Time-Saving Enhancements to Docupace Coming Tomorrow!

Auto-Escalation of Direct Business Work Items to Home Office
To assist in complying with firm custody deadlines, ESI is implementing auto- escalation of direct business work items that remain in the field queues (Office Prep or Field Sign Off) after a certain amount of time.  

All Direct Business work items with either a check document type or a check request type (including Financial Planning and Additional Investments) will auto-escalate from the field queues to Home Office at 9am ET the business day following the work item start time.

All other Direct Business work items will auto-escalate at 9am ET two business days after the work item start time.

Automated emails will be sent to anyone with access to the Field Sign Off queue. These notifications will provide work item numbers for cases that have been auto escalated and require your approval via Retrieve.

As a reminder, please continue to utilize the Advisor Notes section within the work item to document missing requirements, rep reach outs or notes to the home office.


New Email Notification for Brokerage Work Items
As the rep/assistant usage of Docupace continues to grow, it has become increasingly difficult for office staff to track brokerage work items within the agency to enter on the blotter. Without these items flowing through the Office Prep queue, the rep/assistant has been responsible for notifying the appropriate team member of these items to be sure they were entered on the office blotter. To make this process easier, we are implementing an automated email notification for these work items. Whenever a brokerage new account, transfer, or goal modification work item is submitted the office staff with access to the Office Prep queue will receive a notification email that the work item was submitted. This can be used as the notification for that team member to enter the information on their blotter.


Update to Work Item Purge
We have had a 29 day work item purge in Docupace for quite some time. We have received feedback that this timeframe may not be long enough and that an additional notification before the purge would be beneficial. We have updated this process to become a 60-day work item purge. The auto-notifications have also been updated to be sent out as follows:

  • 30 days
  • 45 days
  • 59 days – the day before the work item purges, giving one last chance to reset the work item timers

As always, if you’d like to reset timers on any work items, please email DocupaceSupport@nationallife.com.


Automatic Population of Date Field within CRS Form
The CRS Delivery Receipt Date will now auto-populate based on the date that it was added to the forms packet. This date can be overridden, if required.

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Illuminations Fund Strategist and New SMA Portfolio Performance for Q3 Now Available!

To help you review the strategist portfolios you’ve utilized for your clients and determine if there is something new and a better fit, performance snapshots of the fund strategists on our Illuminations platform have been updated for Q3 2021. We also recently sent out the performance snapshot for our newly introduced SMA portfolios

While we know we should not make recommendations purely off of performance, a list such as this is a great starting point to look at alternative solutions to help our clients better meet their financial goals.

New to the SMA portfolios on Illuminations? Learn more here.

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Important Notice: Touchstone Name Change

From Touchstone Investments:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Touchstone Fund Name Change effective January 18, 2022

Touchstone Dynamic Global Allocation Fund name change to:
Touchstone Dynamic Allocation Fund

A#
No Change
CUSIP
No Change
TICKER
No change
Existing Touchstone Fund NameNew Touchstone Fund Name
306789154Q307TSMAXDynamic Global Allocation Fund Class ADynamic Allocation Fund Class A
306889154Q406TSMCXDynamic Global Allocation Fund Class C Dynamic Allocation Fund Class C
308689154Q505TSMYXDynamic Global Allocation Fund Class Y Dynamic Allocation Fund Class Y

On November 18, 2021, the Board of Trustees of Touchstone Strategic Trust approved a name change of the Touchstone Dynamic Global Allocation Fund to the Touchstone Dynamic Allocation Fund. Supplements dated November 19, 2021 have been filed to the Fund’s Prospectus, Summary Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

Effective January 18, 2022, all references to the Touchstone Dynamic Global Allocation Fund should be replaced with “Touchstone Dynamic Allocation Fund”. There will be no changes to the TA numbers, CUSIPs or Tickers. Please reference the chart above.

Click here for a copy of the supplement.

Should you have any questions, DTCC participant firms are invited to call BNY Mellon Broker Dealer Services at 1-877-332-2371. For any fund direct business or fund related inquiries, please contact Touchstone Shareholder Services at 1-800-543-0407. FOR BROKER DEALER USE ONLY

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ESI Elite Symposium Qualifiers Celebrate in New Orleans!

Congrats to our Award Winners!
One of the highlights of the Symposium is our Awards Dinner! Hosted by ESI’s Rich Whalen, the Awards dinner honored both our 2019 and 2020 top producers.

Agency Award Winners

2019 and 2020 Silver Agency Award
The Silver Agency Award winner took the award for the first time in 2019 and captured it again in 2020. Congratulations to Jay Goodman of the Long Island agency! 

2019 and 2020 Gold Agency Award
The 2019 and 2020 Gold Agency Award recipient has consistently placed in the top 3 since 2009. Congratulations to Randy Raner of the Northern New England agency!

