September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, a 20-year tradition created and coordinated by NAIFA partner Life Happens and commemorated by the entire life insurance industry, elected officials, and consumers across the country. The goal of LIAM is to put the importance of life insurance front-of-mind for a greater number of Americans and help more people get the coverage they need so their loved ones are protected financially.

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending time with Nick Bowman, CFP, MS, CEP, in New York City at the Insurtech Insights Conference. Previously associated with Lion Street as an Advanced Sales Professional, Nick now serves as the CEO of Motif Insurance, a company that is revolutionizing the future of in-force life insurance. Motif's primary objective is to empower advisors in managing their portfolios by harnessing the potential of data. Nick possesses exceptional expertise in in-force life insurance policies, making him not only a valuable contributor to this article but also the initiator of an important survey. The survey/questionnaire, consisting of just a couple of questions, can be accessed by clicking the link provided at the end of this article.

The end of June brings a close to this year's National Annuity Awareness Month, but the work NAIFA has done has raised awareness that will last yearlong. We hope you saw our videos on social media featuring NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux and ACLI President and CEO Susan Neely. 

NAIFA President Bryon Holz understands as well as anyone how annuity products can fit in holistic financial plans for many of his clients. They are the only product that can provide guaranteed income for life and are often the perfect complement to other planning products.

The life insurance industry has been slow to adopt digital solutions, but recently I was introduced to a new company working to change that. Plum Life, founded by former executives in the life insurance industry, was created after they recognized a shift towards digitization was coming quickly and created a 100% digital platform exclusively for agents.

Spring baseball is here and while Mike Downing, EVP, COO and Chief Actuary at Athene, didn’t disclose who he’s cheering for this year, our conversation was peppered with baseball analogies during our Friday afternoon meet-n-greet interview. Our topic? Annuities and specifically, how annuities can be used as a critical tool in ensuring that women achieve financial security.

Uncertain market conditions make cash-value life insurance a valuable tool in the toolbox of investors and their planners, Jeff Snyder, a loyal NAIFA member since 2012 and Executive Vice President of Business Development and Insurance at Gateway Financial Advisors, writes in InsuranceNewsNet. Life insurance products are often overlooked in investment strategies, even though they offer tax advantages and competitive returns and can provide accelerated benefits for things like critical illnesses, chronic or cognitive illnesses, and terminal illnesses.

Did you know that new Indexed Universal Life (IUL) Insurance illustration regulations are likely to go into effect in May? Make sure you are prepared for these changes, which can affect your business and your clients by tuning in to the next Advisor Today webinar on Monday, March 27 at 2 pm eastern.

Join experts Gregory Rohtstein and Steven Patrizio of Symetra and Ryan Mattern of Modern Life as they discuss the history of the regulation, the nuances of the changes, and how can begin to prepare.

Digital Marketing had the biggest growth for generating insurance sales since 2021. In a recent global study conducted by Accenture, most insurance buyers now search for information on digital channels. 48% of insurance customers who responded to an Accenture survey stated that social media would factor into their insurance-buying decision. Introducing agents and training to effectively utilize email, social media, web-based advertising, text messages, and personalized videos which helps maximize their value delivery.

Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the technology driving the industry to new insurance sales as it does with other industries in e-commerce. Winning agencies will become more data-driven and introduce agents to tools that utilize data analytics and AI to grow their businesses. Whether finding patterns based on past data to predict future events or leveraging AI to make assumptions and predictions beyond human capabilities, successful agents and agencies will take advantage of these new technology tools.

Chris Bor, LUTCF, CLU, ChFC, a loyal NAIFA member since 1998 and Immediate Past President of NAIFA-WA, testified at a hearing of the Washington State Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee on the use of life insurance, annuities, and policy riders in long-term care planning. He gave an overview of a wide variety of LTC planning options and discussed the value of agents and advisors to consumers. Bor also serves as Vice-Chair of NAIFA's National Membership Committee.