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E - Retirement Planning & Employee Benefits
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58:50
Course recording
Video
Summary (AI Generated)
The webinar, sponsored by LLIS for NAPFA Genesis, focused on long-term care insurance and hybrid solutions. Presenter Taylor explained why LTC planning matters, using national care-cost data to show how expensive home health care, assisted living, and nursing homes can be depending on location. She outlined practical guidelines for coverage design, including choosing monthly benefits based on local care costs, selecting benefit periods tied to average claim lengths, and adding inflation protection, typically 3%.

Taylor also discussed LTC underwriting, emphasizing that approval is often binary and becomes harder with age, medical history, recent physical therapy, neuropathy, medications, and family history of cognitive decline. She compared reimbursement and indemnity benefit structures, elimination periods, and benefit triggers such as inability to perform two activities of daily living or cognitive impairment.

A major portion of the session compared traditional LTC insurance with hybrid options. She explained death-benefit-priority life hybrids, LTC-priority life hybrids, joint policies, and hybrid annuities, highlighting guarantees, funding flexibility, 1035 exchanges, and tax-free death benefits. She also reviewed partnership qualification, noting that only traditional LTC policies generally qualify.

The session ended with Q&A on CCRC fees, overseas coverage, underwriting stringency, and how to spot a weak policy. [Read More]
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Summary (AI Generated)
This presentation explains long-term care insurance (LTCi) and hybrid alternatives, focusing on why coverage matters, how policies work, and when different designs fit client needs.

Key points:
- LTC costs vary widely by location and type of care, with nursing homes often the most expensive. Home health care can be covered at or near 100%, while nursing home coverage may only replace about 60% under typical planning assumptions.
- The best time to buy LTCi is younger, since premiums are lower and underwriting is more favorable. Women generally pay more, and underwriting considers age, medical history, family history, and recent health issues.
- Decline rates rise sharply with age, and common underwriting obstacles include recent physical therapy, pending tests, medication changes, neuropathy, pain injections, and major co-morbidities.
- Traditional LTCi policies offer reimbursement or indemnity benefits, daily/monthly benefits, elimination periods, benefit periods, inflation protection, and triggers based on inability to perform two ADLs or cognitive impairment.
- Case studies show how policy design affects premium, coverage, and benefit protection for couples such as Jake and Katie.
- Hybrid solutions include hybrid life insurance and hybrid annuities. Hybrid life policies combine death benefit and LTC benefit with guaranteed premiums and flexible funding options (single pay, short pay, lifetime in some cases).
- Riders can be structured as LTC riders under Section 7702B or chronic illness riders under Section 101(g), with differences in tax treatment and how claims are represented.
- Hybrid annuities are fixed deferred annuities with LTC riders, usually single premium, with limited underwriting and LTC pools that can extend benefit periods.
- A comparison chart highlights differences across traditional LTCi, hybrid life, and hybrid annuity regarding death benefit, premium structure, underwriting, and partnership qualification.
- Hybrids tend to fit younger high-income clients, those with cash value or annuities for 1035 exchanges, clients seeking guarantees, and those with significant medical history. [Read More]
01:24:48
Course recording
Video
Summary (AI Generated)
In this comprehensive webinar, Martha Shedden, President and Co-Founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSA), provides in-depth insights on optimizing Social Security benefits—a critical aspect of retirement planning. Shedden, a Registered Social Security Analyst and retirement planning expert, emphasizes the importance for financial professionals to be well-versed in Social Security rules, due to their complexity and the significant impact they have on clients' retirement income.

The session covers basic to advanced Social Security concepts including full retirement age, primary insurance amount (PIA), spousal and survivor benefits, earnings tests, and benefit withholding rules. Detailed examples demonstrate how different claiming strategies affect lifetime benefits, highlighting the value of personalized planning tools and software used by RSSAs to calculate optimal claiming ages, accounting for variables such as age differences, life expectancy, and pension rules like the Windfall Elimination Provision.