2019 and 2020 Platinum Agency Award
ESI’s Platinum Agency Award winners  broke into the top 3 in 2016, moved in to the #2 slot the following year, and now hold the Platinum Award for 2019 and 2020. Congratulations to Victor Muro and Jim Ortenzio from the New York/New Jersey agency.

Individual Award Winners

2019 Silver Award Winner
Our 2019 Silver Award winner just celebrated 31 years with ESI. Congratulations to Rich Kelly of the Pacific Northwest Agency!

2020 Silver Award Winner
Our 2020 Silver Award Winner celebrated his first time in the top 3. Congratulations to Dominick Citera of the New York Agency!

2019 Gold Award Winner
2019 also marked the first time in our top 3 for our 2019 Gold Award winner. Congratulations to Dan Streeter of the Northern New England agency!

2020 Gold Award Winner
Our 2020 Gold Award winner has been in the ESI Top 3 every year since 2015. Congratulations to Mark Vosk from the MidSouth agency!

2019 and 2020 Platinum Award Winners
This year’s 2019 and 2020 Platinum Award winner is celebrating his 9th year in a row at #1! Congratulations to Steve Simon from the Beverly Hills office!

Ideas and Inspiration
This year’s Symposium included presenters and panels that focused on a variety of topics including:

  • Teaming for Growth and Efficiency
  • Opportunities in the Business Owner Market
  • Annuity Landscape: Solutions for Every Client
  • The Value of Managing Both Sides of the Balance Sheet
  • Plenty of Fiscal and Monetary Stimulus! Has It Been Overdone?
  • DOL Update
  • Tapping Into Technology
  • Illuminations 2.0: Evolution of a Platform
  • Building Your Business with Separately Managed Accounts
  • The New Tax Landscape and What It Means for Your Clients

We also shared updates from ESI’s departments and a keynote address from National Life Group Chairman, CEO, and President, Mehran Assadi. The conference closed out with Dr. Ivan Joseph, Award Winning Performance Coach, Leadership & Cultural Transformation Expert.

We’ll be sharing best practices and ideas from the conference in the coming weeks!

Strategic Partner Presence
This year’s conference wouldn’t be complete without our Strategic Partners. This year we were joined by:

  • Allianz Life
  • AssetMark
  • Brinker Capital
  • Docupace
  • Envestnet
  • Equitable Distributors
  • Fidelity Institutional
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Jackson
  • Maple Capital Management, Inc.
  • SEI
  • Touchstone Investments
  • Transamerica

And Finally….The Big Reveal
The conference wouldn’t be complete without announcing the 2022 location, and this year was no exception. So where will the 2022 ESI Elite Symposium be held?

Pendry Park City, Utah

June 13 -17, 2022

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How is Thanksgiving Next Week???

Our hours next week are a little sporadic! You might want to take note:

11/24 – National Life closed, NYSE open until 4 – ESI phones close at 4:00 EST

11/25 – National Life and ESI Closed

11/26 – National Life closed, NYSE open until 1 – ESI phones close at 2:00 EST

Additionally, there won’t be any ESI Insights next week – we’ll be too full on turkey to hit the “send” button! We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programing Thursday December 2nd.

And, in the meantime… HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


Now on to important dates and deadlines to remember…

Licensing and Compliance Deadlines

December 17, 2021: ESI Deadline to get any registration, amendment, or termination request in to allow for ample year and processing as FINRA shuts down December 24th (re-opening January 3rd).

December 31, 2021: Annual Compliance Meeting requirement do for all registered reps.


Operations Deadlines

November 1-19, 2021: IRA Custodial Fees – Retirement accounts that have instructions on file to pay the annual maintenance fee via journal or EFT may have the fee deducted from the account as early as November 1st through November 19th, 2021.

November 22, 2021: IRA Custodial Fees – $40 per account, included as a statement message on September 30, 2021 statement, will be applied to client accounts November 22nd.

December 10, 2021: Systematic Withdrawals from Retirement Accounts scheduled for payment between December 15th and December 31st will be “pulled forward” in the December 10th nightly cycle.  Trades at the client’s instruction should be placed, if necessary, to satisfy the distribution. Partial distributions will be made on December 31st if cash is available in the account. This deadline will allow for corrective actions on incorrect banking or address information.

December 14, 2021: Alternative Investments 2021 Annual Custody & Valuation Fees – $35 per registered position, $125 per unregistered position, ($500 maximum Fee) are applied to accounts with eligible positions.  If insufficient funds exist in the core fund, an unsecured fee posting will be placed in the account for the outstanding balance of the fee.  Fee postings which are not resolved by February 1, 2022 will be reversed and charged to the Registered Representative’s commissions.

