November 2023 - Sales Bulletin

SALES BULLETIN

Marketing News for Centaurus Representatives

November 2023: Featured Exhibitor | Allianz Life Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) is a leading provider of financial and retirement solutions. Our mission – we secure your future – informs how we operate, every day. Our vision – living your life with confidence – is our hope for every customer who entrusts their money to our care. At the end of the day, we want to help people manage risks in retirement.

CLICK HERE for more information about Allianz.

Sales Bulletin

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

NEWS FROM: INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES Product Leaders Variable Annuities

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Jackson Perspective II Equitable Cornerstone Nationwide Destination Allianz Index Advantage Lincoln Level Advantage

Nationwide: How to Help Investors When Geopolitical Risk Arise Regarding geopolitical conflicts, every situation is unique and often highly opaque. There are no roadmaps that investors can rely on to judge the potential spillover effects from sudden geopolitical shocks. One thing is certain: As geopolitical tension rises, so does the potential for stock market volatility.

Fixed & Indexed Annuities

Allianz: The Last Hike?

A trough in global economic activity is expected at the turn of the year, followed by below-trend growth in 2024-25. Consumer demand will remain soft amid negative wealth effects and increasing precautionary savings. Global trade dropped to its lowest level in the last two years amid the ongoing destocking process in the manufacturing sector, and we project a timid exit from recession, from -0.6% in 2023 to +3.3% in 2024.

Mutual Funds

Athene: A Safer Course in Choppy Markets Market downturns may have caused some clients to begin reaching out with concerns about how market volatility could impact their retirement nest eggs.

Now may be an appropriate time to educate your clients about fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) and how they can be part of a retirement strategy that offers both growth potential and protection of principal from market loss.

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Allianz Benefit Control Nationwide New Heights Athene Ascent Pro Sammons LiveWell North American Secure Horizon Plus

Vanguard Money Market AMF Growth Fund Franklin Income Sammons Livewell Mutual Fund AMF American Balanced

Variable Life

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Ameritas VL Lincoln Life VUL Prudential VUL Equitable COIL Pacific Life Exec II

Fixed & Indexed Life

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Pacific Life Indexed Accumulator Allianz Life Pro Plus Pacific Discovery Xelerator IUL JHKV Accumulation IUL MN Strategic Accelerator

Sales Bulletin

Sammons: More Options Sammons Retirement Solutions® is excited to announce that on November 13, enhancements took place on the LiveWell Dynamic Annuity® registered index-linked variable annuity issued by Midland National® Life Insurance Co. Effective that day, we added more Cycle options, lowering M&E fees, offering new optional riders, and streamlining variable separate account options.

Lincoln: The Cash Conundrum We’ve been seeing a surge in cash investments over the past year. For some investors, cash may play a strategic role in their portfolio. But for others, it may be an emotional reaction to alarming headlines. And the “cash drag” may be undercutting their long-term financial plans. Cash may feel safe because it comes with the confidence that you won’t lose money in the market. But that confidence also comes with a big cost — the loss of long-term growth potential.

Pacific Life: Market Review Equity markets lost some momentum in the third quarter of 2023, with the S&P 500® index down 3.27% for the period. In terms of size and style, large growth fared better than its smaller growth counterparts. However, small value held up better than mid and large value. International equities continued to lag behind domestic stocks, as several European countries have been struggling with a global slowdown.

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

NEWS FROM: INVESTMENT MANAGERS American Funds: How To Use Bonds to Seek Balance As Fed Hikes Wind Down When stocks zig, bonds are supposed to zag. That time-honored relationship has broken down over the past few years, but there are encouraging signs of its eventual return. There’s no doubt that it’s been a challenging environment for fixed income. Losses in 2022 were particularly steep. It marked the first year in decades that bonds fell alongside stocks. Rapid rate increases by the U.S. Federal Reserve, against a backdrop of some of the highest inflation rates the U.S. economy has experienced in more than 40 years, caused massive upheaval. A look at the correlation between stocks and bonds during equity correction periods since 2010 shows just how unusual a period it was.

