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NAIFA

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors announced the creation of the NAIFA Family Response Fund to help NAIFA members with expenses related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The fund will benefit NAIFA members and their legal dependents who face financial hardship due to unexpected out-of-pocket medical or funeral expenses related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Anyone who would like to donate and NAIFA members or dependents seeking assistance may do so online at https://advocacy.naifa.org/covid-19.

“NAIFA members are hard at work helping clients and the public cope with the financial, health, and risk-management issues brought on by the COVID-19 crisis,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “But we need to remember that financial professionals are not immune to the novel coronavirus and its potential to disrupt and devastate lives. As the national professional association for agents and advisors, NAIFA is dedicated to doing everything we can to support our members during this difficult time.”

NAIFA worked quickly with its grant-management partner, the Community Foundation of Acadia, to establish the fund and is currently accepting contributions to meet pressing needs. The NAIFA Family Response Fund follows similar relief efforts NAIFA created for members affected by natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, and Hurricane Florence in 2018.

Grants from the fund are not intended to cover lost income due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but NAIFA has provided numerous other resources to help members whose businesses and careers have been impacted. These include:

  • Frequent online Town Hall meetings with tips from top producers on how they are working remotely, changing the ways they interact with clients, and finding new opportunities to serve the needs of consumers.
  • An on-demand archive of past Town Halls.
  • Updates and Q&A sessions on legislation, including the CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program.
  • A COVID-19 Resource kit for small businesses that includes information on applying for loans and grants.
  • NAIFA COVID-19 Resource Kits on topics of importance to producers and consumers.
  • Advocacy outreach to federal lawmakers and regulators as well as state policymakers to support insurance and financial professionals, small businesses, and consumers.

“NAIFA is a family,” said NAIFA President Cammie Scott, MSIE, ChHC, CLTC, LUTCF, REBC, RHU, SHRM-SCP, SPHR. “We look out for each other and provide support and encouragement in good times and bad. I strongly encourage anyone who is able to do so to contribute to the fund and for any NAIFA members who need help to apply for grants. This is a challenging time for all of us, but NAIFA members are not in it alone. I truly believe that together we can take on anything.”

Founded in 1890, NAIFA is the oldest, largest and most prestigious association representing the interests of financial services professionals from every Congressional district in the United States. Our mission—to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members—is the reason NAIFA has consistently and resoundingly stood up for financial services professionals and called upon members to grow their knowledge while following the highest ethical standards in the industry.

Mutual Of Omaha

Recent events surrounding the COVID-19 global pandemic may have prompted you to ask important questions about the financial strength and stability of the companies you do business with. I want to take this opportunity to reassure you Mutual of Omaha stands strong and ready to continue meeting your needs through these uncertain times.

Since 1909, Mutual of Omaha has successfully navigated many challenging environments, guided by our mission to help our customers protect what they care about and achieve their financial goals.

As a mutual insurance company, we are owned by our policyholders. This uniquely positions us to focus solely on the long-term needs of our customers, not the short-term demands of the stock market.

Because our interests are fully aligned with our customers, we’re able to pursue a sound business plan and disciplined investment strategy. We finished 2019 with more than $50 billion in assets, and our $3.1 billion in statutory surplus represents added security and protection for our customers.

Our financial strength has been acknowledged by leading third-party rating agencies, which have affirmed their strong ratings of Mutual of Omaha and our insurance affiliates over many years.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, I’d like to share a few of the specific ways we’re responding to protect our customers and maintain our financial strength and stability:

  • We are taking extra precautions to protect the health and safety of our associates, our customers and our communities. We are following guidance from public health officials and practicing social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including activating remote work capabilities for our associates.
  • We are providing uninterrupted service to our customers. We have robust Business Resiliency plans and are exercising elements of those plans to continue providing excellent service to our customers.
  • We are closely monitoring and responding to the economic environment and market conditions to ensure we remain well-positioned to meet current and future obligations. We are evaluating the potential impact of various adverse scenarios and proactively working to maintain our strong liquidity and capital positions.

