With the Fed already making interest rate cuts and many annuity carriers announcing rate decreases, this may be the last call, as they say, for this era of high annuity rates. Some of the clients you work with understand this. But some may need a healthy dose of fear. That healthy dose of fear is the uncertain interest rate environment, the uncertain geopolitical environment and ultimately the equities market in general.

Talk with your clients and ask the hard questions – “If we have a 2008 or COVID type situation happen tomorrow, how much of your nest egg could you afford to lose?”

We all remember the days of the low-interest rate environment and the “new normal” that we had to endure from around 2009 all the way up till around 2022. We are getting normalized now to this high-interest rate environment, and so I wanted to remind all who are reading this that today's lowest FIA S&P 500 cap rate is likely higher than the highest S&P 500 cap rate just five years ago.

The great news is we still have S&P 500 caps over 10%, premium bonuses on 10-year surrender FIAs over 10%. And on top of that, income riders with high payouts and competitive features like income doublers for chronic illness events - with many carriers offering the income doubler on a joint basis, not just on single payouts.

As we enter this fall season, it's a time that I like to call separation season. While many agents fall into the trap of thinking that after Thanksgiving, the selling season is over, in my humble opinion, this is a mistake!
We see our biggest producers, in most cases, have their biggest months in November and December. One big factor might be that they're available and working. I'm not against taking vacations and time off - far from it! Family, faith, loving your friends and family are the most important things in life.

However, when this separation season occurs, I tend to think about professional athletes like Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant was one of the most gifted athletes ever born and he could have had a great career even if he didn't give it his all every day. But instead of coasting on his talents, Kobe was always the first in the gym and the last to leave the gym, setting a tone for all his teammates.

But Kobe wasn't doing it for his teammates, he was doing it because he knew other NBA players weren't working as hard as he was. And, in the back of his mind he knew there were other players working just as hard as him. It motivated him out to the point of working even harder, to be the best Kobe possible.

So go out and be brave. Have confidence in yourself and the products you sell. And at the end of the day, you can know that you’re not only helping your clients secure a safe financial future, but you are also helping the most important people in the world - your family.

​This week, the music world lost an iconic genius – the great soul-man, D’Angelo. Born Michael Archer, the world would come to know him as simply “D’Angelo.” With only three studio albums over a 30-year-career, he transformed genres and encouraged creativity with his unique style. D’Angelo quietly and quickly succumbed to pancreatic cancer – only his closest relatives were aware of the battle he was fighting.

D’Angelo may or may not be someone with whom you are familiar. His songs never fit the mold for any specific “genre”. He was his own genre, much like Marvin Gaye became once he was able to produce his own albums. If you’re familiar with Marvin Gaye, you know the clear distinction between his early Motown years and the later albums like “What’s Going On” and “Here, My Dear”.

D’Angelo’s first studio album, Brown Sugar was released in 1995 and both the title track as well as the song, “Lady” were top 10 hits. It would be a full five years later until he released the seminal masterpiece Voodoo. This record propelled D’Angelo to super-stardom – and was somewhat overshadowed by the provocative music video for the song “How Does It Feel?”.

Uncomfortable with fame and sex appeal that came with stardom, this son of a preacher was tormented by internal demons. He suffered for years fighting writer’s block. He also battled through addiction during this period and became reclusive. The fame was overwhelming the artist.

After the death of a close friend, D’Angelo sought help and through rehab and hard work, got his life back together. Over the years, fans would speculate, and other artists would as well, all asking the same thing: “When is D’Angelo going to put out another record?!”

Fans would have to wait until 2014 – a full 14-years after Voodoo was released, to hear new sounds from D’Angelo.

The 2014 album The Black Messiah would go on to be a masterpiece of its own – and would be his final studio album. This record seemed to be an outlet through which he was able to express the importance of faith in his life as well as a way to speak out against injustice in the world.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of D’Angelo. His music helped me through difficult times in my life. His death came as a shock to me and all his fans.

While D’Angelo is no longer with us in this life, his legacy lives on – and his story is one of hard work and perseverance. He beat back his inner demons and reclaimed his life. He left a legacy to the world.

As life and annuity producers, you undoubtedly have had to overcome obstacles to get to where you are now. You have also undoubtedly helped countless clients leave a legacy through the miracle of paper and ink – the financial “magic” that is life insurance.

If you have read this far, I encourage you to take note of the importance and opportunity that each day brings. Your hard work changes lives – just like D’Angelo changed mine.

​As the seasons change and fall comes upon us (what a warm fall we have had) it is important to look in the mirror to remind yourself of the good you are doing in your daily work life. The life and annuity industry is an honorable profession and you know that no matter what happens – your clients’ nest egg is protected. You are selling assurance and peace of mind, not just a product.

The autumnal changes, though they happen every year, always seem to hit me with a dose of reality – its not always going to be warm and sunny every day. In times of struggle, it is easy to stray from the path you are walking. The daily grind can knock us down – however a dose of perseverance, faith and hope can get you through.

What is faith? That is a loaded question! Put simply, faith is the willingness to act on conviction even when certainty is not possible. What is hope? Another loaded question. Hope can be summarized by the quiet strength that looks past the storm and keeps its eyes on a clearing sky.

I never like to assume anything – however I’m confident that most all who are reading this have faith in themselves and a hope that brighter days are ahead. It is easy to have hope and faith when things are going swimmingly. But the true test of faith and hope comes when we encounter roadblocks and undesirable outcomes.

As my father always told me, “Every NO is a step closer to a YES!”

This has been proven time and again. There are an abundance of stories of folks who encountered challenges, some seemingly insurmountable, yet they had hope and faith in themselves and through the power of hard work and perseverance, they flourished. This is true in our business, perhaps more than in any other business.

The old saying “activity leads to app-tivity” sums it up in the most perfect way. You know your abilities and weaknesses. Lean into your abilities and work toward strengthening your weak areas. Keep pressing on and good things will happen. Any successful agent will tell you this is true.

So, whether this is an abundant season or a slow season for you, the mission remains the same: keep on fighting and you will have success. Your family depends on you and working as a straight commission salesperson, this can be a big burden to carry. Have faith in yourself, hope for an even better tomorrow – and through hard work and perseverance, you will see success.

To tie a bow around all of this, we at The Ohlson Group know that you don’t get a bi-weekly paycheck. We know that you eat what you kill, and we are here to help lighten your load and take some of the burden off your back. Give us a call and we can help put a plan together, set goals and get you into a marketing program that can help you meet qualified prospects and close business.

Never give up – you never know what is around the corner. With positivity and hope, we can win together!