February 5, 2014

• 12 more estate planning tax facts you need to know
  Your clients have questions – and now you have answers.
• The pros and cons of separate trusts among couples
  Trust can be an integral part of every marriage, but there are instances when a separate trust may make more sense.
• Helping your clients prepare for the financial storm to come
  We need to help people prepare for retirement the same way they prepare for storms – because a financial storm is coming.
• Hispanic Prospects Are Driven By Trust
  The more consistent and patient advisors are when dealing with Latino clients, the more likely they will find success in a market that is ready for advice, according to experts and a new survey of Latino buying trends.
• A powerful (yet underused) sales technique
  Asking good sales questions is vital to your success and you will be amazed at what that a little patience will get you in return.
• Term life: Financial security that rings true in the New Year
• Serve and grow rich
  Take a look at your 2014 business plan. Make sure serving your clients is at the heart of it if you want this to be a great year.
• Life insurance is the 2014 business succession tool
  Privately owned businesses are increasingly turning to life insurance as the financing tool of choice for exit plans. Here’s why.
• Points that help you sell
• The fortune is in the fact-finding
• 10 benefits of fact-finding
• Women The Fulcrum Of The Hispanic Household
• Critical illness insurance: Mortgage protection
  What if your client has a heart attack before a home is paid off?

• AIG/American General:
  • Training Sessions for NEW AG Asset Protector
    Attend 1 of the remaining 5 sessions on AG Asset Protector – a unique package of living benefits allowing access to death benefits while living. Plus learn about an exciting new marketing campaign to help identify new sales opportunities.
    Dial-in #: 888-535-6454 Access Code: 9136363#
    Web Meeting URL: https://connect17.uc.att.com
    Meeting ID Number: 8885356454 Access Code: 9136363#
    Available dates and times are:
  • February 7^th – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST
  • February 7^th – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CST
  • February 10^th – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST
  • February 11^th – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST
  • February 12^th – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST

• 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
  • TODAY, February 5^th – Insure Your Love

• (Interest) rate increase: The life insurance life saver
  Gradually rising interest rates are expected to slowly help life insurers’ competitiveness and performance.
• AIG back on the offensive, chairman says
  With an improved reputation, “we’re going back on offense,” says AIG Chairman Steve Miller.
• Advisors failing to meet needs of Hispanics
  The insurance and financial services industry as a whole needs to do much more groundwork in order to understand the Latino community.
• Notification of fee increase for California
• February 2014 Holiday Telephone Solicitation Bans

• AIG/American General:
  • AIG announces Liza Tyler as Senior Vice President of Annuity Distribution

• Minnesota Life:
  • Insure Your Love Campaign materials
  • Gift of love brochure
  • Insure your love letter
  • The gift that keeps on giving
  • A grand gesture of love
  • The things we do for love
  • Leave a legacy of love
  • Because he loved me
  • Because she loved us

• AIG/American General:
  • Case study – Optionality Pays Off
    This recent case that illustrates how to leverage the Enhanced Surrender Value Rider to win a sale.

• Genworth:
  • Recent updates on The Index Institute
  • Key Person Life Insurance – A New Approach – sales idea
  • Buy Sell Agreements – Creating Business Continuity –sales idea
  • Genworth Wins DALBAR 2013 Life Insurance Service Award
  • Download the iPad app for access wherever you are – Entry code = learn

• ING:
  • Add IUL to an existing client’s life insurance portfolio
    From February 1 – April 30, 2014, ING TermSmart, TermSmart NY, ROP Endowment Term or ROP Endowment Term NY policy owners can purchase an eligible IUL policy through an easier underwriting process.
  • Start selling IUL-GDB Legacy Max
    Get flexibility to the max with ING Indexed Universal Life-Guaranteed Death Benefit (ING IUL-GDB) Legacy Max. The potential for cash value accumulation can add the flexibility clients may want if their needs/circumstances change.

