Provada Blog
 
 

Express Order Ticket is MetLife's new tele-application!  It is a simplified life insurance application process that reduces the number of pages needed to be completed at the point of sale, allowing you to spend more time selling and less time filling out paperwork.

Key features: 

     *  Required forms shortened from 12 pages to 2 pages

     *  No medical questions at point of sale

     *  Voice signature page eliminates the need for a signature on the policy at delivery

     *  The Express Order Ticket is a request for coverage, not an application.  The formal application is secured during the telephone interview.

The Express Order Ticket is available with Guaranteed Level Term, Whole Life, Guarantee Advantage Universal Life and Equity Advantage Variable Universal Life


Tags: Life Insurance


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(This will piggyback on Eric Gronlund’s great blog post of last week:  “Six Questions to Ask Your Client Before You Submit an Application!”)

We’re sure you all agree that one of the worst things that can happen in our business is to disappoint a client or a prospect.  For you, this applies to your insureds and prospective insureds; for us, it applies to all of you, because YOU are OUR clients.

Here are three tips that should help avoid disappointments:

1.  When requesting illustrations, please give us as much information about your client or prospect as you possibly can.  This includes name, date of birth, whether smoker or not, any weight problem, state of health, family history (especially if poor), and anything else relevant.  (Eric’s questions should work well here.)  And please be as specific as possible as to exactly what type of illustration or quote you’re looking for.  For disability quotes, our carriers also need to know the person’s occupation and specific duties in as much detail as possible.

2.  When submitting an application, please be sure to ask Eric’s six questions and to give us any other information that can help in the underwriting process.  It is also important to complete the application fully and accurately and to make sure that it conforms in all respects to the illustration being submitted to the carrier.  If an accelerated benefits rider is not included automatically, we strongly urge that it be elected, as it is an attractive no-cost policy benefit.

3.  Once all underwriting requirements have been submitted and until the policy is issued and paid for, please encourage your clients NOT to visit a doctor unless it is really necessary.  (If it is really necessary, of course, we are not suggesting that it be deferred.)  We have had more than one case held up because of a routine subsequent doctor visit and at least one where the issue class was downgraded.

Remember:  It is always better to present a client with results better than expected rather than the other way around.  Following these simple tips should help us all achieve this important objective.  It will certainly help US make YOUR life easier.
 

Bob Burton LLB CLU ChFC AEP
Director of Advanced Planning


Tags: General


 
 
 
 

All annuities have three primary financial advantages:

  1. Tax Deferral – why pay taxes now if you’re not using the money?  Make current federal income tax laws work for you and let your money grow tax deferred in an annuity.
  2. Guaranteed Income – Create a guaranteed stream of income for a fixed period of time or for one or more person’s lifetime.
  3. Avoids Probate – An annuity with a named individual as the beneficiary, who is living at the time of the owner’s death, can avoid probate.

 


What Your Clients Are Asking For…  And A Solution Using Annuities

 


Guaranteed interest => Traditional Fixed Annuity

Greater upside potential but needed downside protection => Indexed Annuity

To convert accumulated wealth into a guaranteed income stream => Income Annuity

Make up money lost in the market downturn paired with Guarantees => Bonus Indexed Annuity

To leverage money inside a savings account, CD, Non-Qualified Annuity for Long Term Care => Linked Benefit Annuity


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Pac Life’s new Pacific Income Term is the most competitively priced term policy on the market.

Pacific Income Term is designed to provide income protection when your clients need it most: during their working years. The affordable premiums provide costs savings and convenience during the years they’re working hard to provide for their family and save for retirement.

PacificIncome Term offers:

  • Income-replacement protection during your client’s working years.
  • Structured monthly income benefits chosen by your client to fit the needs of their family.
  • Two optional riders: Accelerated Living Benefit Rider or the Premium Waiver Rider.

 Ideal for Price Sensitive Clients:

  • Cost-effective premiums. Premiums guaranteed to remain level throughout the Level Premium Period.
  • Affordable insurance. Competitive prices save your clients up to 44% on their term life insurance.
  • Flexible payment schedules. Premium payments offered monthly, quarterly, biannually or annually.

 Visit www.provada.com/paclifetermto learn more about this exclusive new product! Questions? Call us at (415) 369-9990.