As an insurance company, we’re committed to understanding and managing risks on behalf of our customers. While today’s environment isn’t without its challenges, we are well prepared and confident in our ability to weather the storm and continue fulfilling the promises we’ve made.

Thank you for your continued trust in Mutual of Omaha. We look forward to serving you for years to come.

James T. Blackledge
Chairman of the Board and CEO

NAIFA

The United States faces a financial literacy crisis, with surveys indicating most American adults don’t understand basic personal finance concepts. This lack of knowledge carries real-world consequences potentially affecting the financial security of American families, decisions of policymakers, and strength of our economy.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), as the largest and most influential association of agents and advisors in the country, is in a strong position to address two factors contributing to the financial literacy crisis: A lack of basic financial education for Main Street USA consumers and a need for additional talented, dedicated financial professionals to provide crucial guidance, services, and products to consumers.

NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, will launch two bold, new initiatives to promote financial literacy and ensure that consumers have access to critical products, services, and the personalized guidance financial professionals provide.

Moving the Needle on Financial Literacy on Main Street USA
NAIFA’s new financial literacy initiative delivers a fully-developed course available for NAIFA members to present in their communities. The course provides building blocks that consumers need to advance their personal financial security and peace of mind.

Insurance and financial professionals have a better understanding than anyone of Main Street Americans’ risk protection, retirement preparation, and legacy planning needs. NAIFA members work every day with families and small businesses across the country and see firsthand how financial literacy leads to good planning, security, and prosperity. They understand the challenges, know where gaps in financial literacy exist, and have solutions.

“NAIFA members are dedicated professionals who have committed their careers to helping clients meet financial challenges and prosper,” said Mayeux. “As the leading association of agents and advisors, NAIFA shares this goal and is providing resources consumers can use in conjunction with their work with financial professionals to increase their financial literacy and comfort.”

More than 82 percent of NAIFA members in a recent survey said they are sources of financial education and information for their clients. Many also work as volunteers in their communities providing financial literacy classes and programs. NAIFA’s financial literacy initiative will formalize the process, encourage producers to expand their audiences, and put NAIFA’s considerable influence and resources behind creating momentum for community-based personal finance education.

“We can have a huge impact,” Mayeux said. “NAIFA members are driven and passionate about what they do. They pursue their careers with the aim of helping others. If anyone can move the needle on Main Street USA financial literacy, NAIFA members can.”

To kick off the program, NAIFA is encouraging its members in communities across the United States to offer the financial literacy course. NAIFA is also asking for 130 insurance and financial services agencies to pledge to offer NAIFA’s financial literacy course in their communities and to contribute content to NAIFA’s new consumer-education website, www.financialsecurity.org.

Creating the Next Generation of Advisors to Serve Main Street USA
NAIFA’s second initiative aims to encourage talented and motivated individuals to pursue careers in insurance and financial services. The industry faces a potential shortage of agents and advisors over the next decade, while more Americans find themselves in growingly complex financial situations and needing professional guidance. At the same time, the existing producer force will suffer from attrition as many current agents and advisors reach retirement age.

Again, NAIFA is perfectly positioned to sell the insurance and financial services profession as a rewarding career option for recent graduates as well as people looking to make mid-career changes. NAIFA’s new consumer-facing website, www.financialsecurity.org, features articles and videos showcasing the career success of NAIFA members. In video interviews, NAIFA members will walk prospective colleagues through “a day in the life” of an agent and advisor and provide testimony on why they find their careers so rewarding.

NAIFA Is a Unifying Force on Behalf of Our Members, the Industry, and Consumers
A qualified and dedicated producer force and financially literate consumers are key to maintaining a healthy, vibrant insurance and financial services industry. A strong industry promotes the success of NAIFA members and their clients. As the leading association of agents and advisors, NAIFA takes its stewardship of the industry very seriously.