Shedden also discusses recent Social Security updates for 2026, including bend points and cost-of-living adjustments, and addresses the program's long-term financial challenges. A bipartisan study on preferred reforms is shared, revealing broad public support for measures like eliminating the payroll tax cap for high earners and gradually increasing payroll taxes, rather than raising the retirement age.

The webinar concludes by promoting the RSSA designation and educational courses designed to prepare financial professionals to guide clients effectively. Shedden encourages advisors to integrate Social Security planning as a trust-building service and offers resources to join NARSA and access advanced training. The session features a Q&A clarifying technical points, reinforcing the critical role of expert guidance in maximizing Social Security benefits for clients. [Read More]
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Summary (AI Generated)
The November 6, 2025 NAPFA webinar, presented by Martha Shedden (RSSA, CRPC), focused on Social Security fundamentals, recent updates, and strategies for financial advisors to optimize client outcomes. Key learning objectives included understanding the 2026 bend points and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to accurately analyze Primary Insurance Amounts (PIA) and inflation increases, evaluating impacts of the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) on pensions from non-covered work, and developing client-specific strategies to address Social Security's long-term funding challenges.

The webinar highlighted Social Security's critical role as a guaranteed, lifetime financial resource and major component of retirement income for nearly all Americans, emphasizing the complexity of its rules and limited personal claiming advice available from the SSA. Basics reviewed included retirement eligibility (40 credits), calculation of PIA based on indexed earnings and bend points, full retirement age variations, impact of early or delayed claiming on benefits, spousal and survivor benefits, dependent benefits, and the earnings test for those working while collecting benefits.

Practical claiming strategies featured case studies of couples with differing PIAs to maximize combined benefits through timing and spousal benefit claims. Updates for 2026 included increased maximum taxable earnings ($184,500), higher bend points for PIA calculation, higher COLA, quarter of coverage increases, and earnings test exemption amounts.

The repeal of WEP and GPO rules was noted as easing benefit reductions for over 2 million individuals with pensions not covered by Social Security tax. The session also discussed potential future fixes based on a 2025 bipartisan survey favoring payroll tax increases on earnings above $400,000, graduated payroll tax rate hikes, COLA adjustments, caregiving credits, bridge benefits for physically demanding work, and benefit reductions for high-income retirees.

Financial advisors were encouraged to leverage Social Security expertise and technology tools—client trackers, discovery questionnaires, customized reports—to deepen client relationships and generate leads. Attendees were invited to pursue the RSSA certification to enhance advising skills in this vital retirement planning area. Martha Shedden provided contact information for follow-up questions and further training opportunities. [Read More]
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Summary (AI Generated)
This overview, presented by Scott Morrison, Head of Product at Saving For College, highlights key developments and features in 529 college savings plans as of 2025. The 529 plan market is substantial, with 16 million accounts totaling $500 billion in assets, supported by over 90 active plans nationwide. Approximately 15% of U.S. households use 529 plans, predominantly savings-type accounts, split 60% direct-sold and 40% advisor-sold.

Recent legislation has broadened the scope and appeal of 529 plans, expanding qualified expenses beyond college tuition to include up to $10,000 per year for K-12 tuition (rising to $20,000 in 2026), registered apprenticeships, workforce training, books, supplies, computers, room and board, and student loans (up to $10,000 lifetime). New inclusions from mid-2025 cover skilled trade certifications, professional licenses, continuing education courses, and associated materials, provided the programs meet federal/state approval criteria.

Concerns over leftover funds have eased with a 2024 provision allowing tax-free rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs, under specific conditions: same beneficiary, 15-year account age, annual Roth limits, and contribution aging requirements. This offers a new flexibility path beyond transfers to other family members.

FAFSA simplification has made 529 plans more attractive for financial aid, as plans owned by parents or siblings impact aid less and distributions from plans owned by grandparents are no longer counted as student income.

New features improving user experience include mobile apps, direct electronic disbursements to schools (offered by about 40% of plans), auto-increase contribution options, and e-gifting capabilities. These innovations support saving success and ease of use, helping families optimize education funding strategies.

