3 Mark Financial, Inc.

1/30/2019

Join Jeff Taber & Eric Striet to hear why Columbus Life should be a part of your clients portfolio in 2019

Built on a culture of over 110 years of financial strength and stability, Columbus Life’s solid foundation helps the company protect producers and clients.   Join this webinar and hear the Columbus Life story and discover the Columbus Life difference. 

Webinar later today at 3:00 pm Central

Now Available: We’ve Turned Up the Value on SIUL

PruLife® Survivorship Index UL has launched enhancements that deliver more value and choice to clients than ever before.  Read more.

New Prospecting Flyer

Vivid and compelling new prospecting flyer! Promote the life insurance market opportunity and encourage agents of all kinds not to “leave money on the table.” Customize yours today – no login or personal information required. 

Copy & Paste

Let Campaign in a Box (CIAB) capture your clients’ hearts during February and beyond. Whether they are purchasing for the first time, upgrading their coverage, or looking to expand – use it to remind them they are irreplaceable to loved ones. It’s fast and easy to use – copy & paste campaigns!  Learn more.

 Now Live: Connext Quick Search Bar

Connext is our new producer website that will replace eStation in 2019 and provides our distribution partners and producers with a simpler, faster and more transparent experience for doing business with us. Our newest feature debut is a quick search bar that will help you find case details fast and easy.  Learn more.

New Year, New Enhancements to Term Portfolio

At Symetra, we’re always fine-tuning our products to ensure they are competitive, fulfill your clients’ financial needs and help you build your business. That’s why we’re pleased to introduce refreshed rates for our existing term products and a new version of our term product in New York.  Read more.

Advanced Markets: Beware of the Claw

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised the federal gift and estate tax exemption for taxpayers.  The Applicable Exclusion Amount (“AEA”) for 2018 was $5 million ($5,490,000 as adjusted for inflation). For 2019, it was $10 million ($11,400,000 as adjusted for inflation). For 2026 and beyond, the AEA will revert $5 million, as then adjusted for inflation. With a planned sunset in 2026, there has been concern about a “clawback” of lifetime gifts back into the estate of a decedent, rendering the increased AEA meaningless.  Read more.

5 Tips to Start the Year Strong

Start the year strong with these tips. We’ll help you make things happen in 2019.

1.  Start strong with policy reviews, which are a great way to kick off the new year. Register for a webinar to learn more.
2. Many Americans don’t realize that life insurance is more than death benefit protection. Educate your clients about living benefits to help them accomplish goals throughout their lives. Make the most of your life business. Use this client approved video to start the conversation.
3. Plan for a tax-efficient retirement. Show your clients how they can diversify their retirement portfolio with an asset that can help reduce tax risk.
4. Find success with Lincoln’s Specialty Markets sweet spots. Do you want to take your business model to the next level? Our Specialty Markets consultants can help you uncover new opportunities and build market share in the small business, foreign nationals and premium finance markets. 
5. Take it easy with Lincoln Underwriting, which is simplifying the life business for you and your clients. Watch for new and exciting changes to our application and underwriting process that will make life easier — coming this February.

We’ve Made IUL Protect Even Better!

We're always working to improve our products and the way we do business. That's why it should be no surprise that we've just made IUL Protect even better — so it's now more competitive in level-, short- and single-pay scenarios. You won't find any surprises with IUL Protect, because it's a true IUL, offering clarity with simple guarantees and comprehensive protection.  Learn more.

Download the Updated Digital RAP Guide

Our digital Resource and Product (RAP) Guide has been updated with the most current information about our products and services.  Check it out.

Key Employee Benefits Can Help Owners in Tight Labor Market

Offer your business clients the power of choice to help address the challenges that come with a tight labor market. Choose from employer-sponsored deferred compensation plans, bonus plans for specific business entity types or split dollar plans. No matter their challenge, you’ll benefit from finding the solutions, expertise and service – all in one place.  Learn more.

2019 Accelerated Death Benefit Increase for ExtendCare

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced upcoming changes to the per diem limitations for periodic payments received under qualified long-term care insurance policies and certain life insurance policies which offer accelerated death benefits for chronic illness care. Read more.

