May 1, 2024 — 12:00PM – 1:00PM EDT

Register here for this webinar.

Complex assets—such as private stock and business interests—are prime candidates for tax-efficient giving and have the power to potentially take your client’s philanthropy, and overall strategic plan, to the next level. Learn tips for using assets in your client’s portfolio to potentially reduce capital gains and estate taxes through charitable giving.

This webinar is approved for CFP^®, CIMA^®, and CPWA^® credit.

This session aims to help you:

• Recognize how smart charitable planning can be an effective and meaningful solution when clients experience wealth-triggering events, such as the sale of a business or an inheritance.
• Understand the benefits of giving strategically, including which assets to give and the timing of the gift.
• Identify key client segments to target and planning strategies for complex charitable contributions.

Register now.

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Remote Check Deposit has planned technology maintenance and will be unavailable for several hours on May 5th.

Outage window: Start time: May 04th, 2024 at 9:00 pm EST. End time: May 05th, 2024 at 9:00 am EST.

The service will be back up and running as normal after this maintenance window.

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In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number and complexity of cyber security incidents.  Bad actors utilize a multitude of approaches to gain your trust and/or to access your personal data, accounts, and assets. 

Here’s what you need to know, how to protect yourself, and what to do if the worst should happen to you.

Click Here.

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Here are a few reminders regarding upcoming advisory fee payments from Illuminations and our Direct Money Managers:

• Quarterly Advisory fees are typically billed to the client’s account the first week after each quarter ends/begins
• The ESI Compensation team starts receiving these fees from the vendors about two weeks into the new quarter
• Depending on the day of the week advisory fees are received and processed in good order, they are paid out the following week
• ESI’s commission pay-cycles close each Wednesday and pay the following Tuesday (bank holidays may affect cycle close/pay dates)
• Be sure to check your ACE Commissions portal for incoming advisory fees on your MyView Daily Sales Blotter report
• If you need assistance, you can email the compensation team at esicommissions@nationallife.com or call (800)-344-7437, option 2, option 7

– Chris , Courtney, Katie, and Shane

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Fidelity Webinar
Q2 2024 Quarterly Market Update
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
12:00pm – 1:00pm EDT
Register Now

Hear Fidelity’s Jake Weinstein, Senior Vice President, Asset Allocation Research Team, provide insights featured in the Quarterly Market Update for CE Credit. This session will take a look into major themes in the global economic and financial market trends as we progress into the second quarter.

Highlights include:

• Whether the U.S. appears likely to return to stable, low-core inflation.
• What could impact the odds of the U.S. returning to the mid-cycle expansion phase.
• If the solid consumer backdrop at the end of the first quarter appears likely to persist.
• What a shift toward lower policy interest rates could mean for stocks and bonds.

CFP® and CIMA® Continuing Education Credit can be earned by attending this event. If attending for credit, please have your identification number readily available when registering.

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Click Here to Read the Suitability Team Introduction

The Direct Business Suitability Team at ESI has gone through some changes recently, and we thought it would be a good time to reintroduce the group with a look into who they are and how they deliver financial confidence. In essence, this is the team who reviews direct business to make sure it’s suitable and in alignment with best interest. They’re all about continuous learning, keeping current on product innovation, and helping reps meet their firm and regulatory obligations.

Click Here to Meet the dedicated ESI Direct Business Suitability Team and read team members’ Bios.

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To read the full Commentary, Click Here

Monthly Commentary as of 3.31.2024
Bond yields fell across most points along the yield curve in March.  Modest price gains combined with good carry led to total return of 0.78% for the Bloomberg U.S. Intermediate Aggregate Index.

Lower yields came about despite a set of economic reports that still point to growth.  While economic growth is welcoming news, too much growth could limit the trajectory of lower inflation which in turn could delay Fed rate cuts.

After the March FOMC meeting, both the Summary of Economic Projections and Powell’s news conference continued to signal three rate cuts this year.  The apparent stalling of progress on inflation did not change their view, first expressed in December, that monetary policy is likely too restrictive and should be scaled back to prevent the economy from slipping into recession.

It is notable that this projection of three rate cuts was despite the Committee’s increase of its estimate of core PCE, the Fed’s favored inflation metric.  The median forecast for core PCE for 2024 increased from 2.4% previously to 2.6%.  Perhaps the Fed’s comfort with this level of inflation stems from the fact that housing-related inflation is one of the key factors restraining its rate of decline.  Given the time lags in capturing rent changes and home prices, this component of the inflation data will likely remain sticky.

To read the full Commentary, Click Here

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The Direct Business Suitability Team at ESI is committed to delivering financial confidence. This is the team who reviews direct business to make sure it’s suitable and in alignment with best interest. They’re all about continuous learning, keeping current on product innovation, and helping reps meet their firm and regulatory obligations.

In that spirit, the team has three top tips to share:

1. Consider using StartingPoint via Docupace – StartingPoint compiles most, if not all, required paperwork, has data validations to ensure required fields are completed, and allows for e-signature. These benefits help speed up case approvals and having to go back to a client for a correction.
2. Preview cases before clients sign paperwork – We are happy to spend as much time as is needed to review a case before the client signs the documents. This increases the likelihood of a smooth approval process and the possibility of having to go back to the client for changes.
3. View Suitability as a resource – Many cases are reviewed and approved without issue. On occasion, we may need more information, form updates, or for a case to be restructured, but rest assured we are on the same team and our goals are aligned.

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