We asked our readers what they would like to see in the industry in the coming year.
Next year could be a big year for sorting out the future standard that agents and advisors will abide by when selling products into retirement accounts.
The hot buffered variable annuity market is driving Lincoln Financial’s decision to increase its 240-person annuity wholesaler force by about 15 percent in 2018. Buffered VA sales are expected to hit $9 billion in 2017, a sharp increase over recent years.
More regulation, changing compensation and the erosion of public trust are the top reasons many brokers/registered reps say they are considering striking out on their own via the independent channel. Nearly half of respondents to a new survey say they expect the brokerage channel to deteriorate.
Many advisors are confusing financial plans with retirement plans and clients could suffer in the end, analysts say. The differences can be small, but important if client’s don’t fully understand.
The question is how and when the tide shifts between marketing an annuity for accumulation, as agents seem to be doing now, and marketing an annuity for income, as agents did several years ago and are likely to again in the future.
If 2017 is shaping up to be a letdown for annuity sales, it wasn’t for lack of trying as insurers launched new products and tinkered with product features.
Life insurance gives clients flexibility in negotiating their way through retirement.
Where does thought leadership end and working for free begin?
Financial advisors warned against hastily restructuring businesses toward self-employment to take advantage of the proposed changes to the tax code.
Lower corporate tax rates in the $1.5 trillion tax reform package are expected to help the life insurance industry in at least two ways, industry executives say. One way is that group life insurance sales will see a boost as Americans join payrolls in an expanding economy. The other way is that those lower corporate tax rates will lower risk-based capital (RBC) ratios for insurers.
Giant brokerage firms are divided about the broker protocol, an agreement to prevent lawsuits if advisors move to competitors. Some say the differing strategies are sure to lead to more lawsuits and cause problems throughout the industry.
Higher interest rates, increased inflation, and stronger market volatility are some of the reasons that investors should eye the stock market warily in 2018. Can the good times continue?
Nearly 75 percent of investors fear a market downturn, yet a new survey indicates they are doing little to hedge against it. Analysts offer several strategies for smart investing to protect those retirement funds.
Fewer than half of U.S. businesses use technology for benefits enrollment. Here is how you can connect your group clients with the right tech to make enrollment more efficient.
Many young and older Americans are opting for dental savings plans to combat rising costs. Dental plans are not insurance, but offer deeply discounted pricing to members.
Income-generating assets should not be parked in places where gains are taxed.
A survey of insurance technology offerings unearthed dozens of small cutting-edge companies with products designed to help insurers be more efficient amid shrinking profit margins.
Many agents and marketing organizations in absolute denial about the changes required to ensure they are following impartial conduct standards, our Kim O’Brien writes. The fiduciary standard is here to stay, she adds.
