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THE GAPING HOLE IN YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN (AND HOW YOU CAN FIX IT)

THE GAPING HOLE IN YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN (AND HOW YOU CAN FIX IT)

IF YOU’RE FINANCIALLY SAVVY, YOU LIKELY PRIDE YOURSELF ON HAVING YOUR DUCKS ALL LINED UP IN A NICE, TIDY ROW. Rainy day savings? Check. Diversified portfolio? Check. Car/Home/Health/Life insurance? Check. Refinanced mortgage? Check. College savings plan for the kiddos? Check. After all, isn’t good financial preparation and planning, at its heart, really about mitigating risk to your future ability to live life well? You save up an emergency fund in case you unexpectedly lose

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WOMAN IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES BUSINESS?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WOMAN IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES BUSINESS?

I don’t know the answer for everyone, but I can share what has been my experience as a woman in financial services. I’ve been in the financial and legal services business for 30 years and have seen so many changes– mostly for the good. Women in this business can thrive because of all the choices and different ways to frame a career. Source: NLG For instance–do you love flexibility, working with a great diversity of people, having different opportunities every day? Do you

CALLING ALL WOMEN – CONSIDER A CAREER IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

CALLING ALL WOMEN – CONSIDER A CAREER IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

We have all heard the statistics – women now make up more than 50% of the US population1 and are making 80% of the purchasing decisions in US households.2 Now think of this, close to 30% of businesses are owned by women and the number of wealthy women investors in the U.S. is growing at a faster rate than that of men.3 Our economy is greatly impacted by women yet there is a relatively low percentage of women in the financial services industry available to help them. Source:

TAKING YOUR INSURANCE SALES TO THE NEXT LEVEL

TAKING YOUR INSURANCE SALES TO THE NEXT LEVEL

There comes a point in your career that you’re ready to take your insurance sales practice to the next level – you want to work with more affluent clients on larger more complex cases. The question is how do you manage your current block of business and expand your practice into a new market? Source: NLG When you hit this stage of your sales career, it is time to consider your staff. If you’re still personally doing your new business and service work, you may want to conside

YOU’RE A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT NOW

YOU’RE A LIFE INSURANCE AGENT NOW

Congratulations – as a life insurance agent you now own your own business. Although you may be affiliated with an agency, you are responsible for your paycheck and job security. If you do your job well, being an agent can be a very rewarding and lucrative career, if you don’t, you may find yourself out of business. Source: NLG If you approach your sales like a business owner, there should be no reason for you to fail. As a business owner your focus should be on those activit

WHAT ARE YOUR BLIND SPOTS?

WHAT ARE YOUR BLIND SPOTS?

Blind spots. We all have them. When you’re driving your car, you intuitively know that there are objects that you can’t see. In life, we’re often not as tuned in. We see based on our own experiences, assumptions and opinions. And, sometimes what we see is either completely wrong or slightly askew. Throw in gender, geography, ethnicity, and sexual orientation and it can feel like you’re hopping over mine fields. While comedians joke about political correctness every day, whe

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

As we strive to grow and develop a successful career, oftentimes our minds go to asking what we need to “add” to ourselves to be better—what industry designation or production level do I need to achieve; what selling system do I need to learn; what product do I need to add to what I offer a client? Source: NLG What is interesting is that seldom do we ever look within ourselves and ask the opposite question—what do I need to “subtract” from who I am in order to grow and develo

HELP BUSINESS OWNER CLIENTS DRIVE TOWARD A SECURE FINANCIAL FUTURE

HELP BUSINESS OWNER CLIENTS DRIVE TOWARD A SECURE FINANCIAL FUTURE

Last winter when I brought my 1993 Toyota Camry in for its annual inspection, it passed, but just barely. I was told it would make it through winter, but I better start looking for a new ride. Although I was sad that the car that had been passed down from my grandfather to my brother and then finally to me would no longer be the car that chauffeured me to and fro, I was excited at the prospect of buying a new car! Due to the reliability of my Camry (and my desire to drive it

CELEBRATING WOMEN TRAILBLAZERS

CELEBRATING WOMEN TRAILBLAZERS

During Women’s History Month, we remember those whose shoulders we stand on. Thank you Ellen Putnam, for forging ahead when there was no trail. Source: NLG From Rochester, NY, weighing in at 96 pounds and standing at 4’10”, Ellen Putnam was a heavy weight champion of life insurance and aptly described as a giant among giants in a predominantly male industry. Contracted with National Life in 1919, 10 months after the end of World War I, Ellen was a producer with us for the nex

DOING WORK THAT MATTERS

DOING WORK THAT MATTERS

Times like these reinforce how much relationships matter. The power of an understanding ear, reaching out to simply check-in on neighbors, friends and clients goes a long way. Turns out, that’s what many of us life insurance agents do on a daily basis. Source: NLG We are coaches, we are listeners, we encourage people to protect their loved ones and to plan for their future. It is challenging, but important work. No one wants to think about not being around to provide for thei

SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT IS ANYTHING BUT SMALL

SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT IS ANYTHING BUT SMALL

If you look back over the course of history, you’ll see that America was built off the success of small businesses. The expansion of our country was made possible by entrepreneurs and small business owners alike. For many, the American dream still consists of breaking free from the rigors of being an employee and starting to work for yourself. Some entrepreneurs create small businesses with aspirations of becoming the next Bill Gates, others simply want to be their own boss a

6 QUESTIONS WOMEN SHOULD BE ASKING ABOUT THEIR FINANCES RIGHT NOW…

6 QUESTIONS WOMEN SHOULD BE ASKING ABOUT THEIR FINANCES RIGHT NOW…

The pandemic has been a wake-up call for many to reevaluate their finances, according to a recent Life Happens survey. And for women, especially working mothers—the pandemic has delivered an extra punch of career stress. Source: NLG Juggling work, home-schooling, family life and keeping it all together is hard. With all those pressures, it’s no wonder that one in four working mothers surveyed for the Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey and LeanIn.org say they are conside

LESSONS FROM LIFECHANGERS: HANDS-ON HISTORY HELPS HEAL

LESSONS FROM LIFECHANGERS: HANDS-ON HISTORY HELPS HEAL

Teaching history during a pandemic is very difficult, especially in an elementary school where math and English language arts are the top priority. But the fight over which subject should receive the most instructional time doesn’t need to take place any longer. Source: NLG Teachers can stop their inner struggle and heal all their wounds by integrating history standards across the curriculum using hands-on history. If you are teaching virtually or in-person behind plexigl

WHY WE BOUGHT LIFE INSURANCE FOR OUR CHILDREN

WHY WE BOUGHT LIFE INSURANCE FOR OUR CHILDREN

And 4 Tips on How It Works… When our kids were little, we purchased life insurance policies for each of them. While it wasn’t a purchase that held a lot of meaning to our kids at the time, for my husband and I it was part of a long-term plan to establish good financial roots as we prepared for their future. Source: NLG Purchasing permanent life insurance on children isn’t new, but if you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here’s how it works: You purchase life insurance on the l

“BOSSY” BRITTANY.

“BOSSY” BRITTANY.

“Brittany is bossy” was common feedback at the parent teacher conferences when I was a child. Second to that was, “Brittany is quite a talker”. Both are true in their own right, but it would be many years later before I would learn that my mother’s response was, “Brittany is a leader”. Source: NLG When I was born my mother was the ripe age of 17, and 11 months prior she had given birth to my older brother. Our young father had joined the Navy to provide for his family. I shou

GROWING YOUR CPA PRACTICE

GROWING YOUR CPA PRACTICE

Integrating financial services into your practice can help broaden and expand your client base and profitability. Source: NLG The top issues facing the majority of CPA firms today can be broken into three major areas: finding and keeping good talent, succession planning and pressure to increase revenues and profitability. The first issue: finding, recruiting and retaining good talent, is not likely to go away soon. In fact, it may become even worse due to a substantial decr

HOW CPA FIRMS CAN MAKE MONEY UNRELATED TO THEIR TIME

HOW CPA FIRMS CAN MAKE MONEY UNRELATED TO THEIR TIME

My experience has been that 90% of bottom line profits for CPA firms are earned between January 1 and April 15. From May to December, they try to keep their best people on the payroll without spending down all of their profits. To accomplish this, many firms encourage their staff accountants to take vacations, complete their CPE requirements, or take additional courses – all to avoid having to pay for excess capacity. Source: NLG Wouldn’t it be easier to find new services y

DISTRIBUTING ESTATE ASSETS FAIRLY AND EQUITABLY

DISTRIBUTING ESTATE ASSETS FAIRLY AND EQUITABLY

The estate of most individuals is worth more than just money. A family business, a summer cabin on the lake or an antique car collection may be part of a legacy, rich with family history that you want to pass to your children and grandchildren. Source: NLG The challenge is to develop a plan that meets your desire to pass along specific assets to certain individuals, while making sure each family member is treated fairly and equitably. Unfortunately, these assets may not be ea

WILL YOUR RETIREMENT INCOME LAST?

WILL YOUR RETIREMENT INCOME LAST?

How Prepared Are You? How Far Will Your Savings Take You? I first got into the financial services industry because I knew I wanted to help people plan and prepare for retirement. I have learned along the way that it isn’t just about how much you need to accumulate – a lot of planning needs to be done to make sure it lasts. Source: NLG Planning for retirement means different things to different people, but at its core the goal is to ensure and maintain a certain quality o

ETHICAL WILLS: SHARING HOPES AND DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

ETHICAL WILLS: SHARING HOPES AND DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

Many years ago, actually about 14 years ago, I received a letter in the mail (yes, an old fashioned, handwritten note). It was from my future brother-in-law. That shouldn’t seem that unusual, but he had passed away two days before I received the letter. Source: NLG I knew the letter was coming so when it arrived it didn’t feel like some spirit had reached out from the grave. The note was a welcome to the family and expression of a hope for the future. And while the letter

US National Debt Clock : Real Time

Charting America’s Debt: $31 Trillion and Counting. Failing to plan is planning to fail!

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