Retirement advisers, brokers and dealers are speeding to change the way they deliver planning advice ahead of the June 9 deadline of the federal fiduciary rule, against which the industry has fought a year-long battler. Read Full Article

While industry manufacturers prepare for the long-awaited June 9 phase-in of DOL’s Conflict Interest Rule, key distribution players on which the brunt of the rule’s requirements will fall — independent marketing organizations — are themselves scrambling to become DOL ready. Read Full Article

Now open to financial advisors—regardless of corporate affiliation! Read Full Article

In respect to the last, the DOL proposal estimates that an IMO with average sales of $2 billion could satisfy this liability requirement by setting aside $20 million. If valued at 7 percent (3 percent net), the IMO’s “attendant opportunity cost” would total $1.4 million ($600,000 net) in the first year. Read Full Article

Regulatory thresholds proposed for independent marketing organizations (IMOs) to participate in the sale of fixed indexed annuities are so high as to be virtually worthless and unworkable for the bulk of the IMO industry, industry experts said. Read Full Article

At the beginning of my career, a big mistake I made for quite a long time was being just like everybody else. There was nothing unique I did as a broker. Differentiating yourself can be the key to standing out and creating a strong and loyal client base. Read Full Article

With the passing of the U.S. Department of Labor’s fiduciary ruling in April of this year, the real work has begun for the financial services industry. Read Full Article

How well do you understand the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule change and what it means for your advising operation and business? Here are five things you need to know right now. Read the Full Article

State Farm Insurance says it will not be accepting liability under the Best Interest Contract (BIC) on the sale of annuities or mutual funds by the more than 12,000 of its agents throughout the U.S. who have licenses to sell securities. Read Full Article

Sister companies, Clarity 2 Prosperity (C2P), the coaching and insurance division, and Prosperity Capital Advisors (PCA), an SEC Registered Investment Adviser, announce the distribution of a new fee-based fixed indexed annuity with optional guaranteed income rider is now available through its organization. Read Full Article