We all get marketed to by our local friendly and often helpful Insurance Agent; most people just shrug the agent away. With comments like, I already have Insurance, don't need any, I'm busy etc. But as Joint venture Consultants we should be doing the exact opposite. You should run up to them grab hold of them and give them a hug, and here's why.

What many people do not know is exactly how an Insurance agent works, what they do in their day to day functions. You will not know what they do unless you have a friend or had a job as an Insurance agent its pretty much a unknown.

So here is some inside information you can use to grow your Consulting Practice. One, Insurance Agents continually come into contact with new prospects and is always build their list. Insurance firms also sponsor up to a half dozen or more meetings every year, where they invite their prospects and companies, and organizations to listen to their pitches. As you might have guessed, that can be, well pretty dry, at times. So what's that mean to a Joint Venture Consultant or Coach?

A lot really, first go to your Insurance agent and offer to speak at their event and share in any business, that result from your speech. Now what's in it for the Insurance agent? Their seminar enrollment is likely to grow because it's not the same old dry Insurance stuff. They can bracket your speech; they can speak before you and after you as well. Those are the best times to speak anyways; people tend to drift in a one hour speech. But people don't usually drift in the beginning or the end. The Insurance agent's goal is to get their message out to the audience.

Than you come out share your message about how they can build their Business, improve their life or accomplish their goals. The audience will appreciate someone new, the agent will have a new and interesting event where he gets to network with his prospects and you tap into a new list of prospects.

It's a win-win-win for everyone, and the biggest reason for you to grab your Insurance Agent and never let go.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Godines

As discussed in the first part of this article, insurance only agents that sell equity indexed annuities may be unknowingly acting as an unregistered investment adviser and opening themselves up to regulatory scrutiny. There are three elements to the definition of an investment adviser; the first factor was discussed in Part One of this Article. In this article the final two elements of the definition will be discussed.

This second part of the "investment adviser" definition asks whether the person giving investment advice is in the "business" of providing investment advice. As with the first element, the SEC paints a broad brush with its interpretation of this "business." The SEC will look at several factors when analyzing the second part of the definition with the first being the frequency of the advice given. The insurance only agent should be concerned when there is a pattern of replacing securities with equity index annuities. The more often this happens the more likely they will meet this part of the element.

According to SEC Release No. 1092, they will consider this element met when one or more of three conditions are present. These include: 1) holding oneself out as an investment adviser; 2) receipt of separate or additional compensation clearly associated with the advice; or 3) specific investment advice is provided other than in rare isolated instances. Once again the insurance only agent who sells equity-indexed annuities may fall into anyone of these three. For example, many agents offer "Free Portfolio Analysis" as part of marketing their services. If this is part of an advertising campaign mailed to the public, the insurance only agent may be considered holding oneself out as an investment adviser. After all, they will be advising clients about the investments held in their portfolios.

In addition to these advertising offers, insurance only agent frequently move client's out of securities into annuities. By doing so, there may be a presumption that the insurance only agent offered advice on the securities the client previously held. If the agent has continually done this with multiple clients, a pattern of "regularity" could easily be found. It would behoove an insurance only agent to review his past recommendations to see if a pattern has been created inadvertent or not.

The final element concerns whether the advice given is "for compensation." In other words, as a result of giving the advice will the person giving it receive compensation? Once again the SEC has broadly interpreted this element. According to SEC guidance, the compensation does not have to be large; It does not have to come directly from the client; and it can come from a third party. There only has to be receipt of an economic benefit. With the large commissions equity-indexed annuities pay, it is clear that the SEC would consider that the advice has been given for compensation.

All insurance only agents that sell equity indexed annuities should take a close look at their sales practices to ensure they are not acting as an unregistered investment adviser. They may be putting their careers at risk!

These articles are not an exhaustive analysis of the definition of investment adviser. Each individual's situation may vary and a closer review should be taken if there are concerns.

David R. Millar is President of Integrity Compliance Consulting, Inc.

For more compliance and operations tips and assistance visit http://www.easy-ria.com and sign up for a FREE monthly e-zine, Compliance-Talk, designed to improve quality and efficiency of registered investment adviser's back office.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_R._Millar

Although this data is not 100% accurate, it is probably the most precise info available. Employee group benefit brokers need to know where to find the plans to fit their client needs. It is a well established fact that employers cannot handle the entire burden of providing a grocery list of benefits that their workers would like to have. As a result brokers are working with both the employee and his workforce. The worker is being given options of having additional coverages available with the convenience of premiums taken right from their paycheck. This is a win-win-win situation for the employer, the worker, and the agent.

Here you will find the top national insurance companies in this market, along with others marketing in most states. For brokers selling products with only one insurance company, it seems impractical and virtually impossible. I carry around a Swiss army knife, which although useful, often is incapable of performing the job correctly. Therefore, in my experience, I have found most agents selling plans more than occasionally, represent more than one insurance company. Like the Swiss army knife, no one insurance company can serve all situations. According to my records, the average broker involved in frequent sales represents 3 national insurance companies for this employee market.