 Webinar: Retirement Income Strategies for Maximizing Value

Scheduled for January 30th at 11am, this webinar is a great opportunity for agents to learn about key factors they should consider before offering retirement income solutions.  There’s also a chance for ten attendees to win a $100 Amazon.com gift card! Share the attached flyer with your agents today and encourage them to register for this event by visiting www.myprotective.com/register. 

Help Your Clients Keep Their New Year’s Resolutions

John Hancock Vitality was featured in the most recent edition of Forbes magazine. They called it an innovative program, backed by behavioral science, that helps people keep their New Year’s resolutions to live healthier lives. 

Retirement Backstop Tool Kit

A Retirement Backstop plan funded with permanent life insurance can help address the risks your clients face in retirement, such as outliving assets, needing long-term care, protecting loved ones and more. Use these materials to help promote this concept. 

New 35 and 40 Year Term Durations!

Our competitive, guaranteed level term OPTerm series now comes in durations of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years! The 35 and 40 year products have been added to the EBIX VitalQuote platform. Download OPTerm Specs. December New Rates Flyer. 

Help Your Clients Plan for Tax Efficiency

As you help clients plan for retirement, considering tax and distribution flexibility may help them avoid higher tax brackets and reduce unintended taxes on income sources like Social Security. Tax efficiency can be complicated, and it may be necessary to work with a tax expert. In the meantime, here are a few helpful tips for potentially generating tax-efficient retirement income.  Learn how.

 2019 Tax Planning Quick Reference Guide

See key information on federal income tax rates, deductions, exemptions, contribution limits and gift and estate taxes.  Download now.

Give Your Clients a Boost

This case study shows how a Table 4 client can get to a point where their premium, with Wellness for Life Rewards®, is lower than a client who was Standard or Preferred at issue and didn’t choose Wellness for Life. Wouldn’t your clients like a boost like this?  Case study.

Now Available: Value Protection IUL

Ready to elevate your game? Soon you can! Securian Financial unveils its Value Protection Indexed Universal Life (IUL) on Monday, January 28 – low cost, permanent life insurance that will enable you to win more business. Besides affordable protection, Value Protection IUL also offers simplicity, built-in, no lapse guarantee and is backed by our financial strength. Score big with your clients with Value Protection IUL!  Learn more.

Help Protect Clients From the Unexpected

Forget crystal balls. With our long-term care (LTC) and chronic illness (CI) product portfolio, your clients don’t need to predict their future to feel prepared for it. We have the tools you need to help give your clients the protection they want with the flexibility they deserve.  Learn more.

Tap the Booming Broad Market Life Insurance Need

How many life insurance producers spend all their time chasing rare affluent market life insurance opportunities, only to discover the effort required to acquire and handhold these cases through the process takes all their time and may not net in consistently reliable revenue?

Consider creating a steady revenue stream by serving the broader underinsured market. Today’s technologies make it easier to add this transactional opportunity to your life insurance business without sacrificing the time you need to acquire and support your affluent market prospects. Read more from Wesley Wright, VP of Pacific Life’s Broad Market IT.

PL Promise GUL is Here!

Give your clients affordable life insurance death benefit protection with the certainty of a guarantee plus optional living benefits. Fact sheet. PL Promise GUL is designed with the broad market in mind. Go ahead, see what we mean.

 Sales Idea for PL Promise GUL

Consider PL Promise GUL for 1035 Exchanges and Final Expense Coverage. Discover a potentially more affordable alternative to whole life!  Learn more.

Hybrid or linked-benefit products are a fresh approach to retirement and estate planning. These products, cover opposing risk groups by combining long-term care coverage with life insurance or an annuity.

Asset-Care: Continued Strength in 2019

As we begin a new year, we’re proud to continue maintaining a healthy, robust product suite that meets the needs of all our customers. To sustain our focus on providing comprehensive, lifetime financial solutions for our clients, our patented joint Asset-Care® coverage is now available with 2% or 3% acceleration, and our single life Asset-Care policies also offer a 4% acceleration option.

 Care Solutions Internal Sales Team Hours of Operation This Week

To accommodate annual training, the OneAmerica® Care Solutions internal sales team will be operating at reduced hours Monday, January 28th through Wednesday, January 30th. Learn more. 

