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February 12, 2014

 
 
SALES ARTICLES
 
UPCOMING WEBINARS
 
  • Minnesota Life:
    • Weekly 15-minute sales strategy calls – every Wednesday at 10:00 AM CST
      Hosted by expert life insurance case designers, you’ll learn actionable sales ideas in a short, easily digestible format. Each week, the sales idea call will create a valuable opportunity to add a new sales tool to your practice.
      Teleconference Number: 1.800.910.2399 Participant Pass Code: 224032
  • North American:
    • Upcoming Webinars
      • February 20th – 11:00 AM ET – A Place to Call Home
        Looking for a carrier that can offer a broad portfolio to meet your diverse list of client needs, competitive compensation for you, and the support and training to help you succeed? Then North American is the place to call home for your business. Attend this Webinar to learn more.
 
CARRIER & INDUSTRY NEWS
 
  • Transamerica:
    • Play the Transamerica Classic
      Throughout February, golfers worldwide will be teeing it up in the Transamerica Classic as part of the World Golf Tour’s first-ever, year-long “Virtual Tour” tournament. The global event will be played by thousands of virtual golfers and covered on the GolfChannel.com. For more on the Transamerica Classic, visit WGT.com and The Golf Channel.
LIFE INSURANCE NEWS
 
  • American General:
    • AG Asset Protector – life insurance you don’t have to die to use
      Give your clients peace of mind knowing unexpected expenses and their retirement assets are covered. With AG Asset Protector available on AG Secure Lifetime GUL II, your clients have access to their life insurance benefits while they are LIVING. Listen to AIG President and CEO on this topic.
      • How AG’s broad and competitive product portfolio competes with carriers directly and showcases alternatives that help win the sale
      • How collaboration between the AG wholesale team and a BGA can highlight differentiating factors for AG Secure Survivor GUL
      • How to leverage the Enhanced Surrender Value Rider to win a sale
  • Fidelity:
    • Fidelity Life announces the implementation of DocuSign
      Fidelity is now utilizing DocuSign for all required electronic signatures in their online application system – Rapid App. For more information, review Rapid App DocuSign screen shots. You can also demo Rapid App Docusign. The login requirements are: Username= demods1 Password = life.
      • Agents that currently use Rapid App for Fidelity business submissions, will ALL be automatically transitioned to DocuSign effective February 15th; as Fidelity will be retiring their old e-sig system on that date.
      • Some agents are already using DocuSign; as Fidelity started rolling this out to a series of controlled agent groups. The transition has been very smooth.
      • DocuSign is a straight forward process and does not require any additional steps or complicated training.
  • Lincoln National:
    • External term to perm with Lincoln Treasury Indexed UL – limited time offer!
      If your clients want more than what their term policies offer, now’s a great time to step up to Lincoln Treasury Indexed UL. For a limited time only, they can exchange their external term policies from a select group of carriers with a current A+ rating with A.M. Best to Lincoln Treasury Indexed UL. They’ll have guaranteed protection, affordable premiums, and a policy that gets better if the 10-year Treasury yield rises. View Frequently Asked Questions.
  • MetLife:
    • Whole Life Up Close – an educational, interactive iPad App
      This iPad app is designed to help advisors not just explain, but convincingly demonstrate to potential clients the mechanics, benefits and unique value of whole life insurance. It helps provide a simple step-by-step interactive overview of whole life insurance by introducing potential clients to its core features and benefits and creating a sample whole life insurance solution. The Executive Summary Flyer and the Frequently Asked Questions Flyer will provide you with a more in-depth look at Whole Life Up Close.
      To download this app on your iPad:
      • Visit the Whole Life Up Close page on the MetLife Investors portal using your iPad. This page is located at Products / Whole Life Up Close.
      • Click on the “Download Now” button and follow the prompted directions.
    • Enhanced Care Benefit approved in NY, CT, KS & PR
      Effective February 24, 2014, the Enhanced Care Benefit will available for sale in NY, CT, KS and PR. Check out the full details on the new state approvals and an update to the disclosure statement.
      • Thru Business Entities – Sales Opportunities Abound
      • Sales Opportunities Using Business Overhead Expense Coverage
      • Smooth Sailing – Helping Business Owners Overcome Exit Planning Headwinds
      • How to Keep the Family Business in the Family: Part Three
      • Business Exit Planning and Charitable Intent: Putting the Pieces Together
  • Mutual of Omaha:
    • Offer clients an annual insurance reviewsales idea
      Times change, needs change and products change, and without a periodic review of your clients’ insurance portfolio or financial plan, they could be left without adequate coverage.
    • Case Study – Diabetes
      Type II diabetes plus Fit Credits equals standard rate for this 58-year-old male.
    • Second to Die for Second Marriagesadvanced markets minute
      Marriage may be lovelier the second time around, but how about estate planning? When couples remarry their new family has unique needs – there may be children from each partner, children living with previous partners, ongoing financial obligations . . . in short, it can be very complex.
  • Protective:
    • Protective ProClassic UL credited rate change
      Protective has lowered the credited interest rate for their in-force and currently marketed ProClassic UL products (including New York). Effective February 3rd, the new credited rate is 3.30%. For Protective ProClassic UL policies issued with an effective date of February 3rd and later, the new credited rate of 3.30% will be reflected in the illustration that is issued with the policy. For new clients or pending cases, you may wish to run an updated or revised illustration for your client to reflect the new credited interest rate that will be in effect February 3, 2014. The ELI illustration system was updated on January 2, 2014, to reflect the February 3 rate change.
    • 2014 Accelerated Death Benefit Increase for ExtendCare
      The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently updated the per diem limitations for periodic payments received under qualified long-term care insurance policies and certain life insurance policies which offer accelerated death benefits for chronic illness care.
  • Prudential:
    • Founders Plus trainingavailable any time!
      On January 6th, Prudential launched Founders Plus UL, a flexible premium, current assumption universal life product that offers an Indexed feature that can give clients cost-effective death benefit protection with the potential to accumulate cash value, along with an extended no-lapse guarantee. this on-demand training presentation is now available, allowing you to join the session when it best works in your schedule.
    • New state approvalseffective January 27th
      These recently repriced products are now available in the following states:
      • PruLife Index Advantage UL: Virginia
      • PruLife Custom Premier II: Connecticut
    • Discontinued Waiver of Premium Benefits in CAclarification
      As communicated in early December, although the Living Needs Benefit was not suspended in California, it will be revised and refiled to eliminate the Nursing Home Benefit. In the meantime, the Living Needs Benefit in California will remain available with the Nursing Home Benefit. Any changes that may impact these benefits will be communicated in advance.
  • Transamerica:
    • New eligible Term Carrier for TOP & TOP Plus
      Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company is now an eligible term carrier for TOP & TOP Plus; Transamerica’s two accelerated underwriting programs that enable qualifying applicants to receive up to $1M in additional coverage without the standard medical underwriting requirements.
    • Children’s Insurance/Child Riders available in Washington
      The Children’s Insurance/Child Rider is available again on all products (where applicable) in Washington. Changes to TransWare have been updated and iGO will be completed by February 7th. Please note that this is only for the state of Washington; there is no impact to other jurisdictions.
    • PlanLab software announcement
      Transamerica will no longer offer PlanLab software through TransACT as of February 28th. If you would like to continue to use this service, you can review and purchase the planning modules from Impact Technologies. In addition, Impact Technologies also offers a software package that is compatible with the iPad called PlanFacts.
ANNUITY NEWS
 