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Many brokers have excuses for why their Fixed Annuity business is down this year. Chief among those excuses is the “interest rate argument.”

“My client is waiting for rates to go up.”  “I can’t sell a 3% annuity!”  or “when are interest rates going up?”

 “WHO CARES!”

Interest rate factors should not slow Annuity sales.   

When your clients say they are going to “wait” for interest rates to change, ask them to consider the following:

1.  The national average money market rate is 0.93%. Wouldn’t it be incredible if they went up by 80 basis points per year to end up at 5% five years from now? Pretty unprecedented, right? Without compounding, that would give our client a total  return of a little less than 18% before taxes

2.   Maybe a one year CD is the answer. The national average rate is 0.68%. If those rates doubled each of the next five years, that would be pretty extraordinary. Again, the client would have earned a total of 18%. Remember, this 18% number does not take into account any compounding or tax implication

3.  If a client chose a five year CD, that money would yield approximately 10% over that period. This same client would need to earn 8% in year six just to get back up to that 18% total over six years. 

When you and your clients take into account the effects of tax-deferral, interest rate compounding, free annual partial withdrawals, nursing home and terminal illness waivers and the safety of an A rated Insurance company; there is absolutely no reason to hide from 3% interest rates.   3% interest rates are still competitive.  Now how about you pick three clients that could benefit from an annuity, then send your quote request to newbusiness@provada.com and we will quote you the most competitive interest rate.


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 MetLife has announced the possibility of a preferred rating for five types of cancers!  Most of the following cancers caught in the early stages and removed can be considered for a preferred rating after a seven to ten year cancer-free timeframe and good follow-up:

Stage 1a well differentiated uterine cancer;

Melanoma in situ;

Stage 1 testicular cancer;

Small mixed papillary and follicular thyroid cancer; and

Early stage kidney cancer.

If you have a client that may have any ONE of the above cancers in their history, please complete one of Provada’s Cancer Quick Quote forms and let us do the research.


Tags: Underwriting


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There are six questions to ask your client before you submit an application to assure a more accurate quote. No agent wants to go back and inform a client that their application was approved but the premium has increased. Try asking these questions when you meet with your client. It only takes a minute:

#1. Are you taking any medications? If so what for?

#2. Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or diabetes? If so when and what doctor has the medical records?

#3. What is your height and weight? Will the insured still qualify for the rate class you quoted?

#4. Do you engage in any hazardous activities that will adversely affect the underwriting? If so remember to include the appropriate questionnaire with the application.

#5. Do you have any foreign travel plans? If so where to and for how long? A foreign travel questionnaire might be required.

#6. Is there any incident of cancer or heart disease for immediate family members prior to age 65?

If you receive a yes to any of the questions above and you are unsure what rate class to quote feel free to contact someone at Provada.


Tags: Underwriting


 
 
 
 

We have provided information previously, both through blog posts and Webinars, on the many ways today of writing Long-Term Care insurance:

  • Stand-alone LTC policies (still the most flexible)
  • Universal Life policies with LTC Riders (a powerful combination)
  • “Hybrid” or linked-benefit Universal Life / Long-Term Care policies (discussed below)
  • “Hybrid” or linked-benefit Annuity / Long-Term Care policies (1035 Rules now very liberal)

The third type of product listed above - “Hybrid” or linked-benefit Universal Life / Long-Term Care policies - is becoming more popular all the time, having been given a strong boost recently by the availability of the new John Hancock “Life Care” product in California and other key states, including Florida, New York, and Texas.

These products are ideal for those with lump sums sitting in CDs or elsewhere, undoubtedly earning very little money that is taxable to boot.  These products save taxes, provide great peace of mind, and leverage up the available dollars for both death benefit and LTC purposes.  What a powerful package of benefits! 

We will be providing details and comparisons of the available products in additional blog posts in the near future, but in the meantime, please make a note that the following products are available through Provada:

       Genworth Total Living Coverage (TLC)

       John Hancock Life Care

       Lincoln MoneyGuard Reserve

       State Life Asset Care

These are all great products, but each situation should be linked with the best product for that situation's particular set of facts.

More to come!

       Bob Burton LLB CLU ChFC AEP, Director of Advanced Planning

       415-369-9990, ext 116;   bob@provada.com


Tags: Advanced Planning, Life Insurance, Long Term Care