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Magazine: December 7, 2009 Issue

Cover Story

As an advanced sales attorney, one of my primary responsibilities is estate analysis. In a nutshell, estate analysis is the process of reviewing a client’s existing estate plan, performing a hypothetical probate and projecting tax exposure....

Focus

Longevity Risk Invites Annuity Solutions

A New Competitive Advantage For Annuities

News

Agents Seek Delay On Moves To Create Single Suitability Standard

Life insurance agents are stepping up their efforts to push down the road legislative action on proposals that would harmonize the suitability standards investment advisors and broker-dealers have to meet in regard to their customers....

House Expected To Pass Estate Tax Bill

At press time, the House was expected to pass legislation on Dec. 3 that would make permanent the 2009 estate tax level of a 45% tax rate and a $3.5 million per-person exemption....

Industry Pushing Back On Senate Health Bill

Retaining the employer-based, private health insurance system remains the priority for health insurance agents as the Senate continues what is expected to be a lengthy debate over health care reform legislation....

Get Ready To Be A Fiduciary

Various legislative bodies and not a few regulators are moving at warp speed to impose “fiduciary duties” on salespeople in all segments of the financial services industry....

Term Life Deserves A Makeover

Perhaps it is to be expected that the most economical form of life insurance—term life—would enjoy sales success in today’s tough times....

Life Policy Appraisals Create Opportunities For Advisors

Appraisals of life policies are hot right now....

House Panel Passes Financial Reform Bills

Legislation giving the federal government broad authority to deal with troubled financial institutions, including insurers, as well as a bill creating a Federal Insurance Office passed the House Financial Services Committee on Nov. 4....

Opinion

Potpourri 2009

In the course of a year, a number of subjects of interest come to mind but would not fill an entire column. So, as usual, I save them and at year’s end bundle several that are still germane into a single article. ...

Staying On Message

It’s hard to believe that not only are we drawing close to the end of another year, but also closing in on the end of the first decade of the Third Millennium. ...

Hallway Chatter

The hallway chatter at insurance industry meetings is comparable to a high-end focus group. ...