An outsourced insurance desk (OID) eases the burden financial advisors face when seeking protective investments, such as annuities, for their clients. Now more than ever, investors desire assets that can produce a steady stream of income to support their spending needs. More specifically, retirees are a growing segment of the population and are looking beyond today’s low bond yields and paltry savings account rates. Annuities can provide income and smoother outcomes for investors, which play vital roles in a stable retirement portfolio.

Annuities cannot be bought and sold as easily as other securities, though. You cannot simply login to a brokerage site and punch in an order to buy shares. RIAs often must have an insurance license before offering annuities to their clients. For many fee-based advisors, this is a roadblock to the annuity space. The good news for advisors? Halo Investing is busting through that roadblock. We are not the first company to offer OID services. The concept has been in the industry for many years, so it is a time-tested method in which advisors can have confidence. An OID acts as the agent of record and handles much of the annuity paperwork, as well as other duties involved with underwriting an insurance contract.

Annuity Interest is Building Among Retirees and Workers

Baby Boomers were retiring at a rapid clip in 2019. Then COVID hit. Since early 2020, those exiting the labor force have soared in number. It’s estimated that two million more workers than expected have retired in the months after the onset of the pandemic. According to a projection as of July 2 2021, 47 million workers aged 55 or older are now retired. Many of these retirees may be looking to rebalance from equity-heavy portfolios, in addition to needing more than 2% from high-quality bond yields. With inflation running at 7.5%, the hottest clip since 1982, other products are needed to help bolster retirement portfolios. Annuities can help.

Interest in annuities is coming not only from retirees but also from those still in the workforce. Guaranteed-payout products might be showing up in 401(k) plan investment lineups, and advisors should be prepared. According to a survey by SimplyWise, nearly half of savers have the justified fear of outliving their assets. As a result, the 401(k) industry is getting crafty. Professionals worked with regulators in the Secure Act of 2019 to help reduce the litigation risks plan administrators have with annuities in 401(k) plans.

Annuities were once notorious for being fee-laden and illiquid products that were more often “sold” than “bought.” That reputation is breaking as a result of fiduciary advisors and financial technology. Trusted financial planners on the hunt for quality investment solutions are replacing insurance salespeople. Fintech and competitive platforms such as Halo’s– compress costs and provide transparency. The stage is set for the annuity boom to begin.

Annuities are Tough to Transact for Independent Advisors

RIAs want to do what’s best for their clients. They want to devote all their time and effort to improving the financial lives of those they serve. Spending countless hours acquiring insurance licenses is not an ideal use of time. Halo’s OID services save advisors time and frustration by making the annuity transaction process smooth, straightforward, and inexpensive.

Halo Makes Annuities Easy For Advisors

Halo’s marketplace is a centralized marketplace that enables financial advisors to explore, transact, and manage annuities in a simplified way. The platform includes numerous annuity options and strategies from several leading carriers, including Allianz Life, Jackson, and AIG. The fully digitized annuities platform streamlines execution and management across the annuity lifecycle, helping advisors provide retirement income for clients more efficiently and cost-effectively. Halo also has a team of annuity experts to guide you as the advisor along the way.

There are three key benefits to working with Halo to transact annuities in your practice.

1. By working with Halo as your OID, you retain all your assets, which makes it easier to manage portfolios. It also helps you grow your AUM.
2. Moreover, Halo OID professionals are registered with FINRA and hold necessary insurance licenses. Our OID staff consists of subject-matter experts to help you find the right annuities for your clients.
3. Finally, Halo works with advisors to ensure that any annuity solution fits the client’s financial plan.

As your end-to-end annuity technology solution, we take care of all the paperwork and settlement processes as the agent of record. Halo’s modern platform also includes a range of investment options. Other key features of the Halo platform include:

• Access to the top annuity carriers
• Enhanced data and analytics to compare, explore, and select annuities
• Real-time rates from carriers, up-to-date carrier product information, and marketing collateral
• Support from Halo’s concierge insurance services to help identify solutions
• Digital and virtual client signing, suitability review, and carrier submission
• Portfolio management and post-trade monitoring with valuation tracking and in-force transactions across annuity positions

Conclusion

Advisors can think of Halo as an extension of their staff—we are just a phone call or chat away. By teaming with us, you can consider Halo as the annuity department of your office.

Please see our Halo Disclaimer for other important disclosures.