Articles by Brian Mann

Senior Vice President, Annuities and RIA Divisions

Helping Your Clients to Retire Comfortably

No matter what your major line of business – life, health, or property/casualty – over the coming years, more of your clients will be approaching retirement age…

Want Annuities With That? The Power of the Upsell

In the insurance business, many agents who are new to the business ignore or even reject the power of the upsell. But keep in mind that Best Buy, Southwest Airlines and many fast food restaurants would be struggling, if it weren’t for the power of the upsell...

What Retirement Savers Want

As a financial advisor or insurance agent, you may feel a bit like Nick in What Women Want when you attempt to help your clients with their retirement planning. You feel that you have the right solution for them, yet they always say “I prefer what I’m doing now” or “I’ll think about it.”...

With New Annuity Clients, The Tax Return is Key

Regardless of whether you take a “science” or an “art” approach to the meeting, there is one rule that you should always follow: Always ask to see your client’s most recent tax return...

Selling Annuities In a Dismally Low Interest Rate Environment

October brought another wave of interest rate reductions from fixed and indexed annuity carriers...

Why The Press Doesn't Understand Annuities

The overall claim is that indexed annuities are loaded down with fees and lag the performance of the stock market, so they are only purchased by naïve consumers who are approached by predatory salespeople who are primarily motivated by large commissions...

At What Interest Rate Would People Stop Buying Fixed Annuities?

The safety and tax deferral offered by annuities are advantageous regardless of interest rate levels, and interest rates on annuities are consistently competitive with other fixed rate financial products...

Why Do They Have Faith in the Market?

After I proposed an annuity with a GLWB rider to protect his retirement income from investment risk, he said, “I’ll just stick with what I’m doing now. I have enough time to ride out my losses in the market.”...

Hate The Hare Of Stocks, Trust The Tortoise Of Annuities

It took 25 years, but this client finally lost his faith in the securities industry and saw the value of what we offer...