December 15, 2021: Roth IRA Conversions – It is strongly recommended forms be received, in good order, by December 15th.  After this date, conversions will be made on a best efforts basis. Under no circumstances can a request be backdated.

Required Minimum Distributions – It is strongly recommended requests be received, in good order, no later than December 15th to ensure proper processing.  This will allow time for corrections to incorrect banking and/or address information.

December 28, 2021: Systems Deadline for New 2021 Periodic Distributions Plans – must be established and approved in ICP by December 28, 2021 in time to pay in 2021.  Beginning December 29, 2021, Fidelity Clearing & Custody will establish periodic distribution plans for 2022 only.

December 30th and 31st, 2021: IRA Distributions

December 31st, 2021 is the last day an EFT can be sent out of an IRA account as a 2021 distribution, if same day settlement is available. 

If same day settlement is not available, EFT distributions must be processed and approved on December 30th in order to be reported in the 2021 tax year.

Distributions processed on December 31st as a check, will be reported in the 2021 tax year.

December 31, 2021: Fidelity Clearing & Custody Fee Processing and Balance Reminders – In order for a client to avoid the $35 non-qualified account custody fee, they must have one commissionable transaction settle in 2021 or have a $10,000 balance in the core money market fund on December 31, 2021.

Last trade date for 2021 regular way settlement is December 29, 2021.

December 31, 2021 & January 3, 2022: Fidelity Clearing & Custody – “Inactivity” Fee Assessed & Charged – Client accounts are assessed for eligibility/waiver of Custody Fee on December 31, 2021 and, if eligible, are charged the fee on January 3rd, 2022.

January 5-31, 2022: Securities Liquidations to cover Unpaid Fee Postings – ESI home office will begin the process of liquidating securities to cover unpaid fee postings related to the NFS IRA Custody Fee and non-qualified “Inactivity Fee”. Accounts with eligible securities will have trades placed to cover “debit” balances related to fee postings, as well as applicable transaction charges. Customer confirmations will be marked “To Cover Debit”. Representative’s will be charged the $25.00 service fee if ESI home office has to place trades

Holiday Phone Hours for ESI Call Center

11/24 – National Life closed, NYSE open until 4 – ESI phones close at 4:00 EST

11/25 – National Life and ESI Closed

11/26 – National Life closed, NYSE open until 1 – ESI phones close at 2:00 EST

12/23 – National Life closed, NYSE open until 4 – ESI phones close at 4:00 EST

12/24 – National Life and ESI Closed

1/3 – National life closed, NYSE open until 4 – ESI phones close at 4:00 EST

Questions? We’re always here for your call! 1-800-344-7437

Check out Life and Annuity Important Dates Here!

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Wealthscape Investor: Addition of Extra Security to the New User Registration Process

In an ongoing effort to enhance platform security, new Wealthscape Investor users will now be able to register using extended security. They will select the Register link on the login screen to access this function, and will be prompted to provide their first name, last name, date of birth, and last 4 digits of their Social Security Number (SSN). If the user has a multi-firm relationship, they will also be prompted to provide an account number. Next, the user will be asked to select a phone number and a method they wish to use to receive a One-Time PIN (OTP). They must enter this PIN when prompted to complete the extra security step. On successful completion, they will set up a Username (optional) and their password. When they are successfully registered, the user will see a screen containing their Investor ID and Username. If they create a Username, they must use this to log in. If they did not create one, they must use their Investor ID to log in.

Click Here to View Notice and Related Links and Reference Materials

Questions? Give our brokerage team a call! 1-800-344-7437.

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Now Available on ESI Illuminations: Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs)

Having Separate Account Managers available on the Illuminations Platform means Advisors, as the General Manager of the Investment Team, now have access to third- party managers who specialize in building portfolios of individual securities. 


Referred to as Separately Managed Accounts , i.e. SMA’s, these portfolios are built using general securities vs. mutual funds or Exchange Traded Funds used in the Third- Party Strategist Portfolios available today.   

SMA’s can be used in one of two ways:

  • An individual sleeve in a UMA – One SMA Portfolio of general securities, or
  • Multiple sleeves in a UMA – Combining multiple SMA portfolios in one account OR combining an SMA portfolio with a Third-Party Strategist Mutual Fund or ETF portfolio in one account.

 “Using an SMA portfolio for the equities allocation of the account alongside a low-cost bond  ETF portfolio is one of the most exciting applications of SMA’s on the ESI Illuminations Platform.  By using the SMA portfolio for the equities portion of the account, advisors can provide their clients with enhanced benefits, (e.g. client-level customization, tax efficiency, expense management, and increased ownership transparency) while incorporating one of the platform’s ETF bond portfolios for the fixed income exposure affords single digit manager fees with minimal expense ratios, and the potential for same day bond liquidity.  This premier solution is available for accounts as low as $150,000.” –  Dan Randall, VP of Product at ESI
 
Another exciting feature available for SMA accounts is the ability to add an overlay to the management of the general securities portfolios such as Tax Overlay and/or Impact Overlay. These overlay services allow for customized management of accounts and allows clients individual tax situation or individual socially responsible interests to be adhered to.

