P/C Broker Gallagher Widens Retirement Practice Into IMO Space

An accountant from Baton Rouge stole roughly $2 million that the historically troubled New Orleans Firefighters Pension and Relief Fund gave to him to invest in life insurance policies — and then used the money to gamble, finance home improvements and pay off debts, federal prosecutors allege.

Federal lawmakers have introduced a bill to offer certain tax breaks to people impacted by Hurricane Michael. The Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2018 includes tax relief for those impacted by Hurricane Michael and other recent disasters like Hurricane Florence.

A retirement plan has two major objectives. One is to provide assurance that you will not run out of money at an advanced age. Reflecting this objective, and because only an annuity pays you until you die, with few exceptions every retirement plan should contain an annuity.

Plenty has been written about American workers’ failure to plan adequately for retirement. Only 1 in 10 large employers offers a formal phased-retirement program that lets workers cut back their hours or responsibilities before they quit work entirely, according to the 2018 Longer Working Careers Survey by professional services consultant Willis Towers.

Some health professionals say large health insurance networks have edged small businesses out of insurance panels, which draft plans for companies that work together to serve patients. Because health insurance panels are based partly on relationships with other companies, private practitioners are sometimes left to fall by the wayside.

The average American will hold at least eight jobs during their lifetime and the term life insurance benefit provided will most likely also terminate when the decision to part ways is made. Because of this, it is important to separate the employment insurance from personal insurance.

The concept of expanding Medicare coverage to not only seniors and disabled people but just about everyone, has recently shot up in popularity among Democrats and party activists at the national level. Among proponents of so-called Medicare for All, there are varying ideas for how such a government-paid and government-administered health insurance.

Captivated by a handful of liberal superstars, Democrats are venturing where the party has long feared to tread: Steep taxes on the rich. Abolishing an immigration enforcement agency. And proposing a sweeping Green New Deal that calls for an “economic transformation” to combat climate change.

More than one quarter of the 800,000 federal employees who were affected by the federal government shutdown withdrew money from their retirement funds to help make it through the 35 days in which they did not see a paycheck, according to a Prudential study.

Running out of money is the top financial concern of clients planning for retirement, cited by 30 percent of CPA financial planners. This reflects an improvement from the American Institute of CPAs’ 2016 survey, which found 41 percent of clients listing it as a top concern.

Amid the hype over “Medicare for all,” Democrats’ likely health-care path in the new Congress is more akin to “Medicare for more”— allowing people 50 and older to buy into the government’s health insurance program for seniors. Key Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday that would do just that, saying it can be implemented quickly.

As couples celebrate another Valentine’s Day, their financial picture probably looks a little different than last year. For starters, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump signed into law a bit more than a year ago raised the standard deduction for 2018 federal income-tax returns to $24,000 for married couples.

Piles of federal debt have been growing ever higher for years, fueled by accumulating annual deficits, which themselves have been driven by tax cuts, government spending increases and the mounting costs of Medicare and Social Security and interest on the debt itself. So what does it all mean for the economy?

Millennials are a lot more focused on hard statistics, scientific methods, historical trends and technology-focused ways to analyze and invest efficiently. Compared to older generations, they are much more likely to make an investment decision based on the methodology and statistics. Knowing how generations think can help advisors connect with new clients.

With its LTC rider, SmartCare arrives at the intersection of two key retirement trends: rising costs of long-term care and increasing life expectancies. It is estimated that 50 percent of Americans turning 65 today will require some form of long-term care, with average lifetime long-term care expenses of $266,000, Brighthouse noted.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ subgroup had disagreement today during its first conference call today on IUL illustrations. The issue is whether IUL multipliers are fooling consumers into under-funding policies, or an appropriate risk-reward option.

DPL Financial Partners and Jackson National Life Insurance Company have an new agreement to bring the carrier’s advisory annuity products to fee-only advisors. The deal represents Jackson’s first distribution partnership targeting the independent RIA channel.

