Notice: Memberships can no longer be purchased for The Retirement Academy. If you are a financial professional and would like to become a member of the Academy, contact CG Financial Group at 515-986-3065
The Retirement Academy
Your Business Will Never Be The Same
The Retirement Academy was created to provide financial advisors, insurance agents, Broker Dealers, IMOs, and home office staff with an online database of videos, articles, and webinar recordings that will allow these financial professionals to transcend their businesses.
Since it’s launch in April of 2021, The Retirement Academy has gotten rave reviews of the online content that has now grown to over 400 videos and 80 articles/whitepapers.
Also included with the Retirement Academy are semi-weekly emails from the creator, Charlie Gipple, that highlights certain items related to annuities, life insurance, LTC, and/or practice management.
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“All too often financial professionals are pitched product specs and ideas that sound good at the time, but yet never get utilized while meeting with clients. This is because those “ideas” were neither practical nor transferrable. The Academy’s material is less about the theoretical and more about what financial professionals can actually use!!”
-Charlie Gipple, CLU, ChFC
Owner of the Retirement Academy
Retirement Academy Sales and Education Modules
Below are 6 different modules that you can navigate to once you become an “academian”. These modules contain videos, articles, whitepapers, and webinar replays respective to the module’s topic.
Module 1: Practice Management
Without successful practice management, products don’t matter! In this module, we educate and train on all things practice management and what the top echelon of agents/agencies do to be successful.
Practice management, marketing, selling, prospecting, etc. is different today than what it used to be. Prospecting has changed, technology has changed, regulations have changed, even selling language has changed!
We discuss new techniques like behavioral finance but also the “old” techniques that will always work, such as storytelling.
This module is an all-encompassing practice management module that goes beyond the “product” modules. Marketing, prospecting, selling, public speaking, social media, etc.
Members Only
Module 2: Consumer Videos and Sales Pieces
There is a reason that Youtube is the #2 search engine in the world! People love videos and your prospects/clients are no different. Here we publish videos for you to use with your clients that are “carrier agnostic”. These videos are based on annuity, life and LTC concepts that are proven!
This section also has “non-video” consumer facing pieces you can utilize such as, brochures and social media ads. There are 2.7 billion Facebook users, 760 million LinkedIn users, and 1 billion Instagram users. Make them your clients!
Members Only
Module 3: Annuities
Whether you are new to annuities or a seasoned professional, this section of The Retirement Academy is designed to give you education that no carrier or IMO will provide you with. As with any of our product education modules, this module contains information from high level “what is being sold in the annuity industry” all the way down to more micro topics such as “what is a market value adjustment and how does it work?”
Annuities discussed are: Variable Annuities, Fixed Annuities, MYGAs, Indexed Annuities, Annuities with GLWB Riders, and the list goes on.
Members Only
Module 4: Life Insurance
The life insurance business has never been more exciting but yet COMPLEX. Not only are the products more comprehensive and complicated than ever, the application process and underwriting process have also become more complex with accelerated underwriting platforms, drop tickets, eapps, etc.
This module is designed to educate you on everything from living benefits, IUL, Whole Life, to which carriers have the best underwriting for a particular scenario.
Members Only
Module 5: Long-Term Care/Hybrid Products
Considering that there is a 7 in 10 chance that consumers aged 65 and older will have a “long-term care event”, this should be an area of focus in your practice! Long-Term care events can be devastating to the consumer and also to the family as a private room in a nursing home currently costs over $100,000 per year, based on averages. This product sector has also experienced significant innovation that you need to stay abreast of.
Members Only
Module 6: The Academians' Blog
This is where we post timely subject matter material for our fellow “Academians” to educate themselves on. The blog material ranges from technical whitepapers to more casual “random thoughts from Charlie” material.
Members Only
Observations That Led To The Creation
Times have changed!!!
Since the turn of the millenium, we have seen the stock market cut in half TWICE, LTC products innovate at warp speed, annuity products drastically change because of low interest rates, the life business focus on living benefits, and consumers continue to look to the internet for their purchase decisions.
When you think about just this small list of changes, it is obvious that you as the financial professional or supervisory firm (BDs, RIAs) need to be better informed and on top of your game unlike anytime in the past!
Too much fluff and not enough education
Many times, financial professionals getting education on the finer mechanics of the products take a back seat to the sales pitches provided by the product distributors and manufacturers. Much of this is because the purveyor of the product information may lack the experience with dealing with the internal workings of the product.
Too much product and not enough practice management
The products can be the best products on Earth but if you are not educated on how to effectively communicate with clients and how to run a successful practice, none of it matters! Behavioral Finance is one of the many parts to a successful "practice management" curriculum.
The need for cross selling
Many financial professionals are very astute with one or two areas such as P&C or securities but do not know where to get the education to offer life, annuities and/or LTC to their clients. This is particularly true with securities reps now wanting to broaden their knowledge base with insurance products. The Academy can help!!
Many financial professionals lack a "virtual presence"
In our findings, around 40% of financial professionals DID NOT have a website. Considering the internet is the first place many consumers go for their information on financial products, this is a gap The Retirement Academy must help with.
Independent financial professionals want to be a part of something
There are many upsides to the independent distribution. However, a downside that is communicated over and over again is, independent financial professionals feel like they are on an island alone. They want to be a part of a community!
Straight From The Horse’s Mouth
My business is 95% securities based but I am starting to expand it to insurance focused products as well. However, my broker-dealer does not have the time, resources, or desire to provide me with the education I need on these products. I want less fluff and more education.
I have been running my agency for 30 years and have 3,000 clients on the books. I would love to find a way to offer these clients annuities that offer them higher rates than what they are getting. However, I have a hard time finding a credible source for education and material to help me and my team.
I am intmidated because it seems that learning a whole new product line will distract me from my life insurance business! However, I know I am leaving money on the table. My problem is, I dont know where to go where I will get unbiased education, versus a sales pitch.
I have been doing this for 5 decades but it doesn’t matter because of the pace in which products innovate. I need a resource that will help me keep up with the times, not only from a product standpoint but also a process standpoint.
To me, the most intimidating part about life insurance is the process of underwriting. Which company for which issue. Then, once you have that figured out, you have to figure out how to submit the application. Eapp? Paper app? Drop Ticket? My upline doesn’t teach this and I need a resource that does.