By David Polen If I asked you to name a billion-dollar-selling employee benefit, accident insurance might not be the first…
Read moreSometimes going a non-traditional route and forgoing the typical plan of leaving your agency to heirs means reaching a higher potential than an agency owner could have ever imagined.
The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors began the process of paring down its structure from 550 local associations….
Why private placement programs have become a favorite strategy among ultra-wealthy investors.
Sometimes going a non-traditional route and forgoing the typical plan of leaving your agency to heirs means reaching a higher potential than an agency owner could have ever imagined.
The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors began the process of paring down its structure from 550 local associations….
Why private placement programs have become a favorite strategy among ultra-wealthy investors.
Clients making a first-time long-term care claim are usually in their 80s or 90s, a new survey finds. The majority of clients receive services in the home, the data shows.
The Trump administration took another punch at the Affordable Care Act by slashing funding for the navigator program that provides…
An NAIC subgroup finds that no additional regulation of modified guaranteed annuities is needed. The group is likely to vote to disband itself next week.
Advisors are in a good position to take the skills that make them successful in business and use them to better the communities in which they live.
Index annuities often come with lifetime income and enhanced death benefit features, but with a separate product fee. A new Athene product is breaking that mold and offering those additional features with no separate cost. Will it catch on?
Financial scams are costing Americans millions of dollars annually, authorities say. Several recent advisors and brokers are facing serious charges and jail time for a variety of schemes.
RIAs of all sizes continue to grow and continue to take market share from wirehouses. The market share for managed accounts held by wirehouses dropped below 50 percent last year for the first time, down from a peak of 71 percent in 2001.
Insurance companies are adding illness and long-term care features into indexed universal life products. The new features are expected to boost an already-booming business.
A survey shows consumers are becoming more comfortable with risk but at the same time terrified of an economic cataclysm devastating their savings. Could an annuity help soothe those anxious consumers?
Variable universal life used to be a hot product line but their sales dipped around 2000 and had not recovered since. But lately they are showing some signs of life.
Annuities and fiduciary duty are usually mentioned together in the context of protecting clients in annuity transactions. But an annuity provider is turning that around by saying advisors are failing their fiduciary duty when they do not include annuities in the discussion.
Universal life sales fell 19 percent in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of last year. Not even white-hot indexed UL sales could lift the segment.
Securian has tweaked its SecureCare linked-benefit life and long-term care contract to give the product more flexibility in a growing…
KANSAS CITY — Things started hot at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ working group meeting today as members immediately…
A National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting to iron out a new annuity transaction law turns into a battle over the suitability standard with opponents saying the insurance industry needs a tough best interest rule closer to the fiduciary standard.
Analysts are surprised that American Equity is suddenly a takeover target for private equity buyers. But the company has an appealingly growing business with stable assets.
A National Association of Insurance Commissioners committee called a special meeting in Kansas City to hammer out a model law for annuity transactions. But member states have a wide gulf of disagreement to bridge.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not defined what a best interest standard means in its more than 100 pages of rule-making. But whatever it is, don’t expect it to be implemented before 2020.
Banks and broker-dealers are asking, and getting, shorter surrender periods to sell fixed indexed annuities. They now sell more than a third of all FIAs.
Younger clients aren’t all about the money, even if they have money. Some say RIAs will need to include personal well-being in their holistic practices.
The new variable annuities are not even all variable, but they all carry some level of risk for the investor.
Members of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors visited Congress as midterm fever sweeps Washington.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a final appeal by a trio of states today, clearing the way for the Department of Labor fiduciary rule to be officially killed.
A Morgan Stanley analyst’s report sees significant strain on the life insurance industry, much of it from long-term care insurance. The report points to rising interest rates and the nearly dead Department of Labor fiduciary rule.
Financial advisors have the opportunity to grow their practice and gain name recognition by doing podcasts, either as a host, or a guest. Experts provide a few dos and don’ts for those thinking about it.
After the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by 0.25 percent, banks, especially online financial institutions, started to move CD rates up toward 3 percent. Is it enough to move money?
Are Morningstar ratings a useful tool for investors, or an overrated tool of the past? Money managers weigh in and say the answer might be a little of both.
When the Department of Labor postponed the full implementation of its fiduciary rule, it apparently also opened the gate to more annuity sales. Companies across the board are reporting stronger performance in earnings calls.
Why a parent should consider purchasing life insurance on a child.
A California insurance agent is accused of selling an annuity to a man diagnosed with dementia and then helping the man’s relative withdraw $700,000 from the annuity, incurring $92,000 in charges.
Grow, specialize, merge or die. That’s the message to broker-dealers struggling with thinning profit margins, according to a new report by Cerulli Associates.
Eighty seven percent of workers whose employer enables them to manage life in and outside of work are more loyal and satisfied, according to a MetLife survey that found workers want to be treated like whole people.
Health insurers must guide consumers to the most cost-effective health measures and medical treatments as seamlessly as Amazon Prime serves up suggestions for bedspreads to match the sheets you just bought.
Emotional intelligence plays a critical role in helping clients successfully navigate their financial lives.
A mystery shopper found that insurance companies are not putting their best selves forward online. Most of the shortcomings arise from the lack of follow-through.
A new service intends to rank advisors against one another based on performance managing money. Is it a fair and worthwhile endeavor?
Voya Financial will save up to $130 million in annual expenses after the company sells its annuity business, chairman and…
Agent pruning and lower unemployment may be factors in the falling agent count at Bankers Life, said CNO Financial CEO…
Lessons the insurance industry can learn from Amazon’s grocery store venture.
Nearly half of the inquiries from advisors for an annuity quote involved a return of premium option, according to Cannex.
When you are genuine and focus on serving clients, you will unlock their greatest potential.
The global market selloff is sounding alarms for many investors who fear a bear market. But while experts say that could happen, indicators are not pointing toward anything but continued market growth at the present time.
As part of your strategy for Disability Insurance Awareness Month this year, consider how you can connect with women about making their income protection needs a priority. Here are a few ways you can bring up the need for IDI with them.
Millennials want to hear more than just ‘pay debt, save money and plan for retirement’ from their financial advisors. Retaining those valuable young clients means listening to what they want, experts say.
AARP is not giving up on its fight to restore the Department of Labor fiduciary rule. The lobbying group will file an appeal to keep the rule, which was tossed out by a New Orleans court last month.
Long-term care insurance claims originating from people in assisted living facilities is on the rise, according to new data.
First-quarter RIA mergers and acquisitions rocketed to a record 47 deals, bouncing back from 33 deals in the fourth quarter, according to new data.
NAIFA needs to adapt and become more nimble in order to reverse membership losses that go back decades, CEO Kevin Mayeux told the Pennsylvania chapter Monday.