  • ING:
    • Rate sheeteffective February 12th
      There will be a decrease to the cap and trigger on both the Secure 5 and the Secure 7.
      Here are the details:
      Secure 7
      50 bps decrease on the Point to Point cap
      75 bps decrease on the Trigger rate (80 bps on low band)
      Secure 5 (with and without ROP)
      50 bps decrease on the Point to Point cap
      75 bps decrease on the Trigger rate
      *** To receive the current/higher rates, apps must be SIGNED on or before Tuesday, February 11th and RECEIVED by us by close of business on Tuesday, February 18th ***
      In addition to the rate change, ING changed the rate lock period from 45 to 14 days effective 2/10/14. All applications received on or before February 9, 2014 will follow the 45 day rate lock period. All applications received February 10, 2014 or after will follow the 14 day rate lock period. These changes will mean that it’s more important than ever before for business to be submitted with as few “Not In Good Order” issues as possible. If your producers are not currently using the ING FastTrack on-line app submission tool, this is a great opportunity to start using it.
LONG TERM CARE
 
  • Mutual of Omaha:
    • A Burden Relieved…Thanks to LTCi
      The LIFE Foundation’s educational website contains a wealth of long-term care information, including a video series that presents real-life stories of how owning long-term care makes a difference in peoples’ lives. Check out the powerful tools that go a long way toward helping people understand the importance of planning for long-term care. View this video to see how LTCi helped one couple avoid depleting their life savings.
    • Long Term Care product training for Massachusetts
      Mandatory long-term care product-specific training is required in Massachusetts for MutualCare Solutions.
  • Transamerica:
      • Compelling reasons to sell Transamerica LTCi: Benefits for Home Care With a 0-Day Elimination Period
        Learn how Transamerica’s LTCi benefits are designed to help your clients stay in their home longer.
      • Know Your Niche Solutions: High Net Worth Clients
        How do you recommend LTCi to high net worth clients who assume they should self-insure? This Sales Idea tells you how.
      • What is Your Spreadsheet Not Telling You?
        What are you missing by focusing solely on price? Download this policy comparison chart to see why all policies are not created equal and why the differences matter.
DISABILITY
 
  • Disability insurance sales lessons from sports heroes
    While the majority of us may find our daily routines taking place behind a desk and not on a diamond, there’s no reason why our professional careers can’t be influenced by the heroes we once worshiped. Heed the advice of the sports idols below and you’ll knock your next sale out of the park.
  • Mutual/United of Omaha:
 
AGENT CONTESTS
 
  • American National:
    • Cash is King 2014 (1/1/2014 – 4/30/2014)
      Earn a CASH BONUS for annuity sales! Total of all fixed/ indexed annuities paid. Minimum of 3 applications.
      • $500,001 – $750,000 = $750 cash bonus
      • $750,001 – $1,000,000 = $1000 cash bonus
      • $1,000,000+ = $1500 cash bonus
  • Minnesota Life:
    • Earn an extra $700 (1/1/2014 – 3/31/2014)
      Beginning January 1, 2014, through March 31, 2014, you have the opportunity to receive up to $700 in Visa gift cards for the business you place with Minnesota Life.