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Get To Know Your Clients Better – Use Our Sales & Marketing Resources

Every client is different. Every client’s needs, goals, family situation, budget, risk tolerance, health, and protection concerns are unique. What motivates your clients? And why does it matter?
 
Two big reasons why you want to learn what truly matters to your clients are: 1) You can better design solutions to meet their needs, and 2) You can use this information to motivate your clients to implement your recommendations.

When you know which questions to ask, and learn detail of what your clients would like to accomplish, you start to get a clear picture of what matters most.

You must be willing to ask the discovery questions and be patient with the clients’ responses.
 
A few of the classic, high-level questions are:
  • What do you want your retirement to look like?
  • What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
  • How do you plan on taking care of your children if something happens to you?
Or, you can try a question or two that might normally be outside your comfort zone, such as:
  • What keeps you up at night?
  • What are you most passionate about?
  • What is important to you about life?
You might be surprised what you learn by asking questions you’ve never asked before.
 
Contact your Life Sales Representative today to learn more about the tools and resources we have available for you.
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Life Insurance For The Small Business Market Restrictive 162 Executive Bonus Plans

The traditional 162 Executive Bonus Plan is one of the simplest and most popular executive benefits offered in the small business market. The bonus is tax deductible and has few regulations and reporting requirements. This makes the Executive Bonus Plan extremely attractive to many business owners.

The bonus needs to be considered reasonable compensation in order for it to be deductible, but other than that, the business owner has complete flexibility.

Who is covered and the level of participation is completely discretionary, plus the commitment to the contribution can also be flexible.
 
Even with all of the positive attributes of Executive Bonus Plans, some employers continue to have concerns. Many employers are concerned about not having control of the asset (the policy), which is owned by the employee. The employer may feel that unlike other executive benefit plans, there is nothing to tie the employee to the company, no “golden handcuffs.”
 
Though employees have an incentive to stay with the company in order to continue receiving premium bonuses, some employers may feel that the bonuses paid are “money out the door.” Further, they may fear that the employee may handle ownership of the policy irresponsibly.
 
A potential solution for the employer who has these concerns is the restricted executive bonus plan.
 
The Restricted Executive Bonus arrangement is designed to give the employer some degree of control over the employee’s access to the policy during employment.
 
The restrictive bonus may be approached in many ways; however the most popular method is through a restrictive endorsement to the policy. Using the restrictive endorsement, the employee agrees to sign an endorsement form, which becomes part of the policy. The endorsement states that the employee will not exercise certain ownership rights in the policy; usually for a period of years or until the employee reaches a certain age.
 
It is extremely important that the endorsement signed by the employee not grant any ownership rights to the employer. The only way the premium/bonus can be deductible to the employer is if there are no ownership rights with the employer. If the business had any ownership rights, the business’ deduction of the premiums would be jeopardized.
 
The restrictive bonus should be used sparingly.
 
And only in cases where the employer has expressed significant concern over the lack of control perceived under a standard executive bonus arrangement. In addition, the employee participant may feel as though the benefit is less compelling since the bonus is already taxable (causing an out of pocket expense in a single bonus situation) and the benefits are not immediately accessible.
 
In some cases, a restricted plan may even have the opposite effect from the intended goal of tying the employee closer to the company. It is more practical to use the double bonus, or gross up bonus, when the restrictive endorsement is used. In this situation, the cost is zero and the plan should continue to be compelling to the employee.
 
The bottom line is that executive bonus is a great way for employers to reward and retain key employees. The restrictive bonus can be used sparingly when the objection of “money going out the door” arises. Either way, executive bonus is a great sales concept for the small business market and can generate significant commissionable sales to the producer.
 
Contact your Life Sales Rep for more information.
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Indexed Universal Life: A New Savings Plan!

The yields in today’s marketplace on traditional short-term and long-term savings instruments are at an all time low.

Individuals are looking for efficient strategies to grow their money that they have worked hard to accumulate, but fear high risk in the markets.

There is a way to accomplish long-term growth and minimize the exposure to the increased volatility of the markets – Indexed Universal Life Insurance products.
 
How does this work with a real prospect in mind?
 
Indexed Universal Life has downside protection against poor market performance.
 
