Senior Market Advisor June 01, 2008

Free Product Information

Feature

  • Seniors talk annuities

    By Andy Stonehouse

    In the third part of our ongoing series on suitability and other issues affecting sales to seniors, we thought it might be best to go to the source itself: the increasing number of elder Americans who are purchasing annuity products to protect their

  • Say it better

    By Mike Werling

    Hello there. My name is Mike and, um, this, um, story is going to be about, um, how to improve your, um, speaking skills. Ouch. Not off to a real great start, am I? Fortunately, writers have the ability to clean up their words before they release

  • Generating LTCI referrals

    By Ed McCarthy

    If your long term care insurance seminars and other marketing techniques aren't generating as much business as you'd like, it may be time to focus more on getting referrals from accountants, financial planners and other insurance producers. Jesse

  • An untapped market

    By David Port

    For advisors with senior clients, it's a familiar storyline: An insurance portfolio review exposes a client's life insurance policy as under-performing, unnecessary or unaffordable. Alan W. Pratt, CEP, CAP, has been around the insurance

Up Front

  • Are you suitable yet?

    By Daniel Williams

    I often wonder, when I'm reading an article, it's roots or origin -- what was the kernel of inspiration. This column, in case you're wondering, finds its origins near the flat Delta land of Mississippi in the summer of 1985.

That's Life

  • Tap into a willing workforce

    By Philip E. Harriman

    "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind... it doesn't matter." -- Mark Twain Much has been written, in this column and elsewhere, about how the failure to adequately plan and prepare for retirement

Coach's Corner

  • Be a little nicer to yourself

    By Kelly Shaw

    I want to expand a little bit on last month's article on visualization. If you are like most people, you want to lead the perfect life and be really happy. When I talk to advisors, I ask them, "Are you really truly happy with your

Profitable Practice

  • Find and hone your unique talent

    By Norm Trainor

    The following is based on one of Norm Trainor's clients, Paul. All of the names and telling details have been changed. Entrepreneurs are amazing people. They start with a vision of what their business can become and then make it a reality.

LTCI Insider

  • Perfecting the LTC sales interview

    By Staff Writer

    Q. I am looking for a solid approach for face-to-face presentations to prospects. How can I make sure that I cover all the key points and increase my chances of closing the sale? A.One of the keys to my successful career as a

Annuity Advisor

  • Index annuity returns and securities clich?s

    By Jack Marrion

    A tired clich? from securities salespeople is to dismiss index annuities by saying you cannot get a competitive return with an index annuity because you do not get the benefit of reinvested dividends and you don't share in 100 percent

Ethics in Action

  • What were they thinking?

    By Steven McCarty

    "What was he thinking?" I heard this frequently after Eliot Spitzer resigned. I won't retell the former New York governor's tawdry downfall. But I will say his conduct highlights two qualities inappropriate in a public

The Motivated Seller

  • Are your prospects actively involved?

    By John Boe

    One of the most critical yet overlooked principles in the selling process is the power of self-discovery through customer involvement. Regrettably, many salespeople use a "show and tell" presentation style and babble on hoping they might

Compliance Watch

  • Navigating the Deficit Reduction Act

    By Staff Writer

    Effective February 8, 2006, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 made significant changes in the rules governing Medicaid eligibility. The DRA cuts nearly $40 billion over five years from Medicare, Medicaid and other programs. Of greatest interest to

The Close

  • Building the interdependent business

    By Dean Zayed

    This is the last of a four-part series highlighting some special "players" in our industry. Thus far, I have focused on some obvious choices, namely the "independent" financial advisor, the independent marketing organization

Feedback

Seniors Speak Out

Vitals

  • Hancock leads LTCI sales

    By Staff Writer

    In the race to provide Americans with coverage for their long term care situations, John Hancock appears to have the upper hand, at least for 2007. According to LIMRA research, John Hancock sold more LTCI policies than any other carrier, more than

  • States implement senior protection

    By Staff Writer

    Iowa and Kansas have become the latest states to implement legislation aimed at protecting seniors from unscrupulous life insurance sales practices. Legislators in those states are taking aim at stranger-originated life insurance, the practice of

  • Retirement confidence falls

    By Staff Writer

    For 18 years, the Employee Benefit Research Institute has conducted its "Retirement Confidence Survey," and this year saw some of the biggest swings in the history of the survey. The numbers seem to indicate a drop in confidence about a

  • Actions outpaced by words

    By Staff Writer

    Do as I say, not as I do is a common American mantra. That also applies to taking better care of our health. A poll from Erickson Health found that 82 percent of Americans are not taking simple, affordable steps to a healthier life -- even

  • Financial advisors redefined

    By Staff Writer

    The next generation of clients will be different in many ways from today. Baby boomers are going to expect more from their advisors, including the ability to do more than just financial planning. Whether that is fair to advisors is irrelevant;

  • Typical retirement scenario gone

    By Staff Writer

    No. That was the overwhelming answer given by financial advisors when asked if the concept of a "typical" retirement age is still relevant in the United States. "No" was also the simple answer of 86 percent of respondents to

  • Boomers squeezed by care obligations

    By Staff Writer

    The "Sandwich Generation" is not the name of a restaurant or deli -- though perhaps it should be. It is the term coined to describe baby boomers in the unenviable position of caring for their own children and for their parents,

  • MetLife expands reverse mortgage reach

    By Staff Writer

    MetLife Inc. announced it has purchased EverBank Reverse Mortgage LLC from EverBank. The announcement said it will operate as a division or subsidiary of MetLife Bank, itself a subsidiary of MetLife Inc. "MetLife Bank added reverse mortgages

New Products

  • Annuity carries LTC benefits

    By Staff Writer

    Planning for longevity and the costs associated with extended lives is of primary concern to financial advisors and their clients. Annuities that have built-in long term care benefits help advisors help seniors. United of Omaha Life Insurance Co., a

  • Term product updated

    By Staff Writer

    American United Life Insurance Co., a OneAmerica company, has announced the release of a new term life insurance product. Called American Protector Plus, the policy is the first of four products OneAmerica companies will be updating and improving in

  • VUL product offers guarantees

    By Staff Writer

    Death benefit protection and cash accumulation potential. Two of the biggest reasons many people look to permanent life insurance products to solve so many of their financial planning problems. Nationwide Financial has entered the variable universal

  • Fee-based advisors have new product

    By Staff Writer

    Phoenix Cos., in an effort to create an variable annuity for its fee-based advisors, partnered with Jefferson National Life Insurance Co. and developed a low-cost, no-load annuity that is sold through wirehouses, regional broker-dealers and

Red Flag Reminder

  • Don't play games with your CE

    By Staff Writer

    Continuing education requirements are a fact of life for most financial professionals. The vast majority dutifully complete their courses, take their exams, and do a better job for their clients as a result. However, a few opt to game the system by