The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) recognized its top performers for 2013. Guardian's Pittsburgh-based Lifetime Financial Growth LLC was its top-performing general agency and Jaacov Eric Bouskila, of New York-based National Financial Network LLC, the No. 1 producer for life sales.
Lifetime Financial Growth LLC is a financial services firm providing insurance, retirement and investment advice to individuals, families and business owners across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. The firm has more than $250 million of assets under management and more than 200 financial representatives with experience in the protection and accumulation of wealth, investments, executive benefits, employee benefits, business planning, and estate planning specialties.
Bouskila has been a financial representative at Guardian since June 2010, and today has more than 75 high net-worth clients, managing a book of business valued at more than $10 million. His emphasis is on establishing long-term relationships to help his clients achieve financial stability through advanced leveraged planning, estate planning, succession planning and optimized life insurance planning for retirement.
In other news:
American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) announced the latest enhancements to their index annuity products to better address the asset accumulation and retirement income needs of Americans today.
The enhanced Lifetime Income Plus guaranteed living benefit rider will now guarantee rising income for the first 10 contract years, as long as withdrawals do not exceed the annual limit. This rider is automatically included in Power Index Plus Income, a new index annuity focused on retirement income and designed especially for the financial institution and broker/dealer distribution channels.
AIG also made two additional enhancements to its family of index annuities:
- The Monthly Average Index Interest Account, a new interest crediting strategy available in the AG Choice Index 10 and the Power Series of Index Annuities; and
- A streamlined product lineup for the financial institution and broker/dealer markets consisting of Power Index Plus, an asset accumulation product, and Power Index Plus Income, a retirement income product.
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) today recognized Nationwide Financial, Franklin Templeton Investments, Lincoln Financial Distributors and Prudential Financial's Jac Herschler as the inaugural recipients of the IRI Marketing Innovation Award. The awards recognize breakthroughs in the areas of new products and services, development of consumer and advisor educational resources, and overall marketing campaigns to foster greater acceptance and use of insured retirement strategies.
Nationwide Financial was recognized in the insurer category for its Nationwide Financial Retirement Institute, which has provided thought leadership and research contributions on issues facing retirees and pre-retirees. The institute has developed programs, and tools and materials for both advisors and investors to increase understanding of financial topics such as retirement income planning, health care, long-term care, and Social Security.
Franklin Templeton Investments was recognized for its design and development of client-engagement resources, which were brought to market through strategic marketing campaigns.
Lincoln Financial Distributors was recognized in the distributor category for its Annuity Visualizer tool, which was designed to help advisors understand and explain the differences between various living benefit riders.
In the individual category, Prudential Financial's Jac Herschler was recognized for contributions made over his more than 30 years in the industry, including the creation of The Retirement Red Zone.
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) launched a new index allocation on the Allianz Life Pro+ Fixed Index Universal Life (FIUL) Insurance Policy.
Allianz Life Pro+ provides death benefit protection for beneficiaries, as well as the opportunity to build cash value through changes in a market index. The addition of the Barclays US Dynamic Balance Index provides opportunities for Allianz Life Pro+ policies. The index also gives customers dynamic balance for their cash value accumulation because it changes based on market volatility.
The death benefit, which is provided income-tax-free to beneficiaries, can address immediate needs that may include income replacement, a college funding strategy, paying down a mortgage or other debts, estate tax coverage, final expenses and business succession. In addition to the death benefit, Allianz Life Pro+ provides the policyholder access to the available cash value income-tax-free via policy loans and withdrawals.
