Call it “spring cleaning” – it’s the urge we get to put things in order when winter ends and spring begins. That makes it a great time to talk to your clients about doing a little financial spring cleaning. The baseboards and that empty space behind the couch aren’t the only things gathering dust. What about their retirement accounts?
Stabilize Your Clients' Retirement Portfolio
Most people depend on multiple income sources during retirement. These include Social Security, an IRA or 401(k), pensions, stocks, and bonds. The problem is that these aren't particularly stable or even predictable. According to SSA.gov, the Social Security trust fund reserves will run out in 2037, at which point taxes will only cover 76% of the program’s commitments. With an IRA or 401(k), your clients are dependent on a market that fluctuates at the whim of electronic trading algorithms. Are they savvy enough to see the next 2008 coming? And pensions are great assets to have, but so few employers offer them anymore because of the financial burden they create. When it comes to lower-risk products like municipal bonds or CDs, the issue isn’t risk but underperformance.
Life insurance and annuities provide the stability many clients need in order to offset the riskier and/or underperforming segments parts of their portfolio. Do your clients know:
- Unneeded Social Security, 401(k), or IRA benefits can be used to fund a life insurance policy, leaving a legacy for the kids, grandkids, or a favorite charity.
- Riders on a life insurance policy purchased now can provide coverage later for long-term care or disability.
- The assets in their qualified and nonqualified retirement plans WILL be included in their gross estate when they pass away – but with a properly structured life insurance trust, they can reduce the value of their estate AND provide liquidity for their heirs to pay any taxes.
Get Retirement Planning Solutions in Our Sales Kit
We’ve put together a sales kit that will help you talk to your clients about the types of income they expect to receive during retirement, and how to maximize those assets with life insurance and annuities. Here’s what’s inside:
- A 6-page consumer guide on retirement income sources: This guide covers the main sources of income your clients probably expect to use during their retirement: Social Security, IRA, a pension, etc. Go over this guide with clients and ask which of these sources they plan on using to fund their retirement. Then, depending on their answers, use any of the sales ideas below to show them how to maximize those assets using life insurance or an annuity.
- Sales solution #1: Life insurance in retirement planning
- Sales solution #2: IRA maximization
- Sales solution #3: Municipal bond maximization
- Sales solution #4: Social Security maximization
- Sales solution #5: Single premium deferred income annuities