“NAIFA is constantly developing new programs and initiatives to help our members succeed,” said Mayeux. “This has far-ranging implications, because the success of insurance and financial professionals directly benefits the consumers who rely on them for products, services, and guidance. When we at NAIFA found ourselves in a strong position to improve American’s financial literacy and ensure consumers benefit from the next generation of financial professionals, we were bound to act.”

Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha has named Rick Hrabchak to the dual role of chief financial officer and chief investment officer, Chairman and CEO James Blackledge announced. Hrabchak joined Mutual in 2016 as chief investment officer, and last August he assumed the role of chief financial officer on an interim basis.

“Rick is a seasoned leader who has earned the trust and respect of his colleagues, business partners and stakeholders,” Blackledge said. “He brings clear strategic thinking and a strong customer focus to this role and I look forward to his continued contributions as a member of our executive leadership team.”

Prior to joining Mutual, Hrabchak spent 29 years with Prudential Financial Inc., where he held a variety of investment management and finance positions including chief investment officer of the U.S. Retirement Business.

Hrabchak earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Life Underwriter designations.

ICMG

The Inter-Company Marketing Group (ICMG), the non-profit association that fosters and promotes business networking among insurance and financial services companies, has announced a record turnout for its annual conference, held January 29-31, 2020, in Orlando, FL.

The ICMG reports that the count at this year’s event was 402 attendees, besting the all-time record attendance of 391, set in 2011. In addition, the ICMG reports that a full 161 of those at the conference were there for the very first time, and half of those were from companies that had never attended before.

ICMG’s 2019 president Chuck Ritzke, FSA, MAAA, spoke to the conference’s success. “It has been very gratifying to see all the hard work of ICMG volunteers, along with the work of executive director Larry Sigle and his staff, result in a record-setting meeting. Why has ICMG been able to grow when budget constraints require companies and individuals to be more selective? As the premiere networking conference where deals get done, ICMG should remain on the top of everyone’s priority list. And while we’ve spent considerable resources this year to improve our marketing and technology to spread the word about ICMG, it is the referrals from current satisfied members that are the direct cause of the success of this year’s meeting.

“And preliminary feedback indicates that 2021 can be even better,” Mr. Ritzke continued. “Under the leadership of Lauren Woods, incoming ICMG president, we’ll continue to innovate and refresh our meeting content. So there is much more to come.”

ICMG’s 2020 President Lauren Woods added, “I’ve been part of ICMG for 13 years and this was, by far, the best meeting yet! Not only did we have our largest attendance with more than 400 industry colleagues, but the diversification of the group was remarkable. I received a great deal of feedback about the number of opportunities our membership uncovered in just two short days. I look forward to a successful year and continuing this positive momentum throughout 2020!”

The ICMG board met in Orlando immediately afterward to review the 2020 event and initiate plans for the 2021 conference, scheduled for February 2-3, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL

The Inter-Company Marketing Group is the premier non-profit association that fosters strategic alliances among insurance and financial services companies, providing targeted networking opportunities, sharing of knowledge, experience, and resources for successful inter-company alliances. Among ICMG’s members are marketing and business development decision-makers with insurance carriers, reinsurers, distributors, third-party administrators, and other related companies in the insurance business. Find ICMG on LinkedIn or visit www.icmg.org to learn more.

For more information, contact Larry Sigle, executive director, ICMG, 316-252-3368, [email protected], or Chuck Hirsch, president, Hirsch Communications Consulting, 314-630-1387, [email protected].

SBLI

The leading provider of omnichannel customer engagement solutions, eGain, today announced that the Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (SBLI) has selected eGain to provide great customer and agent experiences.

Insurance carriers are looking to differentiate themselves through innovative engagement in a digital world. SBLI selected eGain for its rich, out-of-the-box capabilities for digital-first, omnichannel customer engagement. The company will deploy eGain for virtual assistance, messaging, human-assisted chat, notifications, and cobrowse-enabled form filling to provide a unified and easy experience for the customer and the agent. Where needed, consumers using virtual assistance will be able to escalate with full context to human-assisted service, moving their journey forward without having to repeat context.

