We’re well into Financial Literacy Month, and as an insurance agent, this is a great opportunity to check in with clients and ensure they have the resources they need to make smart financial decisions. Shockingly, 88% of respondents in Ramsey Solutions’ 2023 Financial Literacy Crisis Report say that high school did not prepare them for their financial futures. This means life insurance agents need to step in when it comes to financial education.
And, now’s the best time to do so if you haven’t already incorporated financial education into your meetings. Before the end of Financial Literacy Month, make sure you’ve taken action to address financial education concerns and help set your clients up for success.
Quick Links:
- Why Is Financial Education Important?
- The Role of Life Insurance Agents in Financial Education Efforts
- Common Financial Literacy Challenges for Clients
- 5 Financial Education Strategies for Financial Literacy Month
Why Is Financial Education Important?
Without adequate knowledge of financial topics, how can we expect our clients to understand their life insurance policies? From term life insurance and whole life insurance to deferred annuities, there are a lot of concepts you’ll need to cover with your clients. And sometimes, you’re going to have to go back to the basics in order to ensure your clients fully understand their policy and are able to make the right decisions for their needs.
First of all, financial education starts with understanding fundamental concepts like budgeting, saving, and managing debt. Though it may take some time, with a firm grasp on these concepts, your clients can learn how to create a budget and make plans for their short-term and long-term goals.
On the note of long-term goals, financial literacy involves understanding retirement planning concepts like employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k), pension plans), individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and Social Security benefits. With this knowledge, your clients can learn how to calculate retirement needs and work with you to develop strategies for generating income during retirement years using annuities.
Further, with strong financial literacy, clients can better understand what they need to ensure a happy and safe life as they grow older. Whether that’s through annuities or life insurance policies, the importance of understanding these products and their role in financial planning cannot be understated. Clients should be aware of the different types of insurance available to them and how each can mitigate financial risks and protect their loved ones.
Finally, financial education is important for appropriate risk management. Knowing how to stay within a budget and make a plan for the future will help your clients decide what they need from their financial resources, including life insurance and annuity products.
Overall, financial education gives individuals the power to make well informed financial decisions, navigate life's uncertainties, and work towards achieving their financial goals. As a life insurance professional, it’s your duty to provide clients with the knowledge and guidance they need to secure their financial futures.
The Role of Life Insurance Agents in Financial Education Efforts
Clients turn to you for your life insurance expertise and that expertise includes your knowledge on financial topics. As such, life insurance agents stand in a position to share their knowledge, use financial education strategies, and help clients make smart decisions for their long-term goals.
In other words, life insurance agents often need to step in as an educator for financial literacy. First and foremost, life insurance agents play a crucial role in assessing the financial needs and goals of clients. By understanding your client's unique situations, such as family dynamics, income levels, debts, and retirement goals, agents can tailor their financial education efforts to address specific needs or concerns.
These customized solutions allow for agents to help clients obtain adequate protections for themselves and their families. And, in some cases, life insurance agents may work closely with their client’s financial advisors to integrate insurance solutions into their overall financial plans. After all, life insurance and annuities are just one portion of the greater framework of financial security. By collaborating with other professionals, agents ensure that the insurance coverage provided aligns with their clients' broader financial objectives.
Financial education is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. The reality is many clients come into meetings without much confidence in their financial knowledge. So, it’s important for life insurance agents to provide continuous support and education to their clients, helping them stay informed about changes in the insurance industry, updates to their policies, and new opportunities for financial growth and protection.
Ultimately, the role of life insurance agents in financial education efforts is to empower their clients with knowledge and confidence in effective financial management. By arming your clients with the information they need to make informed decisions about insurance and financial planning, you help them achieve greater financial security and peace of mind.
Common Financial Literacy Challenges for Clients
Financial literacy can be difficult to grasp for many people. And, though financial literacy is vital for effective money management, investments, and insurance decisions, that doesn’t mean your clients are well-versed in everything there is to know about financial planning as it relates to life insurance and annuities. Here are some of the most common financial literacy challenges that clients face:
- Understanding Terminology: Like any industry, there’s often a lot of jargon getting thrown around. However, that doesn’t mean everyone is always on the same page. So, it’s important to take the time to review common terminology with your clients in order to ensure they fully understand the details of their policy.
- Difficulty Planning For the Future: It may be hard for some clients to see the big picture. When it comes to life insurance and annuities, a lot of the actions taken in the short-term have bigger implications in the long-term. However, this can quickly become hard to grasp for some clients.
