July 2009 Table of Contents

2009 Senior Survey

After months and months of worsening economic news, America's seniors still have a cautious optimism about their financial futures.

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Columns

Up Front
Feast or famine
When I talk to advisors, I keep hearing both positive and negative stories about how they're faring this year.
That's Life
A lifetime of independence
Now that the tax season has passed and the demands of the holidays are far behind us, we can take a moment to reflect on the blessings of Independence Day.
Coach's Corner
Give control to get control
I was at a friend's house during the challenging process of putting Ryan, his active 3-year-old, to bed.
Profitable Practice
Becoming a disciplined advisor
One of the traits of a successful producer is discipline.
LTCI Insider
In a bad economy, LTC adds security
It seems there is a strong correlation between the national economic crisis and losing a lot of money from an unexpected LTCI event.
Annuity Advisor
The Great Depression and index annuities
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended August 1929 at 380.3--a monthly close it would not exceed until November 1954, over a quarter of a century later.
Marketing Playbook
Bridging to higher sales (part 2)
Last month, we looked at the initial steps to "bridging to higher sales."
Ethics in Action
Preventing the complaints from hell (part 1)
Ah, complaints! Years ago, clients might file complaints with a state or federal regulator.
The Motivated Seller
Sit up straight and pay attention
Several years ago, I read a fascinating article about a body language experiment that was conduced by a group of marketing students attending a major university.
The Close
Is Social Security under siege?
Recently, two reports that are vital to the financial well-being of seniors were released to the public.

Departments

Feedback
In response to "America's next financial crisis"
From the editor's blog
Seniors Speak Out
What is your biggest objection to using an advisor?
I don't know. It's kind of hard to pin down.
Are you adequately prepared for a long term care emergency?
We're in pretty good shape.
Marketing
Marketing is a contact sport
Networking is truly a contact sport that requires you to be proactive if you're going to win.
Prospecting
Never make a cold call again ... make it HOT!
A sales call is either cold or hot. Fortunately, there is a way to make nothing but hot sales calls, with a fantastic rate of return.
Red Flag Reminder
This will go on your permanent record
FINRA wants to make its disciplinary actions permanently available to the public even if an offending advisor leaves the business.
Lead Generation
Improving postcard glance readership (part 2)
In part one of this article, we discussed creating a great headline to drive readers into reading the rest of the text.