Franklin Templeton: You heard it correctly U.S. high-yield (HY) bond issuers today are generally in much better financial shape than they were in the past.

As a result of the pandemic-led wave of fallen angels and defaults, the average quality of U.S. HY constituents today is higher, contrary to the junk bond perceptions of the past. The higher-for-longer interest-rate environment has resulted in historically high yield levels. We think income-seeking investors should embrace the U.S. HY sector, rather than avoid it.

Hartford Funds: November Starts With a Bang Global sovereign yields were mixed in October. Spreads widened across most fixed-income sectors amid geopolitical concerns and resilient economic data. Federal Reserve and Treasury reports sparked a rally. Ending the weeks-long stalemate in the U.S. House of Representatives, a new Speaker was elected in the House after multiple rounds of voting. Rep. Mike Johnson’s ascent as 56th Speaker of the House gave congressional leadership only two weeks to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid an immediate shutdown.

MFS: The End of Declining Capital Intensity The inflation ambush of 2022 ended a decades-long downward trajectory for interest rates. While rates may fall a bit as the effects of tight financial conditions weigh on aggregate demand and economic growth, we don’t believe the cost of capital going forward will resemble anything like the levels of recent years, when central banks artificially set market prices via quantitative easing. Just as water ultimately finds its own level, in my opinion, interest rates will find their own, higher level, writes global investment strategist Robert M. Almeida.

NEWS FROM: ADVISORY Product Leaders Advisory

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Centaurus CLASSIC Plus SEI Orion The Pacific Financial Group Strategic Equity Management

Sales Bulletin

CLASSIC Plus FlexUMA CLASSIC Plus FlexUMA is a Unified Managed Account (UMA) solution that provides a powerful and integrated investment platform for IARs to grow their business and provide robust advisory solutions to clients. FlexUMA features ETF Select and UMA/Multi-Manager portfolio models that can be utilized individually or blended together for custom allocations. FlexUMA is available on the Charles Schwab & Co. platform.

ETF Select ETF Select is a low-cost, turnkey solution for smaller and price-sensitive clients that provides a selection of managed, risk-based portfolios from leading ETF strategists BlackRock, Morningstar and Vanguard.

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

UMA/Multi-Manager UMA/Multi-Manager provides a selection of single- and multi-manager models from industry-leading and boutique managers under one platform. It also provides access to a vast array of models such as stop-loss strategies, sector rotation, tax-free income, inflation protection, global markets, institutional investing, hard assets, alternatives and many more.

CLASSIC Plus Morningstar Managed Portfolios Morningstar® Managed PortfoliosSM provide IARs with the ability to open actively managed ETF and Select Equity Portfolios within a Pershing advisory account on the CLASSIC Plus platform. The Morningstar ETF Portfolios consist of core models from conservative to aggressive growth that are actively managed to create diversified, low-cost and tax-efficient portfolios for your clients. The Select Equity Portfolios provide a series of model and customizable portfolios spanning the stock market that combine the professional management of Morningstar with the advantages of having a separately managed account.

SEI: Tax-Smart Planning If Using A Donor Advised Fund A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a popular charitable-giving vehicle that allows donors to make a charitable contribution to an eligible fund, receive an immediate tax deduction, then recommend grants from the DAF to their favorite charities over time. Donors can contribute to the fund as frequently as they like, and then recommend grants to their favorite charities whenever it makes sense for them. SEI offers a DAF called the SEI Giving Fund. The SEI Giving fund is administered by Renaissance Charitable Foundation.

ACM: Be Thankful For The Compelling Opportunity In Fixed Income Fixed income is considered boring and simply can’t compete with the latest “hot” stock, although the past two years have given fixed income investors something to appreciate. Intermediate corporate bonds outperformed the average stock in the S&P 500 in 2022, this year through October 31, and in the 2-year period ended October 31. These facts would surprise many investors who think that “fixed income” has been a drag on their investment performance. Notably, those figures highlighted intermediate corporate bonds. Unfortunately, some investors got too exposed to interest rate risk by owning long-dated bonds, and they were hurt.