“Choosing a life insurance policy is one of the most important financial decisions consumers make, but that doesn’t mean it should be difficult,” said Michael Beaser, vice president and digital strategy officer at SBLI. “With our exciting new partnership with eGain, we’re empowering families to communicate with us whenever and however they choose, which will enable them to get the coverage that they and their loved ones need more easily.”

“Digital engagement should not only be rich but also connected for easy and innovative experiences,” said Ashu Roy, eGain CEO. “We are pleased to enable them for SBLI.”

Conceived by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, SBLI was established in Massachusetts in 1907. Today, SBLI is a policy-holder-owned provider of safe, low-cost life insurance products, currently licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.SBLI.com.

eGain omnichannel customer engagement solutions power digital transformation for leading brands. Our top-rated cloud applications for messaging, virtual assistance, social, mobile, web, and contact centers help clients deliver optimized customer journeys. To find out more about eGain, visit www.eGain.com.

Ohio National

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Insurance Technologies, LLC, a provider of sales and regulatory automation solutions for the insurance and financial services industries, announced that Ohio National Financial Services (Ohio National), an insurance provider offering life and disability income insurance, has launched FireLight® e-Delivery to provide a comprehensive, secure and modernized digital communication and sales experience for its financial professionals.

“We see FireLight e-Delivery as a win for our policy owners and our producers,” said Christopher J. Calabro, CLU, ChFC, Ohio National senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “It further simplifies the application process for our producers and efficiently delivers policies to our policy owners while also reducing our application operating costs. We’re initially launching FireLight e-Delivery for our term life insurance products but look forward to expanding to additional products with it in the near future.”

Ohio National chose FireLight e-Delivery for its robust features, usability and flexibility that allow them to create their own user workflows and guided digital communication experiences. Firelight e-Delivery enables Ohio National to enhance and speed-up policy and document delivery to clients while improving back-office efficiencies and processes.

With FireLight e-Delivery, Ohio National is able to:

  • Deliver policies quicker and more efficiently—allowing financial professionals and customers to receive, review and sign electronically at their convenience;
  • Simplify the process of collecting requirements; and,
  • Significantly reduce policy delivery costs.

“It’s no secret that many producers and policy owners are looking for more technology-driven methods to deliver policies faster and more efficiently. FireLight e-Delivery offers that option and is a critical part of making this possible for carriers and distributors alike,” said Doug Massey, EVP of Sales and Relationship Management, Insurance Technologies. “Ohio National has been a valued partner and we knew the time, effort and money our e-Delivery solution could save them would reveal excellent results. It’s opened new ways they interact and support their financial professionals and clients by delivering enhanced and holistic sales experiences. We are excited to be able to continually develop and offer our clients, like Ohio National, solutions that support their digital and customer experience strategies.”

Ohio National’s portfolio of solutions also includes Insurance Technologies FireLight e- Application solution and the robust annuity and life illustration capabilities of ForeSight®. FireLight e-Delivery is a sales component of the FireLight Sales Platform, a leading cloud-based, end-to-end sales management platform for insurance and retirement business. Having the majority of their sales process on a single platform that re-uses common business rules and features allows for a better end-to-end user experience and lower overall operational cost.

Since 1909, Ohio National Financial Services has been committed to helping individuals, families and businesses protect what matters most. Through their network of financial professionals across 49 states (all except New York), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and through affiliated operations in South America, they provide the insurance products that help policyholders achieve financial security and independence. As of December 31, 2018, its affiliated companies have $39.3 billion total assets under management. Products are issued by The Ohio National Life Insurance Company and Ohio National Life Assurance Corporation. Please visit www.ohionational.com for more information and for the latest company updates connect with Ohio National on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Insurance Technologies provides innovative sales and regulatory automation solutions to the insurance and financial services industries. Offering a suite of integrated sales solutions, from pre-sale functions to illustrations through e-application and e-delivery to post-sale services, Insurance Technologies provides carriers and distributors the sales capabilities and tools to create automated and cohesive sales experiences for their advisors and clients across all lines of insurance, retirement and investment products. The unique architecture and flexibility of its solutions deliver front and back-office configurability and usability to support multiple business strategies, encourage cross-channel growth and evolve with regulatory changes.

