August 2015 - Creative Edge

Barron’s, a top weekly newspaper and magazine in the financial industry, recently published its fifth-annual review of “The Best 50 Annuities” in the marketplace. Its carefully selected review narrows down the vast menu of annuities and highlights the 50 most competitive products available today, comparing and contrasting the primary income annuity alternatives including variable annuities,… Read More

Here’s a tale of how two top Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) connected to integrate insured solutions. We’ll start with the conversation that triggered the series of events … CreativeOne invited an investment manager/firm principal ($1 billion+ AUM) and a career insurance producer to tell their story of how they tipped the principals’ decision to embrace… Read More

As you likely know, the hot issue in the industry right now is the proposal by the Department of Labor (DOL) to change and revamp the definition of “fiduciary” with the intention of protecting investors from conflicting investment advice and imposing a uniform standard. The definition would make all advisors, including insurance agents, fiduciaries and… Read More

Once you hire the right employees for your business in 9 Easy Steps, your job isn’t done. It’s time to get them on board and acclimated with your business through a process in the human resources world known as onboarding. While it may not seem like something to stress about, it is an extremely important… Read More

A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Allianz SE (Allianz) (Germany) and most of its A.M. Best rated subsidiaries. In addition, A.M. Best has upgraded the FSR to A+ (Superior) from A (Excellent) and the ICR to “aa-” from “a” of Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (Fireman’s… Read More

At CreativeOne, we work to better the lives of others in any way we can. In 2003, CreativeOne teamed up with Heartstrings, an organization local to Kansas City. The organization employs adults with developmental disabilities, and provides them with opportunities for self-fulfillment, community interaction and on-the-job skill development. One of CreativeOne’s favorite Heartstrings services is… Read More

In my last article “Why Annuities are Appealing,” I described how the effect of the recession, corporate scandals and 9/11 left Millennials feeling distrustful of large institutions wanting to invest our money in the stock market and why we find annuities so appealing. In this article, I will explain how you can best reach my… Read More

Webinar: How will the DOL fiduciary proposal impact you?   Wednesday, August 19, 2015 10:30 a.m. CDT 8:30 a.m. PDT | 9:30 a.m. MDT | 11:30 a.m. EDT   The proposal is supposedly helping the clients; however, the DOL proposal is probably going to do just the opposite. Join Executive Director of the National Association… Read More

The amount of your Social Security benefits can depend on several factors, including marital status and when you start receiving benefits. That’s why some people use certain filing strategies to potentially enhance the total benefits they’re eligible to collect. In this publication, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America provides an overview of several common… Read More

Want better relationships with your current and prospective clients? e-Relationship is just the tool you need. Indisputably, the key to our industry is building relationships. Good client relationships lead to happier customers and thus more referral-based business. Who doesn’t like the sound of that? e-Relationship is an e-marketing tool that keeps you top-of-mind with your… Read More