Senior Market Advisor October 01, 2008

Free Product Information

Feature

  • Selling to younger prospects

    By Joseph Finora

    In this business most clients are members of either the pre-retiree (55 to 65 years-of-age range) or retiree (65-plus) classes. Anyone younger than that, relatively speaking, may be considered a younger prospect, some would say an endangered species

  • Special Report: Managing taxes, managing risks

    By Staff Writer

    Why are insurance companies ideal custodions for IRA distributions? Since 2001 we've all heard lots of talk but have seen very little action regarding the new IRA distribution rules that created the Stretch or Multi-Generational IRA. In 2002

  • Finish with a flourish

    By David Port

    The weather may have cooled with the onset of fall, but for many advisors, the heat is still on. A glimpse at the numbers for the first three quarters of the year brings a renewed sense of urgency about the business that needs to be finished in the

  • Are you ubiquitous?

    By Mike Werling

    Jerome Hoxton has an experiment he asks people to try if they are unsure about the impact of advertising on promotional products -- those free pens, notepads, highlighters, T-shirts, golf balls, mouse pads and myriad other items companies place

  • Weathering the storm

    By Andy Stonehouse

    This year's Senior Market Advisor Expo in Orlando will go down in the record books as the show that survived a major weather event but still managed to go on strong -- a story of survival and endurance that echoed the sentiments of the

  • Whole life holding its own

    By Ed McCarthy

    The product may be low on sex appeal, but sales are up and current economic uncertainties are making it an important part of a flexible insurance strategy.

  • Ones to Watch

    By Staff Writer

    Ones to Watch

Special Section

Up Front

  • Hurricane SMAX

    By Daniel Williams

    Natural disasters are something to avoid at all costs, but something interesting occurred when Hurricane (er, Tropical Storm) Fay hit Florida in late August--it whipped up a weird energy--a strong group dynamic--at the 2008 Senior

That's Life

  • The Financial Dignity Bill of Rights

    By Philip E. Harriman

    "If you had the political willingness ... you could solve the (Social Security) problem in 20 minutes." -- Dr. Alan Greenspan at the MDRT Boomeretirement Summit, April 2007 In light of the continuing concern for

Coach's Corner

  • Location can make a big difference

    By Craig Randall

    Last month I left off on the topic of where to hold seminars. One of my motivations in writing "Coach's Corner" is to help you avoid the many mistakes we made in developing my seminar program. I've used several types of

Profitable Practice

  • Learning to live with (and love) suitability

    By Staff Writer

    "Suitability" looms big in every producer's mind. Your application arrived in the company's mail receptacle via the first delivery of the day. By mid-morning, it is working its way straight to the suitability committee to be

LTCI Insider

  • Finding your centers of influence

    By Margie Barrie

    Q. I need to increase the number of leads and create a better quality of leads to help my closing ratio and productivity. Can you provide advice to help achieve this? A. A LIMRA survey of successful agents indicated that two of the best ways to

Annuity Advisor

  • FINRA -- A new rule every three days

    By Jack Marrion

    Since the advent of NASD 05-50, several agents have asked me if they should become FINRA-registered representatives. If your goal is to work as a registered rep and broaden the number of financial arrows in your quiver, then my answer is yes. But if

Marketing Playbook

  • Five steps to gaining referrals

    By Kerry Johnson

    Fifty percent of your clients will offer referrals if you would only ask. But ... there is only a 17 percent chance you will ask for referrals. Here are some important tips to get those referrals: Be upfront about why you need a referral.

Know More

  • It's better when you give

    By Richard Berry

    One of my favorite quotes is, "Help people get what they want, and you will get more of what you want." A large percentage of our clients come to us because they were referred by a friend who is also a client. People will be much more

  • Squandering our most precious resource

    By Dr. Larry Barton

    Thanks to the benefits of better nutrition, education and new technologies, today's seniors are living longer and are more knowledgeable than any generation in history. A hardworking, dedicated and experienced pool of workers is an important

Ethics in Action

The Motivated Seller

  • Some will, some won't ... so what?

    By John Boe

    Perhaps no other profession is as closely associated with the term "rejection" as a career in sales. You might say that rejection is as natural to a salesperson as trail dust is to a chuck wagon cook -- it comes with the territory.

Compliance Watch

  • How to market a seminar the right way

    By David Hollander

    The secret to a successful seminar is diligent planning and marketing. Let's say you are getting ready to produce a life insurance seminar. It would be worth a couple of hours' of attorney's fees to acquaint yourself with your

The Close

  • Learning from the Social Security report card

    By Staff Writer

    The trustees for the Social Security and Medicare programs are required to report the financial condition of these programs annually. These reports are of great interest to future retirees. However, I believe that our seniors, the people already

The Balanced Life

  • Learning to be a rich "optionist"

    By Staff Writer

    If you can change the way you frame bad events like rejection, you can change your future. Founder of positive psychology and author of Learned Optimism Martin Seligman discovered this in the mid-1980s when he met MetLife president John Creeden.

Feedback

  • Expo panel highlights divisive 151A debate

    By Staff Writer

    What I think is missing in this entire debate is that just because an individual is licensed to sell securities doesn't mean that they are automatically ethical and will not abuse seniors the exact same way that it seems some of the insurance

Seniors Speak Out

Vitals

  • Reinforcing referrals

    By Staff Writer

    How can you join the tiny minority of advisors who generate 100 percent of their business by referral? Does it sound impossible to join these ranks? It's not. If you're new to the industry and disinclined to tap your circle of influence

  • Forge alliances

    By Staff Writer

    Join your community's professional and business associations. Nothing - absolutely nothing - beats face-to-face contact. Distribute personal marketing materials. If you've got a personal brochure, a CD-ROM, a DVD or any

  • From prospect to client

    By Staff Writer

    Effective listening is as important as effective planning when it comes to turning prospects into clients. Advisors have to know what the problems are before they can solve them, so asking valuable questions is vital. Bill Brooks is the founder of

  • Getting an edge from lead generation

    By Staff Writer

    As an advisor you're always looking for that edge on the competition and you can find that through the effective use of lead generation. If you are an advisor already utilizing lead gen, have you asked yourself the question: are the leads you

New Products

  • Variable annuity

    By Staff Writer

    Sun Life Financial Masters Extra An enhanced purchase payment interest rate, now 6 percent, is available for all new accounts and for add-on payments from existing clients for all new purchase payments. The Masters Extra VA requires a minimum

  • LTCI

    By Staff Writer

    MedAmerica Simplicityii Qualifying policyholders in South Dakota can take advantage of new, no-cost partnership benefits to their Simplicityii long term care insurance policy. These benefits provide an additional level of protection, permitting

Red Flag Reminder

  • Problems in purging CRD records

    By Staff Writer

    Following a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, financial advisors will continue to find it difficult to purge their Central Registration Depository (CRD) records of consumer complaint information following a settlement agreement. This makes it all