Jackson Offers Online Educational Resources
Lansing, Mich.-based Jackson National Life Insurance Company has launched two new online resources that are central to its educational strategy.
The Center for Financial Insight is for consumers and advisors, and the Alternative Investment Learning Center is a LinkedIn community exclusively for registered advisors.
The new sites offer information on financial planning, from basic terminology and fundamental investment concepts to investment vehicles and trends.
The Center for Financial Insight is on the firm’s Web site, Jackson.com, and provides research, informational videos, white papers, industry commentary and “Investor 101” materials. New content will be added frequently, expanding the library to include an increasingly broader range of resources, Jackson National says.
The Alternative Investment Learning Center on LinkedIn is intended to serve as a mutually supportive community that offers advisors educational materials, alternative investment strategies, portfolio planning tools and industry best practices.
In addition to the LinkedIn group and the Center for Financial Insight, Jackson’s educational efforts include events on alternative investment strategies. For 2013, the firm will conduct numerous half- and full-day alternative education training sessions in various U.S. cities. The firm also will offer quarterly alternative market Webcasts and monthly alternative investment conference calls.
Curian Launches iPad App
Curian Select Portfolios’ new iPad app allows financial advisors to generate on-the-spot proposals for their clients. Advisors can:
• Create proposals directly from an iPad.
• Review presentation materials with clients.
• Select from 25 different account types and six different managed Select Portfolios.
• Offer an electronic signature option to clients.
In addition, the app provides educational messages and informational videos. The app is a free download for financial advisors authorized to do business with Curian, and is available via the Apple iTunes Store, under “Curian Select.”
Lincoln Offers Alternative Insurance Product
Lincoln Financial Group’s new life insurance product, Lincoln Treasury Indexed Universal Life, is tied to the 10-year Treasury note and is designed to capture the benefits of a potential rise in interest rates.
The policy provides a baseline death benefit and the ability to customize coverage over time. Policyholders choose their initial duration of coverage and receive credit factors that correspond to different levels of 10-year Treasury yields. Policyholders who pay premiums on time can apply the credits to extend coverage, reduce out-of-pocket premiums, withdraw the credits as cash or leave the credits in the policy account value.
Genworth Offers DocuSign eSignature
Genworth Financial Wealth Management, based in Pleasant Hill, Calif., is offering DocuSign electronic signatures on its platform. Signing documents electronically helps create a “paperless office,” the company said, and the firm expects to eliminate thousands of faxes and printouts per year. The new technology is available for requests and changes to existing accounts. New accounts will be able to use the technology later this year.
BNY Mellon Awarded Three Patents
BNY Mellon has been awarded three patents for key processes that enable electronic trading of commodities, such as gold, through exchange-traded funds. Other commodities covered by the patents include silver, other precious metals, and base and industrial metals.
BNY Mellon also serves as custodian, record-keeper or administrator for approximately half of all U.S.-listed ETFs in a broad range of asset classes.
“These patents recognize that BNY Mellon has created an innovative process that transforms a metal and other commodities that typically are cumbersome into easily traded securities,” said Joseph Keenan, head of Global ETF Services for BNY Mellon.
Altegris Launches “Edutainment” Video Series
Altegris has launched a series of animated videos designed to educate advisors and their clients about alternative investments.
Currently, six videos are available in the series; each is approximately three minutes. Common issues addressed in the videos include the importance of diversification and the multi-manager approach to alternatives.
The videos and a collection of white papers, commentaries and educational guides can be accessed from the Altegris Academy Library at www.altegris.com/en/altegris-academy/altegris-library.aspx#videos.