This Hasn’t Happened in 50 Years…

Good morning,

What's tall, graceful, and totally spotless?

No, it's not your whistle-clean FINRA record…

It's a newborn giraffe at Brights Zoo in Tennessee.

Because for the first time since the 1970s, a giraffe was born WITHOUT spots.

I guess if you want to stand out, sometimes it's good to be the exception to the rule!

Jeremiah "Spot On" Desmarais

CEO, Advisorist

P.S. Want a clever way to stand out to hot prospects? Check out the Care Forward program (and Mike’s story below).

In Today’s Issue 👇️ 

• What FAs need to know about landmark crypto ruling

• How to take advantage of surging annuity sales (+27%)

• Tips for Reducing Friction for More Sales & Marketing Wins

Plus, a roundup of everything happening this week in our little corner of the world!

🚀 Major Win for Crypto: What Advisors Need to Know

Hold on to your pocket squares.

Grayscale Investments just TKO’d the SEC in court, taking a huge step toward launching a Bitcoin ETF.

Why does that matter?

If approved, we’re looking at a potential tidal wave of retail cash flooding into Bitcoin.

So far, the SEC has only given a nod to crypto ETFs based on futures.

Why? They say futures are safer, but Grayscale argues "Hey, what’s the difference, really?"

🥊 What Went Down

The court basically said, "SEC, ‘splain yourself." 

And it turns out they couldn't—well, not in a way that satisfied the judges.

Grayscale’s win pumped the price of Bitcoin by 8.3% at one point.

The SEC still has 45 days to whine about the decision to a full court and 90 days to go knocking on the Supreme Court’s door.

🔒 Why You Should Care

I’m not asking you to buy into Bitcoin.

Heck, it doesn’t matter to me if you think it’s a scam or a goldmine.

But this is an important topic that’s impacting A LOT of investors right now.

Based on this, Grayscale’s $16.2 billion trust could become more fluid—like, wayyyyy more.

We’re talking billions of bucks pouring in, thanks to easier share creation and redemption.

So whether you’re bought into crypto or not, this has major implications in the market.

I’d recommend sending out an email to your database that says something like this…

[Subject] It’s About to Get Noisy

[Email]

👋 Hey [Client's Name],

You’re about to hear a lot more noise around cryptocurrency and Bitcoin in the coming weeks.

I’m not here to convince you one way or the other that you should be invested.

(If you’re a client, I’d be happy to sit down with you individually and answer questions.)

But I do want to keep you abreast of what’s happening.

In what’s being hailed a landmark decision, Grayscale Investments just scored a big win against the SEC, potentially paving the way for a Bitcoin ETF.

👉 What it means for you:

• More investment opportunities and access in the crypto space.

• A shift in how regulators might treat crypto going forward.

• The potential for more cash to easily flow into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin

Want to chat about how this could impact your portfolio? Let's set up a time.

Best,

[Your Name]

Annuity Sales Up 27% Through First Half of 2023

Put down that breakfast burrito because you’re going to want to see this hot off the press: Annuities are selling like Peloton bikes during a pandemic.

LIMRA just dropped a report saying that annuity sales surged to $181.1 billion in the first half of 2023.

That's a 27% leap, shattering previous records. 🎯

📊 By the Numbers

• Q2 sales? A cool $87.1 billion—up 10% YoY

• Leading the charge: fixed-indexed annuities, with a 34% uptick in six months.

• Income annuity sales? They nearly doubled to $6.8 billion compared to the first half of 2022. 🚀

🔮 Why Now?

Ah, the age-old game of timing. Blame it on the Goldilocks economy—not too hot, not too cold.

Todd Giesing, LIMRA's annuity guru, says equity markets and interest rates are "juuust right" for the annuity game right now.

Not Everyone’s a Winner

Fixed-rate deferred annuities? Took a dive after a blockbuster Q1. 📉

Traditional variable annuities rose, but let's just say they’re not in their prime anymore—nothing like their 2010s glow-up. 🕰️

🗓️ Lean into Annuities in September

September isn’t just for football and premature Pumpkin Spice Lattes. It’s also a great month to prioritize annuity sales.

