NAIFA Creating ‘One-Stop Online Shop’ For LTC Info, Education

As the population ages, consumers will turn to advisors for help in navigating the maze of products and services aimed at combating the financial and lifestyle challenges of an increasing old age.

But where will advisors turn to get the information they need to help their clients?

They could turn to Google to find the resources that are available. Or they could log on to a website whose leader calls it “the non-Google center.”

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors is about to go live with a one-stop online shop to provide to meet consumers’ growing needs for advice and solutions in long-term care.

NAIFA is establishing the NAIFA Limited and Extended Care Planning Center.

Carroll Golden, the center’s director, said her objective in creating the website is “to be the opposite of Google.”

“When you Google something, it can take you two days to go through all the information that comes up on your search,” she said. “We want to have a place where people can go and find relevant information on specific products and services quickly.”

The center will contain multiple media platforms including videos, expert interviews, articles, case studies, webinars and infographics. Content will cover traditional and combination products, as well as worksite selling, short-term care, critical illness, reverse mortgages, claims management, senior housing options, home care options and robotics.

Legislative and regulatory issues affecting the industry also will be presented.

“We want to give people education on every aspect of long-term care and longevity,” Golden said.

Continuing education for advisors also will be available on the site, she said. The site will contain easy-to-find direct links to carriers and other services.

Golden has obtained sponsorship for the center from a number of carriers and organizations who serve the long-term care and senior marketplace. The center will be governed by an advisory board of LTC thought leaders and sponsor representatives to contribute to strategy and oversight, as well as content, education, community development and advocacy.

Golden said she envisions the center as a place that will inspires consumers and advisors to have the conversation regarding options for long-term care and the other issues that surround aging in the U.S.

“We want the center to be a place for advisors to go to get the right resources for their clients, and to give advisors a very wide range of education and information,” she said.

Another objective for the center, she said is “helping advisors feel more comfortable in selling options, selling solutions to their clients.”

The website is in its beta testing phase now and is scheduled to go live in January. That’s an important time for such a site to have its birth, Golden said.

“When you make your new year’s resolutions, resolve to do this for your clients,” she said. “Educate yourself so you can have that conversation with your clients.”

The online resource is the first in a series of "centers" that NAIFA plans to create in order to serve advisors and consumers. The next one scheduled to go live is a Center for Advanced Markets.

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.

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