Were there not a federal estate tax, there would still be a role for estate planning and a place for competent life insurance advisers in the estate planning process. At its core, estate planning is all about planning effectively for the transfer of property at death. We all die with an estate plan, either of our choosing, or imposed by the state. An estate plan created with the help of professional advisers puts control in our hands.

businessowners who want to pass ownership to a successor, benefactors who want to make a charitable bequest, and parents who want to give their children an inheritance, or help dependents with special needs, all require the benefits a good estate plan can provide – and life insurance can fund.

Estate planning is best achieved in a team approach, involving the client's legal, accounting, and financial advisers. Your role, as the client's life insurance agent, is arguably the most important. Often it is the agent, by virtue of the nature of the work you do, who uncovers the need for estate planning. Once the need is revealed, the agent is usually well positioned to manage the process of bringing the client's other advisers together.

The future of estate planning is quite secure, as is the agent's place in the process. You don't have to be a technical expert to enter the estate planning markets, but you will need to get your bearings, learn how to use a few tools and techniques, and keep up with new planning ideas and technical developments. Your basic objective, however, will be the same as it is with all your clients – solving problems! You already have the basic selling skills you'll need. Once you learn how to identify your on-profile prospects' problems, and show how to solve them with your products and services, helping clients meet their needs is no more difficult than it is in any other area.

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Ohio National is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, any particular prospecting, marketing or selling system.

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