For more information visit www.insurancetechnologies.com and follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

LIBRA Insurance Partners

It’s Official! LIBRA Insurance Partners is open for business! As of January 1, 2020, LifeMark Partners and BRAMCO Financial Resources are officially operating as LIBRA Insurance Partners. The united firm creates one of the leading insurance marketing organizations dedicated to serving independent insurance producers, brokers and financial institutions. LIBRA consists of 62 partner agencies, representing more than 20 percent of the market share in the independent brokerage space and making it one of the largest insurance marketing organizations in the country.

“We are officially operating as LIBRA Insurance Partners,” said William Shelow, CLU, ChFC, CPCU, LLIF, president and CEO of LIBRA Insurance Partners and formerly the president and CEO of LifeMark Partners. “Our partner agencies are now benefiting from the size, scale and combined resources of the united firm. This includes additional proprietary service offerings, unparalleled partnership, product expertise and access to industry-leading resources.”

Key business resources that LIBRA’s 62 partner agencies now have exclusive access to include:

  • Vive, a 100 percent digital new business platform that allows agents to compare, submit and issue term policies in a matter of days without traditional underwriting and paperwork.
  • The opportunity for ownership in their own reinsurance company to participate in the mortality experience of some of the business they write with key carriers—a unique opportunity within an insurance marketing organization.
  • The Advisor Value Program, an industry-leading program that can help agencies recruit, retain and reward its top advisors, including agent ownership opportunities in the reinsurance company.
  • Direct Access to Dedicated Medical Director, Dr. Robert Frank, providing assistance with medical condition inquiries, impairment questions, case review and carrier communications to assist with ratings and placement of difficult cases.
  • QuoteShop, a proprietary resource to send quick quotes to multiple carriers at one time.

Additional resources include access to an exclusive per-person capacity program through Swiss RE; Wamberg Genomic Advisors’ Cancer GuardianTM program; LifeTrends® product insights; extensive underwriting support, training and guides; a business development consultant; and dedicated advanced sales resources.

“We are proud to bring our partners a robust offering of industry-leading resources as well as some of the most meaningful training events in the industry,” said Michael Hefferon, chief carrier strategy officer of LIBRA and formerly CEO of BRAMCO. “We look forward to working closely with our carriers in developing distribution strategies that will increase our business and improve the industry as a whole.”

“With our ‘strength of many and power of one’ culture, we believe we are creating synergy and opportunity within our organization to unite the best and brightest minds, sharing best practices and innovative ideas, and collectively working to drive our industry forward,” added Shelow.

LIBRA’s inaugural annual meeting for agency principals and carriers will take place March 1-4 at Trump National Doral in Miami. LIBRA is currently accepting new agency partners. For more information, visit www.LIBRAInsurancePartners.com.

LIBRA Insurance Partners is a leading insurance marketing organization dedicated to serving independent insurance producers, brokers and financial institutions. Formerly known as LifeMark Partners and BRAMCO Financial Resources, the united firm exists to leverage strategic relationships, expertise and innovation to expand life insurance distribution for the benefit of all stakeholders. LIBRA is dedicated to the ongoing development and enhancement of resources to help undeniably differentiate partner agencies from the competition. Affiliates benefit from our robust proprietary service offerings that are revolutionizing the industry, including expansive underwriting capabilities, advanced case design support, sales and product benchmarking tools, and turnkey sales and marketing systems. With unparalleled partnership, expertise and access to these industry-leading resources, LIBRA Insurance Partners provides affiliates The strength of many. The power of one. To learn more about the qualifications necessary to become a LIBRA partner, visit www.LIBRAInsurancePartners.com or call (410) 837-3022.