For instance, if a client doesn’t have a strong understanding of compound interest, they might not be able to see how their annuity value will change overtime. In these situations, it will be beneficial to use additional resources, such as visual aids, to help make these benefits clear. - Prevalence of Misconceptions: There are many misconceptions surrounding insurance, particularly life insurance. Some clients may not fully understand the purpose of life insurance or the different types of policies available. Others may underestimate the importance of insurance in protecting their financial security and providing for their loved ones in the event of unexpected events like death or disability. This information will need to be clearly communicated in order to overcome the initial challenges of matching clients with appropriate policies.
- Complexity of Financial Products: On the note of appropriate policies, the financial industry offers a wide range of products and services, including various types of insurance policies, investment options, and retirement plans. With these comes additional details to be mindful of, like life insurance payouts, surrender charges, and tax benefits, to name a few. Understanding the features, benefits, and risks associated with these products can be overwhelming for clients, especially those with limited financial knowledge.
- Lack of Access to Resources: Access to reliable financial education resources can be a challenge for many clients. In fact, many people don’t always know what counts as a reliable resource when conducting a simple Google search. Without access to educational materials and tools, clients may find it difficult to improve their financial literacy and make informed decisions about their finances.
Planning for long-term goals such as life insurance, retirement income, and estate planning requires careful financial planning and discipline. However, many clients struggle to create realistic financial goals and develop strategies to achieve them. By understanding these common financial literacy challenges, life insurance professionals can tailor their education efforts to address clients' specific needs and empower them to make informed decisions about their finances.
5 Financial Education Strategies for Financial Literacy Month
So, how can you act as an educator and help clients boost their confidence and financial wellness when planning for the future? Well, here are a few helpful tips that you can add to your list of strategies during Financial Literacy Month.
Start Early
If you’re meeting with a new client, make sure to incorporate financial literacy into your meetings from the get-go. As mentioned, many people don’t have confidence in their knowledge regarding financial literacy and money management. So, incorporating financial education strategies into your meetings early on can help build trust between you and your clients.
And, this doesn’t just apply to financial literacy. Starting the planning process early for life insurance and annuities ensures clients are well prepared for the future ahead. If you find your clients are having a hard time during these early stages, be sure to go slow and reinforce the fact that there’s no better time to increase their knowledge and begin making long-term plans than right now.
Provide Resources
Financial education isn’t limited to your client meetings. Be sure to come prepared with resources clients can take with them and review after your meetings. Sometimes, clients need time to digest what they’ve just discussed with you, or use alternative formats. For instance, some people respond well to conversation and can instantly grasp the concepts you’ve spoken about. However, others might learn better from visual aids, such as infographics or videos. So, be sure to have several options ready to go.
Reinforce Important Information
How often do you fully grasp a new idea the first time you learn about it? While financial literacy may come easily for some people, it’s not as intuitive for others. So, when discussing important financial topics, make sure you repeat and reinforce these concepts to ensure a deep understanding.
For example, one of the most important components of life insurance policies is premiums. If your client doesn’t pay their premiums, they may lose their coverage. This is one example of information that should be repeatedly visited in order to ensure a thorough understanding.
Check-In Frequently
Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking “Does this make sense?” when meeting with clients to gauge their financial literacy. Not only is this an easy thing to ask, it will help you ensure you are moving at an appropriate pace when helping clients expand upon their financial knowledge.
If you move too quickly from topic to topic, your clients might not be able to keep up. Fortunately, this is easily fixed by pausing to check-in with their understanding during your conversations. That way, you can rephrase, revisit, or discuss topics further before moving on to the next focus area.
Encourage Clients to Reach Out
Ultimately, for accurate information on financial concepts and insurance policies, who better to turn to for help than professional insurance agents? While you may be providing tangible resources for clients to review, don’t forget to also offer your time as another option. After all, you are an advocate for your clients, so make sure they know you’re available for additional guidance when needed.
These strategies aren’t just limited to April. Make sure you’re always taking an educational approach to deepen your relationship with clients and build trust. That way, your clients will take your advice in stride and be able to make well informed decisions for a secure future.
If you’re looking to find life insurance and annuity products to help your clients find peace of mind as they make long-term plans, then turn to ELCO Mutual. Please reach out to our team today to learn more about our available products and how to become one of our independent agents!