• Legal & General:
  • Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) and insurance
  • Reasons to sell life insurance
  • Change in current crediting rates for discontinued UL products

• Lincoln Financial:
  • Lincoln Leader for Life – January 21 issue
  • Tax Hike 2013 – what you can do
    Implement strategies to protect your clients’ portfolio and retirement income. The clock is ticking for high-income earners. New taxes will soon impact their investment earnings and eventually affect their retirement income. What’s in the portfolio today could trigger tax exposure when they retire. Learn the facts. Diversify their portfolios with life insurance. Understand how taxes will affect clients. Discover the potential tax advantages life insurance can bring to your clients’ retirement income strategy.
  • Tax planning opportunities
    Why advisors need to act soon to protect clients from the impact of 2013 tax changes.
  • Case Study – Medicare and Income
    How new healthcare reform law and two new taxes will affect clients starting in the 2013 tax year.
  • Case Study – PEP and Pease
    How new phaseouts of deductions and personal exemptions will affect clients starting in the 2013 tax year.
  • 1040 tax guide
    A guide that can help you identify potential opportunities for more efficient tax planning with your clients.

• MetLife:
  • Medical Impairments Guide – updated
  • Underwriting Guide
  • Underwriting Solutions – Coronary Scans
    This piece specifically discusses Electron Beam Computed Tomography (EBCT) and Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA).

• Mutual/United of Omaha:
  • Important life insurance product procedure and policy reminders
  • Why Quote Term Life Answers?
    Life insurance is essential to your clients’ planning and they rely on you to guide them and provide solutions. Term Life is basic, affordable protection that is essential to a family’s overall financial planning.

• North American:
  • Three tips for using life insurance for smart money
    Help your clients gain death benefit protection and financial safety. Smart money is money your clients want to control and be able to access during times of need. While there are several places to store smart money, one option to consider is life insurance. Here are three tips to help grow your smart money:
  • Understand the concept: Permanent life insurance offers death benefit protection, cash value growth potential, and access to funds.
  • Identify the client profile: The typical smart money client is between age 50 and 80, has a need for death benefit protection, and has funds that are not meeting current needs for control and accessibility.
  • Know how it works: Typically, the life insurance policy is funded with a lump sum transfer.

• Protective Life:
  • Protective ProClassic UL credited rate change
    As a result of present rates, Protective will lower the credited interest rate for in-force and currently marketed ProClassic UL products (including New York). Effective February 3^rd, the new credited rate is 3.30%. For ProClassic UL policies issued with an effective date of February 3 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. The illustration system was updated on January 2^nd, to reflect the February 3^rd rate change.
  • Indexed Choice UL – have you seen the whole picture?
    See how it stands up against the competition at the current illustrated rate.

• Prudential:
  • Expand your business to the African American community
  • African American Business Development Kit Folder
    Your all-in-one guide to better understanding the market, creating an action plan, identifying and contacting prospective clients, and more.
  • 10 opportunities in 10 minutes
    A brief overview of 10 life insurance concepts that will resonate with the market.
  • Expanding Your Relationships and Network – brochure
    A brochure to help you gain insight into the nuances of the African American community.
  • Prospecting Letters and Email
    Prospecting material created specifically for the African American market.
  • African Americans and Life Insurance – consumer brochure
    Our new consumer brochure focusing on the African American market. It discusses how life insurance can help meet their protection needs.
  • The African American Financial Experience, 2013-14 – Prudential research
    Our 2012-2013 study offers valuable information about the African American market as a whole.
  • Fast Facts – the African American Market
    A quick look at facts discovered in the research study, The African American Financial Experience, 2013-14 Prudential Research.
  • The Hartford Products
  • Important information on The Hartford product’s 2014 exceptions
  • The Hartford products Interest Crediting Rate update – effective March 1^st
    Hartford Founders Plus UL and Hartford Joint Founders Plus UL:
  • The Fixed Account interest rate will change from 3.75% to 3.65%
  • The Plus Account Basic Interest rate will change from 1.25% to 1.15%
  • The current Index-linked Interest rate Cap in the Plus Account will remain unchanged at 6%
  • Hartford Frontier Indexed UL 2012:
  • The Index Growth Cap for the Cap Adjusted Index Account will change from 12.00% to 11.00%
  • The Participation Rates for either Index Account will remain unchanged
  • Transition Rules
  • Beginning February 1, 2014, The Hartford’s Merlin illustration system will be updated with new illustrated rates for new business illustrations.
  • For Founders products, in order to receive the prior interest rate, premiums must be received by the close of business on February 28, 2014. Any premium received on or after March 1, 2014 will receive the new interest rates.

