Advisor News Insight |
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INDUSTRY NEWS |
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Exciting News About B.E.S.T.! |
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We’re pleased to share that Broker Educational Sales & Training (B.E.S.T.) has been acquired by October Three Consulting. The integration of B.E.S.T. into October Three’s Retirement Learning Center (RLC) further enhances a comprehensive solution for financial advisors—bringing together continuing education, professional certification, ERISA expertise, and a robust help desk into a single, integrated value-add offering. With this powerful platform, advisors are supported at every stage of their practice, gaining access to the market intelligence, compliance expertise, and design solutions needed to deliver the best possible retirement outcomes for their clients. |
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Annuity Planning |
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Can You Put Annuities in a Trust a Practical GuideYes, you can place certain types of annuities inside a trust, but it depends on the annuity’s contract, the type of trust, and your goals. This guide explains when it makes sense to fund a trust with an annuity, how to structure ownership and beneficiary designations, potential tax implications, and common pitfalls to avoid. It covers both living (revocable) and irrevocable trusts, and clarifies the differences between annuity ownership, payout streams, and probate avoidance. Understanding these nuances helps individuals create a more predictable estate plan and financial strategy. (Bridge Legal Team, Bridge Legal, 03/05/2026) |
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Rethinking the 4% Rule: How Annuities Boost Retirement IncomeA TIAA report argued that annuities can provide greater financial predictability in retirement during volatile markets and can also deliver higher annual retirement income than the 4% rule for annual withdrawals. Market volatility in recent years has been a challenge for retirement savers. Most experts advise retirement savers to keep saving and fiduciaries to stay the course while also monitoring their investment lineup, especially funds designed to mitigate volatility. TIAA explained that annuities can also help retirement investors overcome volatility during the drawdown stage. (TIAA, 04/2026) |
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Charitable Planning |
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Planning for Charitable Contributions in 2026H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, made several changes to the tax rules for charitable contributions, including a new charitable contribution deduction for non-itemizers effective starting in 2026. (Mark A. Luscombe, JD, LLM, CPA and Attorney, Wolters Kluwer, 02/18/2026) |
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Life Insurance Planning |
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Tax Tips on Life Insurance LoansIf you acquire permanent life insurance policy as opposed to term life insurance, your premium payments build up a cash value in the policy. Generally, you can borrow against the cash value, within certain limits. The policyholder is required to pay back the borrowed money, plus interest, to the insurance company. In effect, it’s like you’re repaying yourself, since this restores the initial death benefit. Usually, a borrower can avoid any dire tax consequences. However, if you the loan hasn’t been repaid when coverage lapses or the policy is terminated, you may owe a tax bill on part of the amount that you borrowed. This area contains numerous tax traps for the unwary. Be sure to provide the guidance your clients need relating to life insurance loans. (Ken Berry, JD, CPA Practice Advisor Tax Correspondent (freelance writer), Various, 12/24/2025) |
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Long-Term Care Planning |
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Long-Term Services and Supports Are Becoming Even More Unaffordable for Middle-Class AmericansThe gap between retirement income and long-term care costs is widening rapidly. New research from AARP shows that what was once a difficult but manageable challenge through the 2010s has shifted in recent years, leaving financial advisors grappling with a growing affordability problem that is changing how they approach planning. (Ari Houser, Senior Methods Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute, March 2026) |
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Medicare & Medicaid Planning |
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The Medicare Tax Trap Costing Clients ThousandsFor many retirees, Medicare premiums are treated as a fixed expense. But an ill-timed tax planning decision — like a Roth conversion — can quickly change that. The income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA, operates with sharp cliffs: Cross a threshold by even a single dollar, and premiums can jump by thousands annually. For advisors, that makes income management just as important as portfolio management. And as surcharges rise in 2026, the cost of getting it wrong is becoming more visible to clients. (Elijah Nicholson-Messmer, Data Reporter, Financial Planning, 03/19/2026) |
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Retirement Planning |
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Retirement Confidence Falls as Social Security, Medicare Concerns MountWhile 64% of Americans feel confident in their ability to retire comfortably, the figure is a reported drop from last year, finds a 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald Research. The sentiment of living comfortably in retirement dropped six percentage points for workers, to 61%, while retirement confidence among seniors fell five percentage points to 73%. This is likely due to increasing financial strain on participants, rising costs, and mounting concerns over the future of Social Security and Medicare. (Amanda Umpierrez, Managing Editor, 401(k) Specialist Magazine, m/d/2026) |
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Rising Healthcare Costs Threaten Retirement IncomeA new report highlights the long-term impact of retirement healthcare cost inflation across Medicare Part B, Part D, Medigap, Medicare Advantage and related out-of-pocket expenses, showing that healthcare inflation is not going away anytime soon and will eat into retirement budgets. |
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Social Security Planning |
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The Combined Social Security Trust FundsA proposal by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget calls for a cap on Social Security benefits to help shore up the insurance program. The Trust Fund Solutions Initiative white paper offers what it says is a new option to improve Social Security via a Six Figure Limit, which it claims would set a $100,000 cap on the total benefit a couple retiring at the Normal Retirement Age (NRA) can receive this year. “The SFL would be adjusted based on marital status and claiming age, with a $50,000 limit for a single retiree collecting at the NRA,” the group states. (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 2026) |
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Tax Planning |
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How Does Your State’s Effective Tax Rate Rank?State and local taxes remain one of the most consequential and least intuitive variables in financial planning. A recent analysis from WalletHub underscores just how wide the dispersion is: the gap between the lowest-and highest tax states approaches 10 percentage points of income, with households in the most expensive states paying more than twice as much as those in the least. For advisors, the key takeaway isn’t just where a state ranks, it’s how the tax burden is constructed. (John S Kiernan, Managing Editor, WalletHub, 03/03/2026) |