 Updated: 2019 Advanced Sales Materials 

Each year, pursuant to tax law, the contribution and deduction limits for various accounts index for inflation. Our Advanced Sales team prepares Tax Tables at a Glance, which summarizes the new numbers for the year, and updates the  Asset-based LTC Tax Guide for individuals and businesses, which reflects the changes for LTC.

 Care Solutions Rate Calculator

Our Care Solutions rate calculator quotes Annuity Care^® II and all Asset-Care^® products. It's easy, quick, accurate and consumer-friendly. Share the link with your producers today!

 Sales Ideas

Try these sales ideas with your producers to help grow their asset-based long-term care business: Tax Deferred to Tax-Free for LTC and Tax-free Leverage for a Lifetime.

LTCi Tax Advantages Flyer

Show your clients how buying a Traditional Long-Term Care Insurance policy offers tax advantages. Read more.

Introducing the Nationwide YourLife CareMatters® Quick Quote Tool

The Nationwide YourLife CareMatters® Quick Quote Tool provides several exciting new enhancements to the old CareMatters® Benefit Estimator Tool. With a few simple inputs you can provide a more comprehensive assessment of the kind of long-term care benefits your clients may qualify for. Learn more.

 Protect Your Clients from the Medicare Myth

A red flag in many retirement plans? Counting on Medicare to help pay for potential long-term care costs. Many clients don't understand that Medicare does not pay for the type of care they'd need during an extended health care event. But if you don't talk to clients about how they plan to pay for care, it's a red flag you'll never see – and an opportunity you'll miss. We can help you have the long-term care conversation with clients and take the first step toward presenting them with solutions that address their top concerns.  Learn more.

ASSET TRANSFER TIPS 

For all annuity carriers

Transferring assets, or exchanging money via section 1035 of the tax code, may have tax consequences. Any questions regarding taxation should be referred to a qualified tax professional.

Call the Financial Institution/Insurance Company to see what they require to transfer the money e. g. some financial institutions, like Fidelity, require a call from the client to release money, others like Northwestern Mutual require their own surrender form to accompany the 1035/transfer form from the company receiving the money.

Attach a copy of a current policy/ account statement for the funds being transferred to the 1035/transfer document.

Complete the 1035/transfer form carefully and completely. Be sure all necessary signatures are obtained.

Send original transfer forms with the application to 3 Mark for processing.

Annuity Fact Finder 

Click here for a great Annuity Fact Finder

Move Your Business Forward with PruFast Track

PruFast Track is Prudential’s accelerated underwriting process that’s faster, less invasive, and more efficient than traditional underwriting. Take the “Try 5 Challenge” to experience the ease and convenience of PruFast Track.  Read more.

Improvements to Fully-Underwritten Underwriting Requirements

We have recently improved our underwriting requirements, making it even easier for your clients to get the coverage they need.  Read more.

Accelerated Underwriting in New York State

Based upon the recently released Circular Letter No. 1 from the New York State Department of Financial Services (available here), William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York will be withdrawing its APPcelerate accelerated underwriting program while we continue to assess the requirements of the Circular Letter.   All William Penn applications signed on or after Monday, January 28, 2019 will be subject to traditional underwriting and not eligible for the APPcelerate accelerated underwriting program.

Service Times for Application Processing Improved in 2018

Process improvements in 2018 reduced year-over-year application submission cycle time by 24 hours. A redesign of the review process on e-signed ticket applications and streamlined payment workflows were major contributors to the reduction in service time.  Read more.

Grace Period for Customers Impacted by the Partial Government Shutdown

The management and staff of John Hancock would like to express our support for the many hundreds of thousands of federal employees being affected by the partial government shutdown.  Read more.

Expansion of Automated Underwriting – Beginning February 11, 2019

Automated Underwriting is a seamless underwriting process where cases are processed straight-through and do not require a traditional underwriting review.  Lincoln’s existing automated underwriting capabilities will be expanded to LincXpress Tele-App submissions in two phases: February 11, 2019 - Lincoln Life Elements Level Term and Early Q2 2019 for all single-life UL, IUL and VUL products.  Agent Overview flyer. 

What eDelivery Means for Term Policies

The launch of eDelivery is just around the corner. This new feature offers added convenience, greater efficiency and faster coverage. Once eDelivery rolls out, all Principal Term life policies will be delivered to you via email. Then you can proceed with getting eSignatures or, if preferred, print the policy to get physical signatures.  Learn more.