• Symetra:
  • Symetra Classic UL with Lapse Protection Benefit – important updates
    Business Transition Rules
    Symetra has adjusted the design and pricing of its’ Classic UL with Lapse Protection Benefit – effective February 3^rd. Learn more about Symetra’s competitive sweet spots and continued top-ranked position in the Guaranteed Universal Life market.
  • On January 31^st, the new version of Classic with Lapse Protection Benefit became available for illustration on Winflex. The previous version of Classic with Lapse Protection Benefit will remain available for illustration through March 7^th.
  • On March 7^th, all formal applications must be received in good order at Symetra to receive the current rates. And, only the new version of Classic with Lapse Protection Benefit will be available to illustrate in approved states.

• Transamerica:
  • From Clarity to Chaos – blog
    This blog is a place to find content to help consumers better understand both long term and everyday financial decisions.

• Tax Treatment of Income From an Annuity
  Factors to consider when selecting a product to support a retirement income plan.
• You hate annuities? You’ve got to be kidding
  Are premium bonus indexed annuities immune to an up, flat or down market?

• American National:
  • Value Lock 10 Indexed Annuity – No Cap + Premium Enhancement
    An indexed annuity with NO CAP on the amount of interest that can be credited to the contract.
  • Strategy Indexed Annuity PLUS
    Get more information on ASIA PLUS 7 and ASIA PLUS 10. And, view the following 1-year strategies on indexed annuity:
  • 5.50% Cap, 100% Participation Point to Point
  • Performance with a 4.00% Specified Rate
  • 2.25% Declared Rate
  • Total Sum Performance with a 2.00% Monthly Cap
  • 72(t) Substantially Equal Periodic Payments Basics
    With more individuals either laid off or retiring prior to age 59 ½, the use of Section 72(t) of the Internal Revenue Code has become more important in assisting individuals who want to access their Individual Retirement Annuities (IRAs) early.

• ING:
  • RenewalFLEX – available on Secure Index 5 & 7 – NEW FEATURE
    ING announces the addition of a bailout-type feature – RenewalFLEX! The rates are still being finalized and will be released soon. State approvals will be communicated accordingly. ING is excited to be adding this feature to new contracts written in the states that have approved the feature so far (view state approvals) with the official launch date of January 21st (view transition rules). The feature will enhance the already competitive ING Secure Series contracts by protecting clients from potential interest rate risk for when renewal rates are significantly less than previous contract years, giving them the option to liquidate those specific funds potentially affected by the reduced renewal rate without incurring a surrender charge or contract penalty. A few bullet points:
  • The feature will be added at NO COST and WILL NOT affect new money pricing.
  • The feature does include a specific rate per product and PER STRATEGY, which in turn would potentially liquidate funds ON A PER STRATEGY BASIS. Liquidation from one strategy may not mean that a client can take ALL their funds, especially if they are broken up into several index buckets/fixed account.
  • Any active advisor who has completed all the PST training will receive an email from ING, and once they OPEN that email they will get credit for training on this new feature. Any advisor not active or not updated on the PST training will need to go through training as usual, and the RenewalFLEX is being included in the full version.

• Lincoln Financial:
  • Lincoln Leader for Fixed Annuities – January 23 edition

• North American:
  • Interest rate decrease – effective February 7^th

• LTC and Medicaid: planning is needed now more than ever
  Those who are taking the age-old advice of hiding assets along with income to qualify for Medicaid in order to receive “free long-term care” may want to sit down and read the fine print to the actual rules of Medicaid. Things have surprisingly changed, and what you and your clients don’t know will not only hurt you, but will also hurt others – or more specifically, your clients’ children.

• Genworth:
  • How the Pension Protection Act can help Retired Public Safety Officers pay for LTCi
  • Helping a client use HSA to pay LTCi premiums
  • In-Force Rate Action Implementation announcements
  • Ohio
  • Additional Alabama Group Trust State: Ohio

• Mutual of Omaha:
  • LTC Sales Idea: Tips for Selling LTC
    Explain to your prospective clients how the cash benefit keeps people at home.

• Mutual/United of Omaha:
  • Income Protection with Long Term DI rate reduction for CO, MN, NV & WV
    Recent rate reductions in Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada and West Virginia have allowed Mutual of Omaha to stay competitive in the LTD market.

• 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

• Genworth:
  • Index Universal Life incentive to Grow Your Business in 2014 (1/1/2014 – 6/30/2014)
    $100 producer incentive for each IUL policy received in the Genworth Home Office between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014 and placed no later than September 30, 2014.

• 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.