Gallup reports that 69 percent of Americans expect their financial situation to improve over the next year. That number is only two percentage points below the all-time high of 71 percent, recorded in March 1998 at a time when the nation’s economic boom was producing strong economic growth and low inflation.

The Federal Reserve might have slightly got ahead of itself when it raised rates for the fourth time in a year last December. It precipitated the worst month on record since the Great Depression. This served as a wake-up call for business leaders, politicians and central bankers alike.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ subgroup will resume discussions Tuesday on controversial indexed universal life illustrations. The group is expected to discuss how to illustrate products with different attributes, and whether to consider capping the credited rate.

A Wisconsin-based insurance company and a credit union have agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations that they improperly raised insurance premiums associated with 4,461 loans. The proposed settlement, which is scheduled to be considered by a judge later this month, would resolve an eight-year-old class action lawsuit.

Valentine’s Day remains a very popular time for marriage proposals, but have your clients created a financial plan for their possible new life together? According to recent studies, financial problems are frequently cited as a major reason for divorce. Advisors might offer these tips to couples planning a wedding.

The White House is refusing to rule out the possibility that the federal government may shut down again. Negotiators are clashing over whether to limit the number of migrants authorities can detain, creating a new hurdle for a border security compromise that Congress can accept.

Borrowing a word from Democrats, a new White House report says changes made to the Affordable Care Act under President Donald Trump didn’t amount to “sabotage.” Due out Friday, the report from the Council of Economic Advisers says Obama-era subsidies that help low- and middle-income customers pay their premiums will keep HealthCare.gov afloat.

Facing competitive pressure from start-ups and tech giants, traditional insurers are being forced to embrace innovation and change at a rapid pace.

The Alliance for Lifetime Income, formed last year to promote retirement income options, has signed on as the sole sponsor of The Rolling Stones’ 2019 “No Filter” U.S. stadium tour. The tour kicks off April 20 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and continues into late June.

Democrats on the energy and commerce committee on Wednesday announced plans to consider legislation striking down the Trump administration’s changes to the Affordable Care Act. Health subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo announced a hearing to be held next week to reverse what her office described as “sabotage” of the ACA– popularly known as Obamacare.

A Florida woman convicted of helping mastermind the killing of her husband nearly two decades ago has been sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors say Denise Williams plotted the killing of her husband in a scheme to get a $1.75 million life insurance payout.

Since March 2018, there have been more job openings in the U.S. economy than there are people searching for work. The limit on job growth is the availability of potential employees, not job opportunities. The U.S. economy has reached capacity.

After working through some challenges related to regulation, capital flow and underwriting, the life settlements industry is coming off another year of growth in 2018 and seems poised to remain on that steady growth trajectory.

Analytics are crucial to the future of life insurance and every carrier is in an arms race to get a 360-degree view of the people they serve or want to serve. The more data that is collected about a customer base, the better job insurers and agents can do in reaching those customers.

By age 50, baby boomers have held an average of 12 different jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In many cases, they may have several company retirement plans from old employers, as well as an IRA or two, along with at least one Roth IRA. Rounding up all your client’s IRAs and 401(k)s into just one or two accounts can really simplify their financial life.

Ohio National tells a federal judge that “and” is the key word in its selling agreements. If the judge agrees, then the insurer’s controversial decision to end trail commissions on certain variable annuity contracts might stand.

A letter signed by 14 IMO executives was sent last month to the leading trade associations that represent annuity sellers. They say trade groups are too accepting of best-interest ideas put forth by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

A trial date has been set for a woman accused of fatally stabbing her husband, who she said fell on a letter opener, before quickly attempting to receive money from his life insurance policy in 2017. Jennifer Lynn Via, 49, was charged with murder 10 days after she called 911 on Nov. 4, 2017, to report her husband, Thomas Via, had been stabbed in the back.

President Donald Trump will enjoy the backdrop of a mostly solid economy as he delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, though questions about its sustainability linger. Trump will likely tout the latest signs of strength: Friday’s jobs report showed that employers added the most jobs in January in nearly a year.

