If you’ve worked in financial services for the past 20 years, or you follow financial media, you might think that Baby Boomers were the only American generation. Indeed, most of us regurgitate the dog-eared ‘10,000 Boomers turn 65 every day’ stat the way elementary students dispassionately recite the Pledge of Allegiance. With so many children...Continue Reading
A recent private letter ruling (“PLR”) offers tax relief for the annuity-owning clients of registered investment advisors. Issued by the IRS in August, the ruling allows fee-based advisors who manage client assets in non-qualified annuities to bill from them directly without creating a taxable event. Because of the positive impact on client experiences, many financial...Continue Reading
The unexpected Gift of Social Distancing The age of social distancing has given me an unexpected gift. I’ve found that I actually have some extra time on my (very clean) hands every day. Aside from the home schooling (math is my strong suit), there’s nothing new that’s been added to my plate. I do mostly...Continue Reading
Grow Your Business by Focusing on Others Business Networking International (or BNI), a networking organization with more than 3700 chapters in the United States alone, has a motto: “Givers Gain.” The basic principle is that, when you approach networking from the perspective of what it can do for you, you’re unlikely to get much out...Continue Reading
The origin story This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Simplicity OID. The company has a storied history, full of ups and downs, tough times and perseverance and rewards. Several people still with Simplicity OID were here when it started. I’m not one of those people. I’m one of Simplicity OID’s newest employees, so when...Continue Reading
The human cost behind current market troubles We all know what’s happening in Eastern Europe right now. We can feel the shockwaves of it all the way over here, in the USA, and the financial industry is abuzz with predictions and speculation. Whether we’re talking about how a long-term war in Ukraine could hurt our...Continue Reading
Insurance and annuities play an important role in financial plans. But advising on them requires the appropriate liceneses and registrations. For RIAs, an OID can be the conduit for accessing zero-commission annuity and insurance solutions for clients. When talking to clients or other parties about their work, most financial advisors tend to lead with wealth...Continue Reading
San Francisco, CA – November 16, 2023 – Luma Financial Technologies (“Luma”), an award-winning global independent alternative investment platform, announced today their partnership with Simplicity OID®, the leading independent platform for fee-based insurance solutions. Luma’s innovative platform will now integrate Simplicity OID’s fiduciary marketplace of commission-free annuity and insurance solutions, providing non-insurance licensed Registered Investment...Continue Reading
To serve the growing fiduciary movement, a relatively new service model has sprung up: Outsourced Insurance Desks (OIDs). OIDs help RIA firms broaden their holistic offerings to include annuities and insurance regardless of whether the IARs at the firm are insurance licensed or registered with FINRA. They also help RIA firms manage risk in two...Continue Reading
Featuring Melissa Smith-White RIA firms whose growth strategies include recruiting advisors from the wirehouses and regional broker dealers face a highly competitive landscape. But that’s not the only challenge. Making the move to fiduciary is a huge decision with potential risks for the advisors they are recruiting. The prospect of losing client assets during the...Continue Reading
