Using effective marketing and prospecting strategies to identify potential clients.

Course Description:
Provides an in-depth look at penetrating the personal markets using the life-cycle marketing strategy and selling/planning process. Learn to segment your market into four adult life-cycle segments and recognize the common insurance and financial needs members of these market segments have. Apply this approach to new prospects and existing clients. Create a basic marketing plan to apply the life-cycle marketing strategy to your practice. Other topics covered include disability income, life, long-term care and Medicare supplement insurance; overview of investment products; special markets; and retirement and estate planning.

Course Highlights:

• Presents basic planning concepts and needs applicable to the personal insurance market
• Covers the process of prospecting, with an emphasis on referrals
• Discusses how to develop a strategy for identifying target markets
• Addresses the process of client-building through servicing and monitoring insurance plans
• Discusses the concept of “life-cycle segmentation” for prospecting
• Presents basic product knowledge for life insurance, disability income, Medicare supplement, and other products.

Uncover Your Clients’ Needs through Effective Communication.

Course Description:
Offers an introduction to the life insurance sales career and the sales/planning process in the personal market. Addresses total-needs selling, the consultative selling process and the needs for personal life insurance. Presents the skills used throughout the sales/planning process, from the initial client meeting, through fact finding and sales presentations, to servicing and continuing a mutually profitable relationship. Presents a review of insurance products, policy provisions, underwriting and service.

Course Highlights:

• Focuses on effective communication skills for use throughout the sales/planning process
• Presents basic sales skills to successfully conduct the sales/planning process
• Emphasizes the importance of relationship building skills as the basis of sales success.

Course Description:
Covers how life and disability income insurance can guarantee the control and value of a business following the owner’s or key person’s death, disability, or retirement through buy-sell agreements and key person insurance. Explores the basics of estate planning for the business owner. Examines what to say, how to say it and when to say it to capture the attention of the business owner.

Course Description:
This course begins with an overview of the two basic types of life insurance policies—term and whole life—and then builds on that knowledge with an overview of the many product variations sold in today’s markets. The course also explores personal, family, and business uses of life insurance products, as well as policy illustrations, cost comparison methods, income and estate taxation, policy provisions, marketing ideas, and ethical issues facing the financial advisor. Provides a review of the selling/planning process for life insurance product solutions.

Course Description:
Guides professionals in examining the retirement planning process, fact finding, methods of analyzing facts, retirement planning software and sales tracking. Discusses the role of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and tax policies in retirement planning and the suitability of various accumulation vehicles, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance and annuities for retirement planning. Explains how retirement planning creates estate planning needs and addresses payout options, spousal benefits and investment strategies.

Course Highlights:

• Addresses ways to accumulate money for retirement, to fund an education, to satisfy long-term needs, and more.
• Discusses the role of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and tax policies in retirement planning.
• Explores the suitability of accumulation vehicles, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuities.

Course Description:
Offers an introduction to estate planning and the role life insurance plays in the planning process. Discusses how different types of property are transferred during life and at death, and the tax implications of not planning. Also presents the steps required to settle an estate and discusses the importance of having a will, the gift and estate transfer tax system, state death and estate taxes, trusts and planning estates of business owners.

Course Description:
Provides a practical framework for making ethical business decisions in the financial services industry. This ethical module examines legal, compliance and practice standards that apply to the financial services professional. It also investigates ethical approaches to placing financial products, determining suitability and assessing risk.

Highlights:

• Describes the evolution of the financial services market and its ethical problems
• Provides a framework for ethical decision making, including ethical sensitivity exercises and decision processes
• Discusses federal and state regulations, compliance limitations, the increasing emphasis on professionalism and ethics codes, and practice standards
• Explores the ethics of specific professional practices including unnecessary replacements, misleading sales practices, suitability requirements, and rebating, along with a discussion regarding conflicts of interest
• Examines the NASD Rules of Conduct and Fair Dealing with Customers
• Discusses the scope of responsibilities assumed by Registered Investment Advisors
• Discusses categories of investments, types of investment risk, and risk management, and provides a useful tool for assessing an individual's risk tolerance and investment philosophy

Course Description:
This certification course and exam is designed to serve as an overview of the major planning components that make up a comprehensive financial plan. It’s intended to serve as the avenue where the culmination of theoretical principles and practical application acquired over the course of the Program are assessed. The students will attend a moderated class over a period of 8-weeks reinforcing their level of knowledge in preparation for the comprehensive final exam.