Saybrus Partners, Inc. recently announced that D. Steve Shirley, CLU, CHFC, has joined the company as managing director, National Account.

Owners of life insurance report more fulfillment and optimism in their lives than those without coverage, according to findings from the Keep Good Going Report, sponsored by New York Life. The survey, conducted by Greenwald & Associates, explored the attitudes and expectations of more than 2,000 Americans regarding how they can cultivate goodness in their lives.

Advisor Today magazine has recognized four financial advisors with the “Four Under Forty Award,” given annually to four outstanding advisors who achieve excellence in their profession by or before the age of 40. The advisors will be profiled in the September/October 2013 issue of Advisor Today, which will be distributed to attendees of NAIFA’s 2013 Career Conference and Annual Meeting in San Antonio in September.

MDRT has performed its magic again—this time at its Annual Meeting held earlier this week in Philadelphia. There, in the city of brotherly love, the association brought together more than 8,000 agents and advisors from 74 countries and showed them how to transform their practices from good to great.

American General Life Companies (American General), a part of AIG, has named Joe Ross Vice President, Sales Productivity and Business Development. He joins American General from Protective Life in Cincinnati, where most recently he served as VP, Sales Development.

According to LIMRA research, investible retirement assets of U.S. households aged 55+ will nearly double to $22 trillion by 2020.

Some 264,000 individuals were receiving long-term-care insurance benefit payments as of December 31, 2012, according to a report from the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance.

When it comes to preparing for future college costs, teenagers are taking action, helping parents both research how to pay for school and contributing to the family’s college savings fund. This is according to Private College 529 Plan’s first annual Teen College Savings Barometer, a new study of 1,000 teenagers (13-17 years old) commissioned by Private College 529 Plan, a prepaid tuition plan sponsored by more than 270 private colleges and universities.

At a time when defense downsizing is bringing new challenges to the lives of active-duty service members, financial planners are continuing to earn the trust of their military clients.

A study by Unum reveals some reasons for long-term disability claims. For the 12th year, cancer is the top reason for LTD claims for Unum, followed closely by back disorders, according to 2012 claims data.