| Year-end tax planning tips By Robert Fishbein, vice president, Prudential's Tax Department With the year nearing its close, you should be aware of tax planning strategies that can position you favorably for 2012 and beyond. Specifically, both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "Health Care Act") and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Jobs Creation Act (the "Tax Relief Act") were enacted into law in 2010 and offer certain tax planning opportunities. (more) Volunteering for Your Own Health By Mary O'Malley, vice president of Community Resources, Prudential Financial, Inc. Hit pause on the rat race. Take a day and volunteer in the community. Bring the family along. You’ll be glad you did. How do we know this? Because each year, on the first Saturday in October, more than 25,000 Prudential Financial employees and their families and friends participate in the company’s annual Global Volunteer Day. (more) 'Life' Time: Insurers must emphasize reasons why modern families need financial protection By Mark Hug, chief marketing officer, Prudential Individual Life Insurance (Published in Best's Review September 2011) Protecting our families will never go out of style. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month and a good time to reflect on the life business—where it stands today and where it can go tomorrow. The life insurance business has always been a noble endeavor and continues to be so today. John Dryden, who founded Prudential in 1875, wrote in 1910 that Prudential employees embraced a “great common cause” in providing protection to people when they need it most. Surely all of the life industry believes its work benefits our society. (more) A Matter of Trust: Financial Planning and the African-American Community By Mark Hug, chief marketing officer, Prudential Individual Life Insurance (Published in Life Insurance Planning July 1, 2011) The African-American middle class is growing and will continue to grow for decades. This is a group that is highly educated, has significant funds set aside in savings and investments, and has strong rates of homeownership. In short, it’s an ideal market for financial services products. There are challenges, the largest of which rests with us, the financial services industry. As an industry, we must do more to build trust in the African-American community. Nearly 4 out of 5 respondents in Prudential’s survey said financial services companies have failed to effectively engage or show support to the potential pool of black customers. (more) A U.S. policy good for N.J. By Mark Grier, vice chairman, Prudential Financial (published in The Star-Ledger January 27, 2011) The economic themes woven throughout President Obama’s State of the Union speech were a welcomed shot in the arm for our nation. And his strong focus on the importance of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement is a real winner for New Jersey and its workforce, too. (more) How we can help Americans achieve a secure retirement By Mark Foley, a vice president in Prudential Retirement (published in Fund Action August 16, 2010) Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury issued a formal “request for information” regarding ways to enhance the retirement security of American workers by integrating lifetime-income solutions into employer-sponsored retirement programs. We believe that by soliciting a wide range of perspectives—including those of the industry groups and retirement-plan providers actually on the front lines of this issue—the Agencies will be well-informed, and should be supported and applauded as they seek to develop meaningful recommendations that can make a real difference in people’s lives. (more) Health and long-term care costs could take big bite out of retirement savings By Malcolm Cheung, vice president of Long-Term Care Insurance for Prudential (published in Broker World, May 2010) The key to managing risk is making informed choices. If you know what a hornet’s nest looks like, chances are you’re not going to pick it up for a closer look. On the financial front, you probably wouldn’t buy a home or car without first calculating whether you can afford it. The same logic applies to long-term care. (more) Don’t Let Wall Street Bet on Americans’ Death By James Avery, president of Prudential Individual Life Insurance (published in The Hill May 7, 2010) As they look for new sources of profit, some Wall Street—and Main Street—investors have embraced a ghoulish way to make money from the death of ordinary Americans. Their unsavory activities could eventually result in people paying more for, or losing access to, the products that provide financial protection to families and help individuals achieve their retirement goals. (more) |