For example, if the S&P goes down 20% the policy will protect against loses with a 0.00% floor. The value in the policy will not be reduced by the loss in the index. If the market goes up 20% then the client will realize a gain up to the interest rate cap inside the policy, which can be as high as 13 %.
 
The Indexed Universal Life products also allow the individual to participate in an index of their choice within the carriers offering, which is usually the S&P 500. The client may also have options to participate in the Hang Seng and the EURO STOXX 50.
 
If you have prospects that are creating a college savings account, retaining a key employee or trying to compensate high level executives, Indexed Universal Life is a way to help them secure and plan for their futures.
 
For more information on Indexed Universal Life products please contact your Life Sales Marketing Manager today!
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Multi Generational IRA Planning to Increase Life Insurance Sales

Over 43 million households are invested in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) – and chances are your clients have a share in that number.
 
But perhaps they’ve come to realize they don’t need their IRA assets for income. Or maybe they’ve developed a portfolio of non-IRA assets that are sufficient to provide a comfortable lifestyle in retirement.

Due to the government’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules, the preference might be to continue deferring taxes on the IRA for as long as possible.

When the children inherit the IRA, their maximum years of deferral are based on their ages at the time they inherit the IRA. This fixed, maximum period cannot be extended regardless of whether the children pass away before this period has expired.
 
The children typically name the grandchildren as their beneficiaries. If the children pass away prior to the end of their maximum deferral period, the grandchildren inherit the balance of the funds, and the remaining balance of the deceased child’s maximum deferral period.
 
How Multi-Generational Beneficiaries Can Solve These Issues
 
Using Multi-Generational beneficiaries, your clients could make some minor changes to their current IRA beneficiary designations to enhance their legacy.
 
The key is understanding that IRA rules allow Designated Beneficiaries to continue deferral over a maximum deferred period that is based on their own life expectancy.
 
Therefore, when the grandchildren inherit the IRA, their younger ages enable them to continue the tax-deferral advantages for a longer period of time than the children could. This compounding of tax-deferred growth can create significant increases in your client’s legacy.
 
Simply consider replacing the children’s IRA inheritance by purchasing a Life Insurance policy with a death benefit equivalent to the pre-taxed value of the IRA, and make the children or an ILIT the beneficiary of the policy and the grandchildren the beneficiary of the IRA.
 
One significant advantage of using Life Insurance is that the death benefit is received by the children free from income tax. Thus, increasing the new inheritance, unlike an IRA inheritance that may be fully taxable to the children.
 
Consider This
 
Assume the parent’s IRA is projected to be worth $500,000 at the surviving spouse’s death.
 
The children would receive a $500,000 income tax free Life Insurance death benefit. The grandchildren would receive a $500,000 IRA and each grandchild will “stretch” the IRA deferral benefits over their individual life expectancies, according to IRS rules.
 
The grandchildren’s life expectancy is typically 20 to 40 years longer than the children’s life expectancy. This extension of the deferral period could be very advantageous to the overall performance of the IRA legacy.
 
Typically, the Life Insurance premium for clients over age 70 ½ are paid by using a portion of the RMD that your client’s are required to withdraw from the IRA. As you can see, Life Insurance can play an important role in the overall strategy of Multi-Generational Planning of your client’s IRA.
 
For more information, contact the Life Sales & Marketing Team.
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Life Settlements: Unlock the Value of Life Insurance

A life settlement can be a valuable option for individuals who no longer need or want their life insurance policy. 

This financial strategy involves selling your life insurance policy to a third party for a lump sum cash payment that is higher than the policy’s cash surrender value but less than the death benefit.

If you have clients over the age of 70 with policies greater than $250,000, here are some important reasons why they might want to consider a life settlement.
  1. Financial Flexibility:  The cash received from a life settlement can provide immediate funds for urgent needs such as medical expenses, debt repayment, or retirement planning, offering a boost to financial stability.
  2. Policy Maintenance Costs:  Life insurance policies often require ongoing premium payments.  If maintaining these payments becomes a financial burden, a life settlement allows you to relieve this obligation while gaining financial benefit.
  3. Changing Needs:  As life circumstances evolve, the original purpose of the policy might no longer be relevant.  A life settlement can free up capital that can be used more effectively according to current needs and goals.
  4. Investment Opportunity:  The proceeds from a life settlement can be reinvested in higher-yielding assets or opportunities, potentially enhancing overall financial growth.