The debate signals the primary role health care will play in the 2020 presidential race. Almost nine years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, Democrats are once again pressing for an overhaul of the U.S. health care system, a high-stakes endeavor that will have sweeping consequences for millions of Americans who rely on private health insurance.

The Federal Reserve decided not to raise interest rates despite declining consumer confidence and a sharply volatile stock market. After nearly a year or so of watching stocks rise and fall on Wall Street with dizzying repetition, the central bank voted, without dissent, to hold its rate between 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent.

Though complex, existing laws provide people with a pathway to protect their assets, become legally poor and qualify for publicly funded Medicaid to cover nursing home bills. A knowledgeable advisor can be a huge help with proper planning and saving client’s valuable dollars.

The U.S. economy, well into its 10th year of growth, still has a spring in its step. Overseas growth is stumbling, led by weakness in China, the world’s second-largest economy. A trade war between the U.S. and China and higher U.S. mortgage rates, partly engineered by the Federal Reserve, remain threats.

A federal judge has dismissed a Maryland lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration for what it portrayed as recurring efforts to dismantle the national health care law. U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander writes in her Friday decision that while the Trump administration disdains the Affordable Care Act, she found the state’s allegations “speculative.”

The Fed held its benchmark rate at a range of 2.25 to 2.5 percent at its January meeting, after having hiked rates four times in 2018 — decisions that drew harsh criticism from the president. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that he would need to see a jump in inflation in order to raise a benchmark interest rate.

U.S. employers shrugged off last month’s partial government shutdown and engaged in a burst of hiring in January, adding 304,000 jobs, the most in nearly a year. The robust gain illustrates the job market’s durability nearly a decade into the economic expansion.

Premiums for long-term care insurance– which helps pay for nursing home stays and extended care services during consumers’ elder years– are continuing to skyrocket and Florida seniors are getting blindsided by the increases. The company originally requested a 280 percent hike but state regulators approved a 94 percent increase.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is proposing legislation to eliminate the estate tax. Called the For the 99.8% Act, it would raise $2.2 trillion from the nation’s 588 billionaires. The proposal comes two days after Senate Republican leadership proposed a bill to repeal the estate tax.

Parents are prioritizing debt reduction at the expense of long-term financial planning, a survey showed. A New York Life survey found that 72 percent of parents identify debt reduction as a top financial priority for 2019. That number is even higher for millennial parents (ages 18-34), with 80 percent planning to focus on debt reduction this year.

In the short-term, the second half of 2020 should produce some optimism, but it will be 2021 “when you should feel good,” an economist says. In the long-term view, inflation in health care spending and a Social Security system under greater financial stress make 2030 look bad.

The Fed held its benchmark rate at a range of 2.25 to 2.5 percent at its January meeting, after having hiked rates four times in 2018 — decisions that drew harsh criticism from the president. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that he would need to see a jump in inflation in order to raise a benchmark interest rate.

New analysis finds that just 26 percent of the total life insurance coverage needed is being met. The result is $70 billion in lost premiums for the industry. The report found that insurance companies are missing out on an average of $785 in annual life insurance premium payments per person who requires insurance coverage in the U.S.

With the Federal Reserve considered sure to leave interest rates unchanged Wednesday, investors will be looking to hear Chairman Jerome Powell sound a reassuring theme that a pause in the Fed’s rate hikes could last a while. With inflation remaining tame, the rationale to tighten credit has become less compelling.

Stock markets are up slightly ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate announcement and the subsequent news conference by Chairman Jerome Powell. Investors expect the central bank to keep its rates on hold but will be looking for Powell to confirm that any further hikes will be gradual.

Although the next couple years are expected to fall short of the 3 percent annual growth goal set by the Trump administration, the current economic expansion is the longest in history. And growth will remain positive at least for the foreseeable future, a Nationwide economist said.

Agents can better manage client purchases – and travel expenses – by investing in automated expense management technology. This eliminates all manual entry, better organizes and tracks expenses, and ultimately saves agents lots of time and money.