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The Life Insurance and Annuities Committee granted two time extensions today to allow state regulators to finish work on a pair of key disclosure issues: one covering proprietary indexes in annuity sales, and another pertaining to a policy overview disclosure to be included with life insurance sales.

With the pandemic continuing to spread, it seems likely that more people will be furloughed or laid off and in need of new health coverage. As agents and advisors, here are three ways to help your clients navigate their options during this trying time.

British insurer Prudential Plc. will spin off its American businesses, which include Jackson National Life Insurance Co., in order to focus on operations in Asia and Africa. Jackson was the leading seller of annuities in the U.S. market for 2019, although the insurer has struggled financially in 2020.

It seems like we’ve been living with the coronavirus pandemic in a slow-motion time warp. But it’s time we snap out of it and beat this plague with the can-do attitude that has characterized Americans’ character when faced with other seemingly insurmountable crises.

A Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters released last month showed Biden leading Trump by three points, 49% to 46%, among older voters. The poll said 80% of people over the age of 65 were paying “a lot” of attention to the presidential race.

The stock market continues to do quite well. The S&P 500 Index, which has risen four straight months, has returned 5% so far in 2020, despite probably the worst pandemic in the United States in 100 years and one of the sharpest economic contractions since the Great Depression. How does that makes sense?

The Department of Labor closed the comment period Thursday on its investment advice rule designed to replace the controversial Obama-era fiduciary rule. Judging by the 105 comments it received, nobody likes the new version either.

The White House and top Democratic lawmakers sparred Sunday over President Donald Trump’ s executive orders to extend expired benefits to tens of millions of American workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic and defer payroll taxes for many workers.

Financial abuse occurs in 99% of all abusive relationships, making this one of the most important types of abuse to watch for. Advisors have a special ability – and therefore a special responsibility – to detect and combat financial abuse.

A pair of major annuity sellers discussed second-quarter earnings today, as strategies emerged to limit financial losses to ultra-low interest rates and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to pulling products, and/or limited sales, insurers are aggressively repricing and shifting product lineups.

Some language in the rule “could be understood to broadly impose fiduciary obligations in a manner similar to the Department’s 2016 fiduciary regulation,” reads the comment letter from the American Council of Life Insurers.

Top Democrats emerged from a 90-minute meeting with Trump administration officials to declare more progress on reaching common ground in an aid package expected to include a second round of $1,200 direct payments. Another glimmer of hope emerged as a key Senate Republican suggested the party may yield to Democrats on an increase in the food stamp benefit.

As the US entered August, the economic damage from the necessary social distancing and closure protocols to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease began to hit. The US economy is suffering an even bigger shock than after the 9/ 11 terror attacks or the 2008 financial crisis.

Prudential’s individual solutions unit, consisting of annuities and life insurance, reported adjusted operating income of $185 million, down 43.4% mainly due to lower annuity sales. In response, the insurer has “repriced almost our entire product line,” said Charlie Lowery, chairman and CEO.

While debates over masks and whether to reopen have dominated headlines, more than three-quarters of respondents support enacting state laws to require mask wearing in public at all times. And nearly 60 percent said they would support a nationwide order making it mandatory to shelter at home for two weeks.

Financial Planning Association (FPA) Knowledge Circles are gathering places for like-minded planners who want to engage in dialogue about best practices and trends on particular topics. The Knowledge Circles, very much like “sections” in law or business, allow for more in-depth examination of issues, financial planning resources, regulations, etc.