SEM: Overindulgence Thanksgiving has always been Jeff Hybiak’s favorite holiday because of the 3 F’s – Food, Family, Football.

Thanksgiving weekend gives us what seems to be a year’s worth of all 3 of them. Over the years, he’s learned it is important to not overindulge in any of the 3 Fs, but especially the food and football. The former is to hopefully not derail a year’s worth of workouts, the latter to not upset the non-football-loving members of the family. When it comes to investing, it is easy to get sucked into the euphoria of a strong year for the stock market. It’s natural to believe the current trends will continue indefinitely. That would mean the largest of the large cap growth stocks will always outperform everything else, which is mathematically not possible. In reality, markets fluctuate. The markets revert back to the mean. The top performers become the under-performers.

Not chasing the market when it is well above average requires discipline to not upset your financial plan.

Orion: Down The Stretch Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, last week was a quiet one for the economy and markets. Nonetheless, the stock market was able to keep its recent winning streak – now four weeks long – alive. Given the price gains of late, it’s shaping up to be a nice month, quarter, and year for equities, and the stock market appears to be in good form heading down the stretch into year-end. There are various short-term market positives to note, including seasonals, technicals, and investor sentiment. Economic data also continues to be mostly positive.

Sales Bulletin

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

Dunham: Useful Strategies for Financial Advisors There’s an old saying in marketing – especially in the digital age: “Content is king.” And for many financial advisors, this is a very important – yet underutilized – topic. See, in an age where there are countless digital outlets at the consumer’s disposal, people – and prospective clients – put a premium on content they trust.

Or – said another way – there’s so much noise out there that it’s information overload. Thus, finding qualified professionals to help and share their insights is what matters.

TPFG: Manager’s Pulse Equities finished higher for the week, with growth outperforming value and mid-caps outperforming both large and small-caps. Ultimately, the S&P 500 Index (+1.02%), Dow Jones Industrial Average (+129%) and NASDAQ (+0.90%) all finished higher for the week. Economic data last week showed that durable goods orders had dropped 5.4% last month, which would make it the second largest decrease in over three years.

Ocean Park: Disciplined Risk Management Financial markets were mixed in the third quarter as long-term interest rates moved higher, in part due to concerns that higher interest rates may lead to a recession. High-yield corporate bonds had modest positive returns, while high-quality bonds and equities fell during the third quarter. 10-Year Treasury yields ended the quarter at 4.59% – 0.78% higher than at the beginning of the quarter. Consumers’ outlooks for the future fell in the last two months of the quarter, according to surveys from the Conference Board. Consumers’ expectations for income, business and the labor market fell to a level that historically signals a recession within the next year.

Capital Group: 5 Ways RIAs Are Using ETFs in Client Portfolios Some of the fastest growing registered investment advisor (RIA) practices have embraced exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as client portfolio building blocks. This finding is supported by Capital Group’s recent Pathways to Growth: 2023 Advisor Benchmark Study. But how exactly are RIAs using ETFs?

NEWS FROM: TECHNOLOGY Product Leaders Technology • • • • •

Redtail RightCapital Albridge SmartOffice Pontera

RightCapital: How Leading With Planning With RightCapital Grew This Firm While evaluating tools, RightCapital stood out. “We wanted to be a part of something new and the price was right. Since then we’ve been loyal because RightCapital is a good software,” says Todd Bendell, CFP® with Optima Capital Management.

The team found it easy to transition. Within a week it was clear: “RightCapital is so much smoother to work with.”

Docusign: A Comprehensive Toolkit to Accelerate Your Contract Process Delivering a multichannel, mobile-friendly, consistent experience is critical for organizations to keep up with changing expectations from customers, employees and partners. One of the best opportunities to deliver a modern customer experience is in the contract process.