Opportunity On Deck

Three million dollars in grants have been awarded by the NAILBA Foundation since its inception. This past year there were several wonderful charities that were the recipients of grants due to the generosity of others and one of those organizations, Opportunity on Deck, is making a huge impact yet relies solely on grants provided to children’s charities.

While other teens were playing video games, Dylan DeClerck conceptualized the need for Opportunity on Deck and founded the organization when he was 16. Now in his twenties, Dylan is passing it forward, building up Central Iowa communities by getting kids off the couches and on to fields and courts with a variety of sports-based youth programs including athletic leagues, camps, college visits and leadership development programs.

“We don’t want to confuse anyone. Opportunity on Deck presents itself as a free sports league where all participants from kindergarten to eighth grade enjoy free programming, free sports equipment and where families are fed at every practice and game. However, it’s much more than that—we’re building up communities, teaching life-long values, embracing diversity, and preparing youth for their educational and employment future. The mentors and coaches who they get to hear from share their success stories and they inspire the kids in our programs to set goals and to reach higher,” stated DeClerck. “Iowa schools and parents are reporting on the difference our programs make and we are so proud of our kids.”

Opportunity on Deck also relies on financial and insurance companies to get involved with their own matching donations programs and by hosting the volunteers for two nights during any given clinic. Many also host equipment drives through RePlay—DeClerck’s other charitable venture that outfits kids with needed shoes, equipment and attire. All programming is always at no charge to every participant.

“Without the NAILBA grant we would not be in a position to provide our spring soccer programming, positive role models, life-long value instruction and community development to almost 500 youths in five different low-income communities. Look for our kids to make a difference themselves someday (and perhaps work for your financial company) and as for the volunteers, they get back as much as they give,” stated DeClerck.

To learn more about Opportunity on Deck or make a donation, visit www.opportunityondeck.org. Phone: 515-422-4123. Email: communication@opportunityon deck.org.

SBLI

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SBLI (The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts) has introduced an online application that enables shoppers to apply for term life insurance twenty-four hours a day without having to speak with an SBLI sales agent. Embedded in SBLI.com, the online application (apply.sbli.com) extends the company’s 112-year history of providing straightforward, low-cost family protection, this time to consumers who prefer to engage with SBLI online.

With the launch of the online application, consumers now have more choice in how they purchase SBLI life insurance— through its many partners, on the phone with an SBLI life insurance professional, or online.

SBLI was conceived by future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis and established in Massachusetts in 1907 as a means of providing life insurance that would be accessible, safe and affordable to the average person. SBLI’s online application is consistent with the company’s historical mission; it allows consumers to obtain high-quality coverage from an A-rated carrier whenever—and wherever—they want.

“Studies show that an increasing number of consumers, who are accustomed to shopping for most any other product online, also prefer to purchase their life insurance via the Internet,” said James Morgan, president and CEO of SBLI. “With our new online application, SBLI is continuing its legacy of responsiveness to our customers’ preferences with a site that is fast, easy and user-friendly.”

The application at SBLI.com, accessible on any digital device, can be completed in less than 10 minutes with no interaction with an agent (assistance from an agent is available if desired, during normal business hours).

Policies are available through the online application at SBLI.com at the same premium rates as those obtained through an SBLI agent or a traditional application, and for the same terms (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years) and face amounts ($100,000 to $50 million).

For policies with a face amount of $500,000 or less, applications will be processed via SBLI’s accelerated underwriting program in which no medical exam is required. A brief follow-up call will confirm the information provided within the application and an underwriting decision will typically be made in five days or less.

The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (SBLI) is currently licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia, and is a leading provider of safe, low-cost life insurance products that is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. For more information on The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts, visit www.sbli.com or call 1-888-GET-SBLI.