and that means our public role has changed, too.The traditional, legal role of the agent has been to represent the insurance company in the sale of insurance

• Paying for retiree health benefits

  By Robert J. Adler

  Historically, private sector employers with unionized employees have provided retiree health benefits under their collective bargaining agreements. It's always been an expensive proposition, but things changed dramatically when accounting rules

• Employer-paid or voluntary dental: What's right for your client?

  By Renae Styve-krmpotich

  There's a lot of talk these days about the growing trend toward voluntary benefits, including in the dental marketplace. Especially in today's economy where companies don't just want -- but need -- to consider every

• New dental plans provide insureds more control over benefit dollars

  By Randy Baldwin

  At a time when consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to gain and maintain control over their expenses, it's not surprising that many are looking for ways to stretch their dental insurance benefits.Since 1990, the cost of dental

• Don't run out of money in retirement!

  By Scott Lomsdalen

  That piece of advice has stuck with me throughout my 20 years as a financial consultant. After meeting with thousands of pre-retirees and retirees over the years, I find that their No. 1 investing goal almost always

Columns

• What's Going on: The winds of change

  By Brian Anderson

  Agents in the health insurance market are facing some stiff challenges at the moment, thanks, predictably, to the economy. Due to layoffs, many employers have fewer employees -- resulting in less premium. Some

• Postscript: Marketing: How to avoid Web-based scammers

  By Timothy J. Turner

  You're cruising the Internet on your latest computer or laptop. You feel invincible as you go about your business, visit Web sites and exchange e-mail with clients. Then, BAM! You don't know what hit you.

• Saltzman: Consumerism 2.0

  By David A. Saltzman

  To Your Good Health Health care reform, banking reform, mortgage market reform ... it seems that we are up to our eyeballs in reform of one type or another. Sometimes I hear a word so often that it becomes more of a

• Hoe: Why Investment Annuities?

  By Richard Hoe

  Why do people buy investment annuities?It's a good question, particularly since many financial writers hate them like poison. These scribes seldom make any kind of persuasive case against investment annuities

Departments

• Whole life as a conservative asset class

  By Robert E. Eichler

  Having spent 15 years in the financial services industry, I have been exposed to a wide variety of new concepts and methods for how to best advise clients in developing a strong financial portfolio so that they may

• Points That Help You Sell (April 2009)

  By Staff Writer

  Focus on your potential, not your limitations.Are life insurance agents a nuisance? Not to a widow who, because of her husband's love and foresight, and because of the help of an agent, received the most

• April 2009 Policy Showcase

  By Staff Writer

  International Medical Group Health InsuranceInternational Medical Group Inc. (IMG), Indianapolis, has introduced two new plans to its insurance product portfolio. The plans, Patriot Platinum