National Underwriter Life & Health Magazine October 20, 2008
Cover Story
Downgrades Heighten Battle For Shelf Space
A plunging and volatile stock market and weak economic conditions are some of the factors that recently prompted 2 rating agencies to assign a negative outlook to the life insurance industry.
Focus
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Are You Protecting Your Client's Greatest Asset?
Many National Underwriter Life & Health readers already are making a serious effort to sell disability insurance.I'm writing here to try to get the attention ...
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A Silver Lining Around Life Insurance Clouds?
We live in interesting times, with an amazing sequence of events unfolding over the last few months in the financial sectors.Even in life insurance, we ...
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Wellness Benefits Are Expanding Into The Small Business Market
Wellness programs hold great promise for employers. Employers are seeing significant financial returns and improved employee health. As a result, wellness programs are evolving and ...
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Cat's Cradle: Untangling The U.S. Health Care System
My own sister-in-law watched the film "Sicko" and left the theater convinced that a single payor, nationalized health system would significantly reduce the dysfunction and ...
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This Is The Time To Plan For The Revival Of Markets--With Annuities
The unprecedented implosion of United States and world financial markets that has taken place within the last year and which has only accelerated over the ...
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2Q VA Sales Show Slight Uptick, But Year-To-Date Sales Lag
New sales of variable annuities ticked up 2.5% in the second quarter, totaling $41.1 billion, compared to first quarter new sales of $40.1 billion. On ...
News
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As Financial Obligations Grow, Women Should Rethink Life Insurance
Women today are relied upon not only for their families' comfort but also for their families' financial security. Dual-income families and those headed by single ...
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When Client Objectives Are At Cross-Purposes, Try Private Split-Dollar
This is a short synopsis of a phone call I received from a producer: I've got a guy. He's a doctor with a wife and ...
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Keep Your Firm In Shape With Annual Business Planning Ideas
As we near the end of 2008, now is time to start planning for 2009. By reflecting on the current year, you can identify key ...
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Confidence About Achieving Secure Retirement Plunges
Americans' confidence in their ability to retire comfortably has fallen sharply over the past year, a survey by Transamerica Life Insurance Company finds.The survey yielded ...
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Large Case Strategies For The High Net Worth Market Segment
Very wealthy and sophisticated clients deserve only the very best and most sophisticated planning techniques. Not only do they deserve these techniques, they need them. ...
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The Roth IRA Conversion--Giving Away The Farm
You may already be aware that Congress is ready to give away the farm, at least as it relates to the Roth conversion. As a ...
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The Hot New Brand In Financial Services: You
Did you ever hear a salesperson say, "Thank you but I prefer to remain anonymous. I don't want people to know who I am or ...
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Shine With Niche Marketing
If the figure of speech, "jack of all trades, master of none," rings true for you, then you should have little trouble agreeing with its ...
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Financial Turmoil Causes Industry Surplus To Slide Again
Financial markets continued to cause turmoil in the second quarter of 2008, as net capital losses of $14.9 billion nearly doubled net operating gains of ...
Features
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What The Rating Agencies Say
Although the outlook for the life insurance industry has been changed to negative, it is also important to look at individual company situations, say analysts ...
Advising Boomers
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Health Record Sites Compete To Keep Boomers' Secrets
Personal health records may be a product that boomer advisors should keep their eye on, experts say.Today, boomer advisors could offer links to PHR systems ...
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Grandparents Can Help Fatten Thin 529 Accounts, Study Suggests
Increasing sizes of college freshmen classes is one reason financial aid packages are declining. That's putting pressure on parents to find ways to pay for ...
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Harsh Retirement Is Seen Awaiting Many Boomer Women
Without adequate planning, boomer women are at a significantly higher risk than their male counterparts of ending up in poverty in retirement. Mary Quist-Newins, a ...
Opinion
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On Scary Times And What Should Come After
This article was supposed to be about annuities. But it is hard to write a dispassionate technical analysis when the entire life insurance and annuity ...
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The Tyranny Of Words
Reporting on current events is a far more difficult job than is generally realized. One of the problems, to quote an old bromide, is "I ...
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Unintended Consequences
Just as it took President Richard Nixon to go to China and President Bill Clinton to reform welfare, so it has taken George W. Bush, ...
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Tea Leaves Are Reading Democratic
Signs increasingly point to a strong Democratic year at the polls, tea leaves that are creating great angst in a very conservative insurance industry that ...
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Who Would Make The Best Technology President?
I recently heard a man remark on a New York radio station that when it comes to this year's presidential candidates, "There's not a dime ...