“Now that we have portfolios of individual securities available on the ESI Illuminations Platform, we can market to the high net worth a professional management solution with the ability to customize it to the clients specific and individual needs, which brings the ESI Illuminations platform to the next level.” – Sandy Colvin, AVP Advisory Services and Partner Experience Group
  
The Unified Managed Account Structure allows for any combination of portfolios advisors and their clients are interested in as a solution to their investment needs. 



Separately Managed Accounts through Illuminations
Frequently Asked Questions

 
What are separately managed accounts?
Separately managed accounts, or SMAs, are portfolios of individual securities managed by a third-party asset manager.  ESI is introducing an offering of SMAs through the Illuminations, the Envestnet platform.

What are the account minimums for SMAs? 
The minimum account for an SMA is $150,000.  However, manager minimums will vary (e.g. $100,000 – $500,000). 

What are the fees for SMAs?
There is a platform fee, (i.e. custody, trading, account administration and technology) which is determined by the size of the account and will decrease at various breakpoint levels.  The platform fee begins at 34BPS for $150,000.  The manager fee varies by manager and investment strategy.  The fees can be reviewed on the Illuminations site.

Why would clients invest in SMAs – what are the advantages and disadvantages?

  • SMAs may be customized to meet the individual investor’s needs, goals, and principles.  Securities may be excluded at a sector or individual company level at the client’s request. 
  • SMA investors directly owns all securities in the account. That’s different from a mutual fund, which is a pool of securities that many investors jointly own.
  • There is generally more transparency of the securities’ current value.  Investors in an SMA can easily see the current value of their investments.  The value of a separately managed account can be easily monitored daily.  Clients receive regular reporting, including the purchase and sales activity in the account. The account statements outline the securities owned, the number of shares, and many other details. And you can check this information at any time. All this information and communication leads to greater transparency and serves as the basis to better understand what you own.
  • Tax management by optimizing investment decisions – gain and loss management – around taxes on a year by year basis.
  • SMAs are generally comprised of general securities which typically do not have internal expenses and may assess lower expenses than actively managed mutual funds.
  • Time efficiency.  SMAs are managed by 3rd party asset managers, which allows the advisor to focus on their client relationship goals and not on investment research and management responsibilities.

 Disadvantages of SMAs

  • The account minimum may be larger than many mutual fund or ETF model portfolios.
  • SMAs – in addition to platform fees – will also generally charge manager fees.  The fees, (platform + manager fee) may be more than some mutual fund and ETF model portfolios.
  • SMAs may include multiple managers that have different fee levels, which could blend the overall fee to the client.

Will our SMAs accept securities in kind – assuming they are consistent with the SMA manager’s investment strategy? 

No, they won’t accept securities in kind.

What are the additional fees for overlay management?  How are they reported – as a manager, platform, or separate fee?

The fees for Impact and Tax Overlay is 10 BPS.  The 10 BPS applies if one or both overlay service is used.  It will be listed as part of the platform fee.

How do advisors score into SMAs through the proposal process?  Is it separated from the FSPs?

The advisor needs to select Build Unified Managed Account.  Otherwise the process is very similar to the FSP proposal.

How do I learn more about SMAs through Illuminations?
The Illuminations website contains the manager specific information, (e.g. investment strategy, expenses, portfolio composition and performance history). If you have questions or would like to pursue offering SMAs for your clients, please contact ESI Advisory Services 800-344-7437 or Sandy Colvin at SColvin@nationallife.com.

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Coming Soon for IARs! Documenting Annual Client Contact in Starting Point/Docupace

We heard your feedback regarding documenting your Annual Client Contacts and have made the process easier within Docupace/Starting Point. Beginning November 29th, you will be able to create your ‘IAR Documentation of Annual Client Contact’ within Starting Point. A new tile selection will be present to begin the process and the completed documentation will be archived to the client’s ‘General’ folder.

For step-by-step instructions on completing this new process, click here.

If you have any questions please call 800-344-7437 or email DocupaceSupport@nationallife.com

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Mark Vosk Hits $1 Million of GDC!

We knew it was coming – and the milestone has been hit! Mark Vosk reached $1 Million of GDC at the end of last week! CONGRATULATIONS MARK!!! What an amazing achievement!

Want to learn about Mark and how he’s achieved such impressive success? Hear his story!

ESI is grateful for our 21-year relationship with Mark. AND with his record year, he helped us break a record, too! Thanks to Mark and Steve Simon, for the first time in ESI history, we have TWO reps that have reached over $1mm of GDC in a single year!

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