June Is National Annuity Awareness Month

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.

While many advisors are well-equipped to help their clients evaluate their life insurance needs, some scenarios may call for outside-of-the-box solutions. Join NAIFA's Advisor Today on Thursday, December 8 at 2 pm eastern for the webinar, "4 Life Insurance Opportunities You May Have Missed," brought to you by Modern Life.

On November 29, Ohio National Vice President of Product Marketing Karl Kreunen will present "Skate Where the Puck is Heading: Indexed Whole Life as Your Product of Choice."

In the webinar, Kreunen will showcase Ohio National’s new Prestige 10 Pay Indexed Whole Life policy and discuss why it makes sense today and in the future. He will also give a demonstration of relevant sales applications for a multi-pay indexed whole life policy.

NAIFA and the Society of Financial Service Professionals will host an Advanced Practice Center webinar on Wednesday, October 12 at 2 pm eastern. Presented by John Hancock, join Matthew Gibson and John Snider II, JD as they share their insights in "Is Behavioral Insurance the Future of Life Insurance?"