Report: FIA Sales Tumble 14% In 1Q

Report: FIA Sales Tumble 14% In 1Q
By Cyril Tuohy
(InsuranceNewsNet)

June is Annuity Awareness Month

NAIFA Members Tell Their Stories to Congress

NAIFA Members Tell Their Stories to Congress
By Susan Rupe
(InsuranceNewsNet)

NAFA Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule

NAFA Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule

Disappointed in Decision not to Delay Rule Implementation Date

Not Over Yet — DOL Chief Promises Fiduciary Review, More Public Input

Not Over Yet — DOL Chief Promises Fiduciary Review, More Public Input
By Steve Morelli
(InsuranceNewsNet)

Courts Will Not View DOL Fiduciary Rule Repeal Favorably: Borzi

Courts Will Not View DOL Fiduciary Rule Repeal Favorably: Borzi
By Melanie Waddell
(ThinkAdvisor)

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

Differentiating Yourself through Designations

By Nick Bates, Vice President of Annuity Sales

With the stock market having hit new highs recently and the uncertainty of new regulations, clients and financial professionals (FPs) are feeling a kind of paralysis in our current financial environment. Not many clients want to make changes to their portfolios after seeing above-average returns during the longest bull market they have ever seen. Also, FPs are unsure how to move their business forward amidst regulatory unknowns. So we are left with the question, what do we do?

Annuity Sales Decline For 4th Consecutive Quarter

Annuity Sales Decline For 4th Consecutive Quarter
LIMRA
(InsuranceNewsNet)

Relationships Are Everything

By Dina Mestel, Sales Trainer

Fostering solid relationships has always been a cornerstone of our business. Now more than ever, it is important to make sure you are doing all you can to cement your current relationships with your clients and demonstrate your competitive advantage to prospective clients.

Fiduciary Rule Conflict of Interest FAQs (Transition Period) - 05.2017

Fiduciary Rule Conflict of Interest FAQs (Transition Period) - 05.2017
U.S. Department of Labor

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

Not affiliated with the US government or a governmental agency.

Acosta declines to extend delay of DOL fiduciary rule

Acosta declines to extend delay of DOL fiduciary rule
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
(InvestmentNews)

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

NAFA CONTINUES PUSH FOR FURTHER DELAY OF FIDUCIARY RULE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chip Anderson,
Executive Director
Direct 414.332.9306, ext. 1
chip@nafa.com

NAFA CONTINUES PUSH FOR FURTHER DELAY OF FIDUCIARY RULE

NAFA Asserts DOL Secretary Has Options for Delaying Rule 

7 critical pieces of social media guidance from Finra

7 critical pieces of social media guidance from Finra
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
(InvestmentNews)

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Prior to participating in any marketing campaigns/programs/Social Media, producers should follow the approval requirements of their state(s), carriers they represent, and their broker/dealer and registered investment adviser, if applicable.

Be Ready for the New World

Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange

For years, the insurance and financial industry has been changing. Regardless of any one single rule or regulation, the industry is moving towards a more structured environment with oversight and extensive rules to follow. While this can be difficult to implement into your practice and could pose roadblocks for the way you do things now, the trend is most likely not going to reverse.
 
The good news is that there are tools available to help you manage your business and information more easily, and quite possibly convey your message more clearly to your clients. The even better news is that Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange offers tools that range from help with practice management to analysis software that can actually help you with your recommendations and sales.

Does Your Business Model Fit Your Current Broker/Dealer?

By Nick Bates, Vice President of Annuity Sales

Recently I began the daunting task of starting to look for a new home for my family. My daughter is now almost four years old and the home my wife and I bought as newlyweds does not fit our ever-growing collection of toys, princess dolls, and their accessories. As things in our lives change, we are constantly reevaluating decisions we have made and how we could better improve our situation. This has never been more relevant in our industry than right now if you are with a broker/dealer (B/D).

FOUR-PART SERIES: Fiduciary Basics – Permitted Activities for Insurance-Only Advisors

FOUR-PART SERIES: Fiduciary Basics – Permitted Activities for Insurance-Only Advisors
By Kim O'Brien
(InsuranceNewsNet)

Focus… Just Focus

 By Don N. Carlson, Partner, & John A. Kailunas II, Founder
Regal RIA / Regulus Advisors

(Guest Contribution)

Crowd sizes, TPP, alternative facts, China, the value of a dollar, right to life, far-left, far-right, Madonna, taxes, Twitter, Facebook, 24-hour news channels, demographics, Republicans, Democrats, emails, Russians, DOL, taxes, Saturday Night Live.

The news and noise continue to pour out of Washington and from everyone’s mobile devices. Everyone has an opinion that needs to be expressed. Everyone talks, but no one seems to be listening.

