---

When consulting with clients, it’s easy for advisors to get caught up in conversations about portfolios, emerging financial trends and news about inflation or market volatility. What might not enter the conversation is a discussion surrounding a client’s credit rating or credit report.

Do your clients understand the role their credit ratings play in their financial outlooks and that lower credit scores generally mean it will be more costly to borrow? Are they aware of their current credit score? Do they realize who can and cannot view their credit report?

Read More

---

 

The fear of outliving one’s wealth exerts a powerful force against retirees’ confidence as they navigate life’s milestones. Considering the likelihood that today’s average 65-year old man may live to 84 and a 65-year-old woman to 86.6, many clients have good reason to look for ways to help make sure their money lasts as long as they do.¹

Whether they’re risk-averse investors or they feel less than fully confident about their ability to manage their own money in retirement, some clients may achieve a greater sense of security by adding annuity products to their portfolios.

Read More

---

 

When weighing the risks and benefits, many of your clients would rather have portfolio protection with growth potential than portfolio performance that is susceptible to market volatility.

This preference likely aligns with how many financial advisors approach clients’ investment and retirement planning strategies by prioritizing risk management and wealth preservation.

On its surface, this alignment suggests harmony; clients generally want protection and advisors are willing to provide strategies accordingly. For investors who are already in higher wealth tiers and simply want to live off existing assets, this approach may be appropriate. 

However, those investors with fewer investable assets might lack sufficient savings to fund retirement in spite of being cautious about preserving their accumulated wealth and minimizing risk.

Read More

---

As a financial advisor, you’ve likely talked to many clients about annuities and how they could play a beneficial role in an individual’s overall retirement income strategy. It’s also possible that you may have been met with some objections or needed to provide some clarity between perception and reality.

Your clients may misunderstand how annuities work or have only heard half-truths about the role they could play in a diversified investment portfolio. Your guidance and expertise can help them understand the facts and determine how an annuity might help them reach their retirement goals.

Read More

---

 

Meet Steve and Beth. After the economic collapse of 2008–2009, they couldn’t stomach seeing the financial markets plummet, taking their hard-earned money with it. So they called their advisor, withdrew from the market and cut their losses, vowing never to return. Whenever their advisor tried touching base, he was met with a cold shoulder.

As the economy regained steam, Steve and Beth watched from the sidelines as markets climbed to new, all-time highs. They knew they were missing out on potential gains and wondered if they should consider risking the market again. “Hey Beth, maybe we should contact our old advisor.”

And then the pandemic hit.

Read More

---

Any opportunity you have to educate clients about investment options is a good one. Portfolios with traditionally recommended platforms may not include a potentially valuable segment of investment options: annuities.

Read More