Here are some reasons why:

🍂 Fall’s Fresh Start

After those lazy, hazy summer days, people are back to business, reassessing finances and thinking about long-term plans and financial stability.

📊 Tax-Smart Moves

Ah, September, the month when people realize the year's almost over and tax time is lurking. With annuities being tax-deferred, it makes them a savvy option for clients looking to optimize their tax situation before year-end.

👴 Medicare Enrollment Prep

For the 65+ crowd, October is when the Medicare enrollment period starts. That means September is when they're doing their homework. Position annuities as a way to cover gaps in Medicare or finance a more luxe retirement lifestyle.

Sponsored

Are Advisors Overlooking this 32 Million Person Market?

Ever feel burned out?

Well, apparently you’re part of the “in” crowd.

An E-Lab and Deakin University study shows that almost 75% of advisors experience high levels of burnout from work.

Rewind to last year and Mike P. would have been part of that stat.

He was so burned out he was ready to sell his practice.

Luckily, he explored some new ways to breathe life back into his business.

The surprising ‘windfall’ pivot

One of the big changes he made was installing an end-to-end system into his business to unlock additional cash with a unique approach to selling LTC products.

Fast forward to today and not only is Mike still in business – he’s expanding his office and hiring more staff.

The program that he implemented – which is called Care Forward, by the way – has become the largest portion of income in his practice.

So what is Mike actually EARNING from this?

Here’s what Mike’s doing now:

• One seminar he ran recently closed 2 clients (one at $6M and another at $2M).

• Prospects who previously said “I’ve got an advisor” are flocking to him because of his ‘Care Forward’ Hook

• With over 33M between 65-74 y.o. in US - only 3% – THREE! – are prepped for LTC.

• That means there are more than 32 million folks out there who need an LTC plan.

I’m not going to tell you how to run your practice – but that smells like a huge opportunity to me.

And with a program like Care Forward by Aegis Financial, there’s no reason any advisor in this business shouldn’t be crushing it right now with LTC….just like Mike.

👉 Click here for a short video + bullet points on the program

Headline Roundup

Major Happenings

• IRS Issues Guidance on 2023 State Tax Payments [TA]

• $72 Million in Student Debt Canceled for 2,300 Borrowers [CNBC]

Annuities in the news

• Tech is Converging With Annuities for a 21st Century Refresh [ADVP]

• Annuities Tricky for Advisors to Buy & Manage; Insurers Aim to Change [BRNS]

AI & FinTech

• 31% of Investors ‘Okay’ With Using AI as Their Advisor [CNBC]

• AI Investment Platform is First Non-Human FA Regulated by SEC [FOX]

Industry Roundup

• Financial Planning’s Top 40 Brokers Under 40 for 2023 [FP]

• Wooing Advisor Talent is Extra Challenging in Tough Labor Market [FP]

• Report: FAs Say 40% of Their Clients Were Forced to Retire [INN]

• New Rules Let Advisors Maintain Licenses Longer While Out of Industry [INN]

• Over A Third of Americans Say Finances Make Them Physically Sick [NMW]

The Best Thing I Saw All Week

They might as well call Scout “the Houdini of Antrim County.”

After all, the dog has broken out of the local animal shelter 3X in recent months…

…only to dart over to the Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility and take up residence on the sofa in the lobby.

After the third escape, the staff decided to adopt him.

Scout not only roams the halls, but even knows how to open doors.

One of the coordinators at the facility says, "He knows all the residents...and he protects the household."

Why Meadow Brook? That's Scout's secret.

But he's got a sixth sense for residents in need and comforts them...

"If they have dementia or if they're dying he knows that, and he will go and be with them and comfort them. He must've just felt like he needed to be here."

Three escapes and a heart full of love – it looks like Scout found his forever home!

Sharing looks good on you.

When you copy that link at the bottom and share it with a few financial planning colleagues, you look like the smartest advisor in the room by keeping them informed.

Plus, you earn rewards. Sweet.