Annuity Sales Help Allianz Profit Rise 9 Percent in 1Q

Annuity Sales Help Allianz Profit Rise 9 Percent in 1Q
By Cyril Tuohy
(InsuranceNewsNet)

NAFA Applauds Congressional Pressure to Delay Fiduciary Rule Implementation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chip Anderson,
Executive Director
Direct 414.332.9306, ext. 1
chip@nafa.com

NAFA APPLAUDS CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE TO DELAY FIDUCIARY RULE IMPLEMENTATION

ICI head casts doubt on further delay of DOL fiduciary rule

ICI head casts doubt on further delay of DOL fiduciary rule
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
(InvestmentNews)

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

Bill to Replace Dodd-Frank, Kill DOL Fiduciary Rule Passes House Panel

Bill to Replace Dodd-Frank, Kill DOL Fiduciary Rule Passes House Panel
By Melanie Waddell
(ThinkAdvisor)

Provision to kill DOL fiduciary rule left out of funding bill

Provision to kill DOL fiduciary rule left out of funding bill
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
(InvestmentNews)

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

Lawmakers to DOL Secretary: Kill That Rule

Lawmakers to DOL Secretary: Kill That Rule
By John Hilton
(InsuranceNewsNet)

House GOP tells Acosta to delay — then repeal — DOL fiduciary

House GOP tells Acosta to delay — then repeal — DOL fiduciary
By Mark Schoeff Jr.
(InvestmentNews)

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Article may require (free) site registration to view. Contact AAAE for a copy if unable to access.

Your Business Forecast: Sunny with a Strong Chance of Social, Part 3

By Brianna Regan, Marketing Development Director

Implementing Your Social Media Plan

 

It’s sunny and the ugliness of winter is far behind us. The financial services environment has weathered a lot already this year. Those high-performing financial professionals (FPs) that have prepared well and continue to work their business plans are seeing success. They are effectively integrating all of their marketing initiatives and platforms – to include social media – to stay in front of their clients and help them achieve their retirement income planning goals.
 
Social media continues to permeate the financial services landscape.

NAFA Launches Campaign to Stop DOL Fiduciary Rule

NAFA Launches Campaign to Stop DOL Fiduciary Rule
By Melanie Waddell
(ThinkAdvisor)

Q1 is Over… Did You Achieve Your Goals?

By James Morris, Questar Branch Office Designated Supervisory Principal at Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange

I haven’t met a successful financial professional (FP) that doesn’t set goals. But to be successful, they can't just set goals – they also have to hit their goals. The old adage is true: how do you know where you’re going if you don’t track where you have been and where you want to go? Much like improving your skill set through education, achieving goals is an incremental process.

So how was your first quarter?

American Equity Committed to Independent Channel, Despite BIC

American Equity Committed to Independent Channel, Despite BIC
By Cyril Tuohy
(InsuranceNewsNet)

Selling FIAs in an Uncooperative Environment

By Heath Waddington, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing

Beware the Ides of March! For just the third time since the Great Recession the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. The Fed increased the overnight rate from 0.75% to 1.00%, which had been widely anticipated. The U.S. Ten-Year Treasury Note has risen from 1.783% just prior to the presidential election to just north of 2.50% at the time of this writing.[1] This represents the first of what many predict will be multiple increases over the next two years as the Fed continues to operate under its statutory mandate of maximum employment and price stability. With inflation running, “somewhat below 2%”,[2] it is likely that the Fed will look to continue raising rates.

Rising interest rates can make fixed and fixed index annuity sales tough.

6 Top House Annuity Bills

6 Top House Annuity Bills
By Allison Bell
(ThinkAdvisor)

Put More “Life” Into Your Practice

By Matt Kaas, Life Marketing Consultant

Most financial professionals will agree that a successful financial strategy should be well-diversified, including a wide variety of asset types and utilizing various financial vehicles. A successful financial strategy should address core planning topics such as retirement, estate planning, and tax strategies. However, some financial professionals disregard the importance of life insurance as part of a well-diversified financial strategy. Not only can life insurance help protect one’s portfolio against a sudden loss of income due to death, it can also offer a powerful financial engine to work alongside a client’s other savings and investment vehicles.

Average Agent Commission, an infographic.

Average Agent Commission, an infographic
By Wink

3 S’s of Your Back Office: Streamlined, Systematized, Supported

By the AAAE Administrative Staff

Successful financial professionals spend time in front of their clients, not trapped in the back office sorting out problems. The individuals who have been freed from burdensome back office details or those who use support staff to respond to client requests and be more proactive on service issues often do so with a back office for their back office. The staff that make up the administrative departments at Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange (AAAE) stepped up to serve that role for thousands of independent producers doing business with us over the years.