Advanced Markets October Digital Kit from Mutual of Omaha

According to trustandwill.com*, the vast majority of Americans are neglecting crucial planning: 55% have no estate plan. The data is clear – only 31% have a will and 11% have a trust. This gap highlights a major opportunity for you to actively engage, educate clients and offer comprehensive planning and solutions for estate planning. This is a critical process for nearly every adult, regardless of net worth. It is not just about minimizing estate taxes (which primarily affect the wealthy), but about control, clarity and protection. 

Hourglass Theory 

• Top of the Hourglass — Asset Accumulation
  Your clients often spend a lifetime building their wealth, which may include assets such as real estate, business interests, financial accounts, personal property and more.
• Middle of the Hourglass — Expenses
  Regardless of wealth, most people incur expenses at the end of life — ranging from taxes and funeral costs to legal and administrative fees. Without proper planning, these costs can jeopardize even the most carefully crafted estate plans, potentially forcing the sale of assets to cover them.
• Bottom of the Hourglass — The Solution
  With proper planning and the strategic use of life insurance, your clients can ensure that end-of-life expenses are covered — allowing their other assets to pass to loved ones intact. 

Traditionally, passing assets to the next generation is often viewed as a funnel — a process where fees, taxes and expenses siphon away a large portion of the estate. Your clients spend a lifetime building wealth and other assets only for their loved ones to receive what’s left over after expenses take their toll. You can help clients ensure that the assets they worked so hard to accumulate are precisely what their loved ones actually receive. Planning isn’t about accepting losses; it’s about protecting the intended legacy. 

Put This Into Action — Estate Planning Sales Strategy

1. Educate First, Sell Second

• Lead with value by sharing content! Offer clients resources (consumer materials below).
• Highlight urgency: Help your clients recognize that estate planning is essential for everyone — not just for the wealthy or elderly. Stress that postponing these decisions can jeopardize both their long-term financial stability and their families.
• Sharing content on your business social pages to raise awareness: Utilize the Mutual of Omaha Social Media Hub on SPA and share the already created, compliance approved content on your business pages. 

2. Understand Who Your Client Is 

• Young singles: Young professionals who have investments, savings or a car can benefit by having an estate plan. It will ensure assets are distributed according to their wishes and can include other elements such as health decisions, digital assets, beneficiary designations, pet care and overall peace of mind.
• Parents and blended families (especially those with minor children): An estate plan designates guardians for young children and ensures assets are managed and distributed fairly among biological children, stepchildren and spouses.
• Empty nesters: Protecting assets and legacy is especially important for individuals who have accumulated significant assets. Areas to focus on include updating beneficiaries, planning for incapacity, minimizing taxes and probate, supporting adult children and grandchildren, charitable giving and overall peace of mind. 

3. Offer a Customized Solution — Apply the Hourglass Theory with Life Insurance 

Fictional Client Example:
Meet David and Lisa, both in their early 60s and recent empty nesters. With their mortgage nearly paid off and their children financially independent, they were unsure how life insurance could fit into their financial picture. Using the Hourglass Theory, we helped them see how life insurance could serve three key purposes: 

• Flyer — The Hourglass Theory: Utilize this flyer to help clients understand how this approach could benefit their estate plan.
• Top of the Hourglass (The Assets): David and Lisa have done well. They worked, saved and raised their children. Now they have assets that can not only provide for their own retirement, but also provide a legacy for their children.
• Middle (The Expenses): If David and Lisa planned well, they have enough for retirement, but are they planning for the taxes that the kids will pay on retirement accounts? How about the upkeep for the family vacation home? There are many expenses they will incur at death and those expenses may have to be paid by selling the assets that they wanted to leave for the children.
• Bottom (The Solution): If David and Lisa put in place their estate planning documents and purchase enough life insurance, not only will the life insurance provide cash to the family, but it will allow them to pass treasured family items to the children unhindered. It can even allow them to provide something for the charities they have loved and supported during their lives. 

This approach helps clients see life insurance not just as a safety net, but as a multi-purpose financial instrument that evolves with their life stage. 

4. Capitalize on October’s Focus — Estate Planning Awareness Month 

Use October to spark conversations. October is an ideal time to engage clients in discussions about estate planning by leveraging its role as an awareness month. It provides a timely opportunity to highlight the importance of proactive financial planning. 

Materials and Resources Created for You 

Ready-to-Share Estate Planning Social Media Content: 

Educate your clients on the importance of estate planning with ease! Simply login to the SPA Social Media Hub and share the already created and compliance approved posts to your social media pages. This content can help get the conversation started on important topics like SECURE Transfer Planning and the Hourglass Theory. 

Log in to Mutual of Omaha’s SPA to access the Social Media Hub. 

While traditional estate planning focuses on minimizing loss after taxes and fees take their toll, the hourglass theory offers a fresh perspective. It shifts the focus from asset reduction to restoration, helping clients prevent assets from being siphoned off before they reach the next generation.