In summary, 529 plans in 2025 offer greater flexibility, expanded eligible uses, enhanced financial aid friendliness, and modern features, making them a more powerful tool for education savings. [Read More]
58:54
Course recording
Video
Summary (AI Generated)
The presentation, led by estate planning attorney Alan with assistance from Scott Levin, focuses on advanced estate planning tools, primarily Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs) and Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs). A QPRT allows individuals to transfer a residence (primary or vacation) out of their estate at a discounted value while retaining the right to live in it for a set term, reducing estate taxes by removing future appreciation from the estate. After the term, occupants pay rent to the trust, further decreasing estate value. Risks include losing the step-up in basis at death and potential tax complications if the exemption thresholds change. Strategies to optimize QPRTs, like splitting property interests among family members and managing term lengths, were demonstrated using specialized estate planning software.

IDGTs combine a gift and an installment sale, allowing donors to transfer appreciating assets out of their estate while paying income tax on trust earnings, effectively "freezing" estate value growth. The trusts offer flexibility, including toggling grantor trust status to manage tax burdens and using self-canceling installment notes. Examples showed significant estate tax savings through these techniques, especially when combined with limited liability companies and GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts). The software used enables advisors to model scenarios, generate client-friendly letters and presentations, facilitating clear communication of these complex strategies. Overall, the session highlights sophisticated planning to minimize estate taxes and maximize wealth transfer to heirs. [Read More]
01:09:28
Course recording
Video
Summary (AI Generated)
Michelle Hirsch, a leading expert in high-net-worth personal insurance from Brunswick, delivers an insightful talk on the evolving challenges and strategies in wealth protection through insurance. With over 20 years of experience, she emphasizes the increasing complexity due to climate change, rising claim costs, and market withdrawals by major carriers like Nationwide and State Farm. Highlighting real-world examples, such as high-value claims from everyday accidents and natural disasters, Michelle underscores the critical importance of comprehensive umbrella policies for asset protection.

She explains that insurance is designed for catastrophic events, advising high deductibles and careful claim management to avoid non-renewals. Michelle notes a trend toward the excess and surplus (E&S) lines market, or non-admitted carriers, which offer more flexible underwriting for risky properties but at higher costs. She stresses the value of high-net-worth carriers like Chubb, Pure, and AIG, which provide superior coverage including cyber liability, worldwide protection, and unique perks like in-safe bank vault discounts for jewelry.

Michelle also addresses underwriting challenges for property types (wood roofs, older homes) and the nuances in auto insurance, recommending higher deductibles and agreed values on luxury vehicles. She warns about common pitfalls like inadequate umbrella coverage and the liability risks of adult children living at home but driving insured vehicles titled to parents.

Ultimately, Michelle advocates for proactive education, strategic coverage selection, and leveraging independent brokers with access to multiple high-net-worth carriers to ensure clients receive tailored protection in today’s volatile insurance landscape. She concludes with encouragement to advisors to maintain these conversations with clients to safeguard their wealth effectively. [Read More]
58:39
Course recording
Video
Summary (AI Generated)
Thomas Clausen, founder of Pageport, presented on the transformative impact of AI and agents in financial advising. Emphasizing the massive opportunity of serving 22 million unadvised retirees with $12 trillion in assets, he argued that technology and AI can help advisors increase productivity and serve more clients, especially in the mass affluent segment. He defined AI agents as large language models combined with tools that perform specific jobs, such as note-taking, scheduling reviews, and compliance monitoring. These agents act more like employees than traditional software, assisting advisors by automating repetitive tasks and providing timely client relationship reminders. Clausen stressed that while AI is reshaping financial services, true client relationships and trust remain irreplaceable. Advisors who leverage AI to handle administrative duties can focus on building these relationships and delivering personalized service. On compliance, he cautioned about carefully managing clients’ personally identifiable information (PII) when using AI tools, advocating for data redaction and tokenization to protect privacy. He encouraged advisors to audit their workflows, delegate repetitive tasks to AI, and partner with vendors committed to strict security standards. Clausen concluded that AI agents are the future of advisory services, enabling more efficient practice management and broader access to financial advice without compromising compliance or client trust. [Read More]
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