A life settlement can provide a meaningful alternative for those looking to optimize their financial resources in the face of changing circumstances.  Call your Life Sales Specialist for more information.  

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Understanding The Nuances Of LTC And Chronic Illness Riders

As more Life Insurance carriers enter into the Linked Benefit marketplace, it’s important to understand that there are key differences in how their policy riders will provide living benefits to the insured.

Knowing the ins and outs of these riders will help save you and your clients from some potential problems in the future.

There are two different ways in which insurance carriers file for these accelerated benefit riders – first as a Chronic Illness Rider or second as a Long-Term Care (LTC) Rider.
 
What are the differences?
 
Chronic Illness Riders generally require a physician to certify the condition as “likely to last the rest of the insured’s life” while LTC Riders can be utilized for either temporary or permanent claims. While on claim for a LTC rider, policy premiums are likely to be waived though some carriers will still require the scheduled premium to be paid.
 
For temporary claims, you’ll want to be mindful that carriers can require a catch-up premium for the waived scheduled premium which was not remitted while on claim if the client recovers and is no longer in need of Long-Term Care. This can become very prohibitive if the scheduled premiums are significant and/or the client is on claim for an extended period of time.
 
One way to work around this issue is to have shortened premium paying period inside of a “paid-up” policy so that there would be no additional premiums due in later policy years when a client is more likely to have a LTC claim.
 
When promoting a Chronic Illness Rider, it is important to understand whether there is a cost or charge for the rider when it is accessed and also if there will be any limitations to the amount of the benefit available to the client.
 
Some products will not charge a cost until the rider is accessed and some carriers will not be able to determine the amount of benefit available until a claim is applied for. Clients should be made aware of these points before making a final purchase decision.
 
Another key consideration is how the benefit will be paid to the client.
 
For Chronic Illness Riders, it may only be a question of how frequently the benefit is paid out. For LTC Riders, you will need to know whether the rider is indemnity or reimbursement style.
 
Indemnity allows for the full benefit to be paid once the client qualifies for the rider without consideration for the actual expenses incurred as result of the LTC provided. Reimbursement riders will only provide benefit for the actual cost of the qualified LTC services and require the client to coordinate the benefit with the carrier.
 
These are just a few of the different features and functions that you should understand when promoting permanent insurance products which include living benefit riders. Additional consideration should be given to the specific details for each product and rider that you are recommending to your clients.
 
If you have any clients that you would like to consider for this concept or if you would like learn more about any of the particular products or riders available, please call your dedicated Life Sales & Marketing Specialist today.
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10 Most Common Life Insurance Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

Placing the right policy, for the optimal amount, with the correct details, can be more challenging than it seems.

Learning the common pitfalls and how to avoid them will not only help your clients get the coverage they need, but will also help you become a better producer.

10 of the most common mistakes are:
 
  1. Naming your client’s estate as the beneficiary.
  2. Failing to name at least two “backup” beneficiaries.
  3. Failing to check up on your client’s policies at least every three years.
  4. Matching the problem with the wrong solution or type of life insurance.
  5. Your client’s amount of personal coverage is inadequate for their family’s financial security goals.
  6. The policy is payable outright to your client’s minor children or grandchildren.
  7. All the insurance on your client’s life is owned by that same client.
  8. You haven’t checked to see if your client’s business or professional practice can provide insurance on a more efficient basis.
  9. Forgetting that term insurance (including group term coverage) runs out and/or becomes prohibitively expensive to carry.
  10. Purchasing life insurance as though it were a commodity.
It’s important to learn not only why these pitfalls present a problem for you and your clients, but also the solution to avoiding them in the future.
 
Your Life Sales Representative is the ultimate resource to placing the proper policies quickly and with ease. Contact us today.
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Final Expense Coverage – Insurance That Every Client Needs

As insurance advisors, we are often looking to sell our client’s products that will satisfy an immediate need or help them to reach a long-term planning objective.
 
As a result, the discussion concerning the need for Final Expense Insurance frequently does not take place until the clients later years when the premiums can be significantly more expensive.

If one of your clients dies without having funds earmarked for final expenses their surviving family and friends can be put in a very difficult position that causes them to make lifestyle sacrifices to provide for a proper burial.

Losing a loved one is already a difficult thing to manage.
 
