- ETFs & Model Portfolios: A Powerful Combination
Satisfying your clients’ need for income, ESG and low volatility
by Nadia Papagiannis
They say money talks. So, what is money saying these days? Ringing out loud and clear is that investors and their financial advisors are choosing ETFs. ETFs saw record net inflows in 2020, close to $500 billion, and 11% more than the year before according to Morningstar, which at the same time reported large net…
read more - The Millennial Market: Coming Into Sharper Focus
2020 was a catalyst for this generation’s new attitude toward life insurance
by Lisa Greenwald
Life drastically changed for Americans in 2020, with the global COVID-19 pandemic causing individuals and families to reevaluate personal and professional plans and think critically about their financial standing. Concerns for our own health and safety and for the well-being of family members and friends continue to affect countless aspects of daily life, but they’ve…
read more - Planning & The New Demographics Of Gender
Opportunities for a knowledgeable women's market
by Hilary Fiorella
Women constitute a major – and largely untapped – market for financial advice, and their appeal as clients, along with their need for advising services, is likely to grow rapidly over the next few decades. The proportion of women in the workforce is higher than it was for older generations, and young women are more…
read more - Rebuilding Financial Resilience
How to help your clients reset their retirement course… during COVID and beyond
by Ken Cella
As COVID-19 has upended lives, it has highlighted the need for financial resilience – the ability to withstand or quickly recover from difficult situations. In my previous role as a financial advisor, I always tried to help my clients build their resiliency - and I saw that, for many, establishing that resiliency can be tough.…
read more - A Conversation With Abigail Ingalls
Gender lens investing
Gender lens investing
We have invited a guest editor to conduct this month’s Profile. Breckenridge Capital Advisors’ chief marketing officer Dominica Ribeiro interviewed the firm’s senior research analyst, Abigail Ingalls, on the emerging subject of gender-lens investing. Investing with a gender lens seeks to earn positive financial returns while advancing gender equality. Gender lens investing…
read more - Asset Allocation – The New Playbook
The classic 60/40 allocation may be a thing of the past… So now what?
by Ben Pahl
Interest rates reached their highest point in modern history in 1981 when the annual average mortgage interest rate was 16.63%. Savings and CD rates were equally high and the average yield of a 10-year treasury was 13.92%. In 1990, the average mortgage interest rate was 10.13%, falling to 6.94% by 1998. The 2000s saw mortgage…
read more - Re-Enforcing Financial Wellness For Employees
Providing long-term support when the short-term makes it complicated
by Dan Keady
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the American corporate landscape. In addition to navigating financial and operational challenges brought on by the novel virus, employers are also now working to provide enhanced support and resources to their employees. In fact, a majority of employers say they feel a high degree of responsibility for their employees’ financial…
read more - Shifting Brackets
Four tax-efficient strategies for retirement planning
by Steve Resch
Understanding the potential tax implications on long-term investments is one of the most important considerations that financial advisors must be able to help their clients with when planning for retirement. Now, with tax rates at their lowest levels in modern history, it’s no surprise that one of the most common questions advisors are fielding is…
read more - Annuity Adoption Challenges In 401(k) Plans
Why do so fews retirement plans offer lifetime income solutions?
by Burke Johnson
Why do so fews retirement plans offer lifetime income solutions? by Burke Johnson Mr. Johnson is Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer for LT Trust. Visit www.lttrust.com/. Annuity……one mention of that word elicits a wide range of opinions such as guaranteed income, rip off, safety net, or “Suze Orman said annuities are bad.” The…
read more - Annuities & Taxes
While they are designed to provide a steady income stream during retirement, their tax benefits are desirable too
by John Williams
Tax season is often a time when people more seriously consider their future financial plans. Reviewing how their money was spent and saved from the previous year can lead one to consider new options for the future. Add to that the financial uncertainties created by the ongoing pandemic, and many are taking into account income…
read more - Advising Forward
Four ways to restore client confidence and grow your practice in 2021
by Sri Reddy
The past year brought no shortage of worries for many Americans—including social and political unrest and the global pandemic. Adding to these external stresses, many faced a major hit to their financial lives, too. According to our recent Principal® Retirement Security survey, 64% of workers say COVID-19 had at least some impact on current savings…
read more - New Rules For Approaching Prospects & Clients
Salesy, jargon-laden approaches no longer translate directly into sales
by Tiffany A. Markarian
Looking back on this past year, it is clear the pandemic has left people fatigued, stressed, and frustrated. The ongoing disruption and losses have caused people to reflect on so many things.
read more - Justifying Death & Taxes
A 2020 spike in life insurance sales shines a new light on reaching customers virtually
by Patrick Flood
Ben Franklin, founding father of the U.S. insurance industry, among other things, in a 1789 letter popularized an aphorism that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. And while the past 232 years saw both the independence of the colonies and a significant public opinion shift on the morality of insuring one’s life,…
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