Author Archives: smrbrent

Your Work Matters. Can We Recapture Public Respect for Annuity and Life Agents?

Reading Time: 6 minutes Under the new, proposed DOL rule, you and other independent agents will be deemed fiduciaries. Yes, it’s a big change, but will it really shift the “big debate” around agents vs. fiduciary, fee-only advisors? I’m not 100% sold that it will. Many financial professionals selling fixed-type annuities are fiduciary advisors, but most annuity agents haven’t […]

Don’t Fall into the IMO Trap: My Experience with Hidden Sales Agendas

Reading Time: 5 minutes Do you have the right IMO partner? How is industry consolidation of IMOs affecting your business? Here’s the story of what happened to me at a growing IMO when it was acquired, how it drives things now, and what you should know for your practice. Is the consolidation of insurance marketing organizations (IMOs) by huge […]

Email Marketing for Financial Advisors: 35 Simple Tips for Reaching Success

Reading Time: 15 minutes Strong relationships are the backbone of a thriving financial practice. Email is an efficient, powerful tool to connect with people and build relationships. To that end, it’s good to have email marketing as part of your advisor marketing mix. You can use email to quickly reach your prospects, build trust, nurture leads, and ultimately convert […]

Annuity Best Interest Training – NAIC Model #275 Information

Reading Time: 2 minutes At the time of this writing (August 23, 2023), 41 states have adopted the “best interest standard” for annuity sales. In 2020, the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) enacted a best interest standard as a revision to Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (#275), or NAIC Model #275. Since the NAIC put out this […]