- Bedrock Bonds Face New Threats
What does an inflationary environment mean for everyday retirement savers?
by John Ruth
For the first time in more than a decade, we’re seeing signs of inflation in the U.S. Retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and consumers are all starting to notice it. According to one report, mentions of inflation on S&P 500 Q2 earnings calls have gone up 1,100 percent year-over-year.
read more - Combating Social Security Skepticism
When clients think Social Security won’t be around, what can you do?
by Marcia Mantell, RMA®, NSSA®
Have you noticed the onslaught of Social Security articles over the past several months? They are all negative. Everything from “Thanks to COVID-19, Social Security’s Day of Reckoning May Be Even Closer Than We Thought” to “The Coming Financial Collapse of Social Security” and “Why Social Security May Run Out of Cash Really Soon.”
read more - The New Longevity Marches On
Despite Covid’s ‘blip,’ life expectancy is still rising, and with it the desire for clarity, better outcomes
by Glen Franklin, RICP®
U.S. life expectancy dropped by a year and a half in 2020 as the coronavirus took hold, which has attracted a lot of attention — and rightfully so. This has made life expectancy for the average American the lowest since 2003 and represents the largest single-year decline since World War II.
read more - Riding The Age Wave
The challenges and silver linings of post-covid planning
by Ken Cella
With the Covid-19 experience disrupting every aspect of American life, it comes as little surprise that it also had a profound impact on retirement. But to what extent?
read more - A Conversation With Mike Hunstad
ESG: Investors Awakened
by P.E. Kelley
It is hard to look at any event that occurred during 2020 without it being wholly subsumed by the sheer gravity of the year itself. Still, much did happen while we engaged that other shared experience. For Sustainable Investing, 2020 may in fact prove to be a turning point… when the ESG phenomenon became mainstream.
read more - Proposed Tax Changes Put Planners On Alert
Has predicting the future, and its long term financial planning, just gotten harder?
by Tim Tikalsky
The Biden Administration’s tax plans have the estate planning world alert and anxious. The proposed changes to current tax law will have far reaching implications for estate planning professionals and their clients. This makes it critical for advisors to get up to speed on the potential changes quickly to best guide their clients and potentially…
read more - Revisiting The Basics Of Protection
It’s time for an honest conversation about life insurance
by Brian Vestergaard
You know that life insurance is designed to provide indispensable financial support when it’s needed the most. But do your clients?
read more - Insurtech Platforms Inspire Consumer Life Insurance Adoption
Every financial discussion today is a digital engagement
by Matt Essick
We are now several years down the road into the broad Fintech transformation era. The scale of the digital shift only continues to grow. Indeed, over $44 billion was spent on Fintech in 2020 alone according to Finextra.
read more - Building a ‘Custom Made’ Retirement Plan
Understanding Collective Investment Trusts and why they can benefit your clients
by Ken Waineo
Understanding Collective Investment Trusts and why they can benefit your clients by Ken Waineo Mr. Waineo is the investment product and sales director for retirement plans at Standard Retirement Services, Inc. (The Standard). Visit www.standard.com Collective Investment Trusts, or CITs, have been in use since 1927 and have grown in popularity since about 2010. This…
read more - For The Benefits Equation, A Refocused Strategy
How ‘attract and retain’ might work in a post-pandemic market
by Kara Hoogensen
What employees are looking for in their benefits has shifted as a result of the pandemic. As schools closed, work schedules were altered and dynamics changed, priorities like caregiving and mental health became an increasingly important and necessary part of many employees’ lives. As a result, re-evaluating and implementing the right set of employee benefits…
read more - Characteristics Of Elite Producer Groups
Empower independent producers by aligning interests, expanding opportunities, and returning value
by Bob Carter
Over the years, a number of producer groups have emerged as leaders in the marketplace, and the most successful ones share the following characteristics.
read more - Going From ‘Nice To Have’ to ‘Must Have’
What brokers should have on their radar this year
by Mike Wilbert
It’s that time again. Open enrollment is on the horizon. But it will be a bit different this year. COVID-19 has disrupted our world in ways we never would have imagined. Open enrollment is just one of those ways.
read more - Revisiting The Secure Act
Advisors should understand the rules governing, and their impact on, beneficiaries
by Howard Hook, CFP®, CPA, CAP®
The SECURE Act, passed December 20, 2019, made several significant changes affecting retirement plans. Possibly the biggest change was to the rules that beneficiaries must follow after inheriting a retirement plan from a deceased plan owner.
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