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Wealth Transfer Planning |
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The Hidden Barriers to the Great Wealth TransferFinancial advisors have “very high awareness, low concern and surprisingly limited preparedness” for guiding clients through the “great wealth transfer,” according to a new study. At least 97% of advisors in the U.S., U.K. and Canada are aware of the looming transfer of tens of trillions of dollars to baby boomers’ heirs, according to estate planning technology firm Empathy. But 72% said they’re not “highly concerned” about the great wealth transfer, and only 44% described themselves as prepared for the impact on their clients. (Empathy, 2026) |
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ASSUMED FEDERAL RATES (AFRs) |
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§7520 Rate for May is: 5.00% |
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ADVISOR TOOLS |
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Free 2026 Federal Income Tax and
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Financial / Insurance Calculators & WebsitesDiscover a wealth of online calculators and informational websites tailored to your needs. Our extensive resources cover essential areas such as financial planning, retirement calculations, investment analysis, and insurance needs assessment, empowering you to provide comprehensive guidance and services to your clients. |
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STATE REQUIREMENT UPDATES |
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Stay Up-to-Date on Your
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FEATURED COURSE(S) |
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CE Credits
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B.E.S.T. CE PROGRAMS |
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CFP® Ethics CE WebinarJoin Us for Our Upcoming 2-Hour Live Webinar and
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Webinar Consists of the Following2-hour live presentation: CFP Ethics A Practical Application of CFP Board’s Code and Standards (Course#: 277681). This
presentation is approved by the Certified Financial Planner
Board of Standards and fulfills the requirement
for CFP Board approved Ethics CE. It is designed to
educate CFP® professionals on CFP Board’s new Code of
Ethics and Standards of Conduct. |
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Pricing Options
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NOTE: Additional fee includes CFP Board fee of $1.25 per credit hour/per student. If you add IAR CE credits, there is also an additional IAR’s governing board filing fee of $3.00 per credit hour/per student. (IAR CE credits are approved in the states that have adopted the NASAA Model Regulations.) Registering includes the following three web pages: (each may open in a separate window)
NOTE: Do not close any of your web pages / browsers |
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CFP®: This webinar is approved by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards and fulfills the requirement for CFP Board approved Ethics CE. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP®, and CFP® in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. IWI: Investments & Wealth Institute® (IWI) has accepted this CFP® Ethics webinar for 2 hours of CE credit towards the IWI certifications. (CIMA®, CPWA® and RMA®) NASAA (IAR) Disclaimer: “NASAA does not endorse any particular provider of CE courses. The content of the course and any views expressed are my/our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASAA or any of its member jurisdictions.” |
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IAR Ethics Virtual Super CE ProgramJoin Us for Our Upcoming 1-Hour Live Webinar and
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Program Consists of the Following:
The Ethical Practices and Professional Responsibility presentation is designed to present financial and insurance professionals with the ethical practices and standards required when conducting business in their state. (No CE credit.) Ethics for Financial and Insurance Professionals (Course #: C27297) is designed to meet the mandatory 6-hour CE credit requirement under the Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs). Requires you to spend six (6) hours of reading and reviewing the self-study course material PRIOR to taking the exam. The 60-question exam requires an invite code that is given to all attendees during the live webinar presentation. To receive CE credit, advisors must obtain a passing grade of 70% or higher. If the exam is not passed on the first attempt, students have two (2) additional retakes for a maximum of three (3) attempts. |
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Pricing Options
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NOTE: Additional fee includes IAR’s governing board filing fee of $3.00 per credit hour/per student. If you add CFP CE credits, there is also an additional CFP Board fee of $1.25 per credit hour/per student. (IAR CE credits are only available for states that have adopted the NASAA Model Regulations.) NASAA (IAR) Disclaimer: “NASAA does not endorse any particular provider of CE courses. The content of the course and any views expressed are my/our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASAA or any of its member jurisdictions.” |
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DISCLAIMER |
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Unauthorized reproductions of Advisor News Insight newsletter are strictly prohibited. However, you are permitted to forward this newsletter (in its entirety) to colleagues via email. Under no circumstances should this newsletter be posted on any website without prior written consent from Broker Educational Sales & Training (B.E.S.T.). Please note that this newsletter comprises information gathered from various web-based sources, and B.E.S.T. does not assert authorship of the material unless explicitly mentioned. The articles contained herein are copyrighted by their respective publishers. While we have taken measures to verify the functionality of all included links, we cannot guarantee their continuous operation, as publishers may relocate or remove content. It is important to understand that B.E.S.T. neither endorses nor assumes any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the material linked to in this newsletter. The opinions expressed within this newsletter belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of B.E.S.T. Readers are strongly encouraged to rely on the information provided herein ONLY AFTER conducting their independent review of its accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, and timeliness. THIS
NEWSLETTER SERVES SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND
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B.E.S.T. INFORMATION / SERVICES |
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B.E.S.T. Links |
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ResourcesAccess a robust suite of resources at your fingertips, encompassing calculators, informative websites, quick-reference guides for taxes, Social Security, and Medicare, as well as monthly newsletters and recorded webinars. Gain a wealth of knowledge and stay up-to-date with ease through our comprehensive offerings. |
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