Click now to learn more, and get a FREE Peppers & Rogers book!

• Teach You To Increase Your Production
• Fix Your Direct Mail And Double Your Responses
• Help You To Do Seminars That Fill The Room Every Time
• Close Those Prospects That Won’t Buy
• Have You Using A Monthly Newsletter That Has Prospects Calling You
• Give You Unparalleled Credibility (How To Become A Financial Author – Overnight!)
• Tell You How To Get Interviewed In The Newspaper Several Times Each Year
• Fix The Biggest Issue Holding Back Your Production
• Lead To Selling An Additional 2 To 4 Annuities Each Month

 For your free subscription, go to http://www.nfcom.com/promo.cgi/fmenews?h=freemonthly.htm

FPI SURVEYS – Financial Planning Interactive runs interactive polls of its subscribers on many issues facing planners today. In recent polls, 52% of planners thought the repeal of the estate tax would be beneficial to advisors and nearly half thought the CFP Board of Governors should be a licensee service organization, not a consumer advocate. To cast your vote on these and other issues or to just check the pulse of producers, go to 
http://www.financial-planning.com/cgi-bin/survey.pl

"CHECK'S IN THE MAIL" – Not so with many insurance companies. There has been a growing trend to send checkbooks instead. Most insurers are now putting proceeds in interest bearing accounts with check-writing privileges. Some planners criticize the practice as "patronizing" and simply a method for the insurer to hold on to the money. While there may be some truth to both criticisms, it sure seems like a convenient way to hold onto the money until a longer-term decision is made.

STATE FARM MUTUAL FUNDS – Beginning in January, State Farm agents will begin selling 10 mutual funds in four states (Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina and Virginia) and in all 50 states by March.  Makes a lot of sense for State Farm to give its nationwide network of 16,000 agents yet another product line to sell to their customers, many of whom have long-standing relationships with their State Farm agents.  Can Allstate be far behind?
 

TELEUNDERWRITING – Nationwide joins other brokerage companies that have added teleunderwriting as an application option. Producers use a shortened application that excludes medical questions.  The company then follows-up with the client via telephone to ask the medical questions. The procedure saves advisors time and usually results in more complete medical backgrounds.

LOSING MONEY – A report by Senate investigators concluded that most day traders lose money, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, and many don't know beforehand how risky day trading is.  According to Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), "Day trading clearly is a gamble for most traders, but certainly not for the (day-trading) firms.  They make money whether their customers do or not."

WEB SITE REVIEW – DALBAR's most recent ratings of insurance company Web sites includes both financial professional and consumer sites. Top honors for financial professional sites go to American Skandia and John Hancock, which tied for first place. Fidelity stepped ahead of Prudential for the top spot in consumer Web sites. In the professional division, SAFECO moved from 17th up to 7th, primarily by adding sales ideas. Hint: Other companies should take a look at LUTC's Virtual Sales Assistant (http://www.lutc.com). It can add hundreds of "in compliance" sales ideas to a company's professional Web site at a nominal cost. Call LUTC at 888-260-5882 for details.

IHateFinancialPlanning.com – Yep, it is real site and it is still working! The IHFP site is the brainchild of Reliastar and is designed to provide consumers with financial assistance. Consumers are directed by the "IHFP Pro Locator" to planners who have paid a fee to be included. Heavy promotion of the site and idea is scheduled for the fall. Check it out at http://www.ihatefinancialplanning.com