For your convenience, there are two lists prepared alphabetically. The first are the carriers licensed to sell their employee benefit plans in all 50 states. The second listing is of states selling in a minimum of at least 40 states. All should have websites to receive fast additional information. With 100 top national insurance companies listed, maybe it is time to check out a couple more.

TOP NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANIES & Carriers Licensed in all 50 states

1. ACI Specialty Benefits

2. Advantica Eyecare

3. AFLAC

4. AIG Employee Benefit Solutions

5. Allstate Workplace Division

6. American Sentinel Insurance Company

7. Ameritas Group

8. Assurant Employee Benefits

9. Avesis

10. BCS Insurance Company

11. Beta Health Association, Inc.

12. Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

13. CIGNA

14. Combined Insurance Worksite Solutions

15. CCG- Cost Containment Group

16. Davis Vision

17. Delta Dental

18. Dentali Dental and Vision

19. Dental Select

20. EyeMed Vision Care

21. EZ Meds USA

22. GPM Life

23. Great American Insurance of NY

24. Great American Supplemental Benefits Group of TX

25. Guardian Life Insurance Company

26. Hartford Life

27. HM Insurance Group

28. Humana

29. Independent Health

30. ING Employee Benefits

31. Liberty Mutual Group Benefits

32. Lincoln Financial Group

33. Madison Life Insurance Company

34. Magnum Dental & Vision

35. Majestic Underwriters

36. MedAmerica Insurance Company

37. Medico Insurance Company

38. MESVision

39. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

40. Minnesota Life Insurance Company

41. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company

42. Nationwide Financial

43. Patriot Health, Inc.

44. Petersen International Underwriters

45. PPO USA

46. Principal Financial Group

47. Prudential Company of America

48. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company

49. SecureCare Dental

50. Security Life Insurance Company of America

51. Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of NY

52. Spirit Dental Life and Vision

53. Standard Insurance Company

54. Standard Life Insurance Company of NY

55. Sun Life Financial

56. Super Vision Services

57. Symetra Financial

58. Transamerica Affinity Services in MD

59. Transamerica Worksite Marketing

60. Trustmark Voluntary Benefits Solutions

61. UNIFI Companies Retirement Plans

62. United American Insurance Company

63. United Concordia Companies

64. United Health Programs of America

65. Unum

66. VSP Vision Care

TOP MULTI-STATE INSURANCE COMPANIES Licensed in 40 or more states.

1. American Fidelity Assurance Company, minus NY

2. American Public Life Insurance Company, -NY

3. American United Life Insurance Company, -NY

4. ArmadaCare, -7 states

5. Assurity Life Insurance Company, -NY

6. BasicPlus Insurance Services, -10 states

7. Block Vision, -9 states

8. Brokers National Assurance Company, -6 states

9. Colonial Life, -2 states

10. Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Company, -2 states

11. Companion Life Insurance Company, -4 states

12. Conseco Insurance Companies, - 2 states

13. Continental American Insurance Company, -NY

14. Dominion Dental Services, Inc., -4 states

15. EMC National Life Company, - 2 states

16. First Dearborn Life Insurance Company, -NY

17. HealthPartners, -2 states

18. Illinois Mutual, -4 states

19. John Hancock, -2 states

20. Kansas City Life Group, -2 states

21. Minnesota Life Insurance Company, -2 states

22. Mutual Trust Financial Group, -2 states

23. Ohio National Financial Services, -3 states

24. Oxford Life Insurance Company, - 5 states

25. Penn Treaty Network America, -7 states

26. Renaissance Life and Health Insurance Company, -NY

27. Securian Dental Plans, -6 states

28. Significa Insurance Group, Inc., -5 states

29. Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company, -5 states

30. Starmark, -10 states

31. Texas Life Insurance Company, -NY

32. Transamerica Life Insurance Company, -5 states

33. Trustmark Life Insurance Company, -9 states

34. Western Reserve Life, -NY

Other insurer organizations and insurance companies

These cover most of the United States. They are American Continental Insurance Company, American Specialty Health Insurance Company, Best Life, Catholic Family Life, Columbian Mutual Life, Continental American Insurance, Eastern Life & Health Insurance Company, Equitable Life & Casualty, Guaranty Income Life Insurance Company, Kemper Investors, Pro Financial Services, and William Penn Association.

Shenandoah Life Insurance Company is not listed, as it is undergoing some difficulties. Apologies are in order to any companies catering to this market segment that were missed.

Well published author, Don Yerke likes to concentrate on what you don't know or what no one else dares to print. Tell it like it is.

Watch for his new paperback book debuting on Amazon early this summer. It is loaded with great insurance marketing and recruiting information.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Yerke