You can help to alleviate some of the stress by making sure that they will not need to worry about generating the necessary funds for the funeral. While these may not be big ticket sales, collectively, they can create a great supplemental sale that compliments your existing offerings.
 
Even if you are an investment advisor who doesn’t typically write Life Insurance, if you are looking to preserve assets under management from one generation to the next, what better way to begin a professional relationship with a surviving family member than by handing them a check for the benefit proceeds.
 
More insurance carriers are introducing small face amount, final expense products that do not require a medical exam and can be issued with only a phone interview or by answering basic medical questions on an application. The process can be completed in a matter of days.
 
We can provide you with marketing materials and client approach letters to help make this simple sale part of your core product offerings.
 
For your younger clients who already have kids, they may not view Final Expense coverage as an immediate need. An alternative solution would be to add a child rider to a Term policy to provide affordable coverage on the parent and also any and all of their children.
 
Please contact us today if you would like to learn more about the final expense planning and the solutions available in your state(s) of operation.
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Calculating Retirement Needs – We Can Help You Do The Math

Retirement planning has become the first priority for many individuals. Social Security and other retirement plans may not be sufficient for the clients’ needs. Though a client may be funding a 401(k) and IRA, they still might worry that they do not have enough savings opportunities, or that they may have a potential retirement shortfall.

One of the most overlooked savings tools for retirement is life insurance.

The cash value of a life insurance policy grows on a tax-deferred basis and may provide your client with a source of additional retirement income.
 
Address potential planning opportunities in your clients’ retirement plans.
 
We can generate a detailed report unique to each client on the potential income gap between their dream income, and what they are actually going to receive in retirement.
 
A member of our team would use this information to conduct a thorough retirement check-up, and help you show your clients how life insurance can positively affect retirement years.
 
Please contact us today – we look forward to the opportunity to help you complete a retirement check-up for each of your clients.
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Understanding Indexed UL – Positioning Your Client For Distributions

With several of our core carriers offering their own flavor of Indexed UL today, positioning your clients in the best possible light for retirement income can be a confusing and lengthy process.

It’s a full time job knowing all the moving parts for each Indexed UL product.

Understanding how the products work and how to sell them most effectively can be a confusing and lengthy process. We have spent many hours working with clients to help them better understand the product’s crediting and accumulation strategies.
 
However, the second part of educating a client regarding Indexed UL is, understanding the moving parts during the distribution from an IUL policy.
 
What is the best way to distribute the funds from the policy?
 
Most Indexed UL policies allow for either fixed or variable loans. The fixed loans have a stated interest rate locked in from the policy issue date on the outstanding loan amount so there is no question about the cost of the loan.
 
After a number of years, (typically 15) the IUL product will often provide for a “Wash Loan” or “Zero Cost Loan” where the amount being charged on the loan is the same as the interest being credited to the cash value.
 
The more commonly illustrated policy loan distribution is the “Indexed Loan” or “Preferred Loan”.
 
Using a positive arbitrage (the illustrated interest crediting rate for cash value is higher than the interest rate being charged on outstanding policy loans) allows an illustration to reflect a gain on the outstanding loan rather than a charge. Because this can make an illustration more attractive due to the higher cash value accumulations during the distribution phase, it is what many producers prefer to show to their clients.
 
It is imperative that producers understand how these loans features work and communicate to their clients that they also have the potential for a negative arbitrage which can create considerable interest due on outstanding policy loans.
 
Depending on the client’s risk tolerance and whether they plan on paying outstanding policy loan interest as it accrues or not, either policy loan option can be appropriate.
 
Be careful!
 
If you do not have a full understanding of how the clients approach their policy loans and simply elect the variable loans due for the potential of a positive arbitrage, you may be putting the client in a difficult position later if the loan interest charged exceeds the interest crediting rate for cash value and the amount available for distribution decreases well below your clients anticipated income amount.
 
Producers selling IUL products and highlighting the ability to generate an income stream from the policy should have a thorough understanding of the loan provisions and be able to help their clients to better understand which feature is most appropriate.
 
Take the time to refer to the product guide you are illustrating to see what the variable loan interest rates are tied to. What are the Cap rates for Variable loans? What is the Fixed Loan rate and is it Participating? This can be valuable information to share with your client when illustrating Indexed UL products with Distributions.
 
For more information, contact your Life Insurance Specialist today.

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