Pontera: For Financial Advisors Studies show retirement accounts can grow up to 75% larger when professionally managed by financial advisors. Pontera enables advisors to securely and compliantly provide management of 401(k), 403(b) and other defined contribution plan accounts as part of a holistic portfolio strategy.

Sales Bulletin

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

CENTAURUS WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES

LEADERS CONFERENCE Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Kauai, Hawaii January 7-12, 2024 (13 for Club 16)

NATIONAL SALES CONFERENCE The Langham Huntington Pasadena, California June 17-21, 2024

EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS *Live Webinar Series* Equitable: Asset Location Planning Sixth Week: Thursday, November 30th, 2023 Register for this series to learn: • How to position the ALP concept for your clients and business • How to help your clients save taxes as they accumulate, distribute and transfer their wealth *Live Webinar* Redtail: Building Your Tech Stack Date: Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 Register to learn: • How to get from a prospect’s yes to revenue fast • How Redtail can be game changing in helping advisors onboard new clients *On Demand* Prudential: A Guide To Protecting Your Information and Defending Against Identity Theft Watch this recording to learn: • How you can help your clients not fall victim to fraud and identity theft • The risks and solutions surrounding preventing identity theft *On Demand* Q3 Asset Management: Add 12 Business Owner Clients in the Next 90 Days Watch this recording to learn: • The secret to landing businesss owner clients • How you can receive leads, scripts and marketing material *On Demand* Allianz Life: Finding Opportunities in the 2023 Federal Income Tax Changes Watch this recording to learn: • An overview of the 2023 federal income tax changes • Insight on how annuity products can be utilized within a client’s portfolio

Sales Bulletin

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT *Product Highlight* Allianz – Accumulation Advantage Allianz Accumulation Advantage® is designed to emphasize accumulating for retirement. Because it’s a fixed index annuity (FIA), it offers tax-deferred growth, protects your principal and credited interest from market downturns and provides a death benefit for beneficiaries. It also has innovative features that may give you even more potential. Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* Allianz – Benefit Control Want greater access, more control and the possibility of income increases? Allianz Benefit Control® gives you immediate access, two ways to get a bonus and more control over how you pursue your retirement goals. Plus, clients’ income payments could go up, based on the performance of their chosen index(es).

Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* Nationwide – Defender The way you feel about investing and the risk you’re comfortable with is unique to you. That’s why Nationwide created the Nationwide DefenderSM Annuity and included a variety of options for growth potential and investment protection. Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* Transamerica – Structured Index Advantage Annuity The Transamerica Structured Index Advantage® Annuity is a registered index-linked annuity (RILA) that offers growth potential and a level of investment protection at a low cost. It’s designed to help make financial futures more predictable. See how it works and offers growth and protection. See how capturing positive returns while enjoying a level of protection can be a powerful addition to an effective investment strategy.

Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* North American – PrimePath Pro 10 The PrimePath Pro 10 annuity is a flexible, premium, fixed indexed annuity that offers growth potential for retirement assets while providing protection from market downturns, as well as flexible options for taking lifetime income. Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* Nationwide – New Heights Longer life expectancies. Shifting responsibilities. Common concerns. Nationwide New Heights Select 9 can help clients with all of these. It’s a single-purchase-payment, deferred fixed indexed annuity designed to provide growth potential for clients’ retirement savings while also helping to protect against market losses.

Click here for more details. *Product Highlight* Athene – BCA You can overcome the challenges of traditional retirement savings solutions. You can shield the money clients have worked so hard for without settling for historically low interest rates. Clients can benefit from the upside potential of the markets without worrying about stock market downturns. Select one of Athene’s options to explore the BCA® 2.0 and Athene® Velocity opportunities. Click here for more details.

Centaurus Financial, Inc. | 2300 E. Katella Ave., Suite 200 |Anaheim, CA 92806 Toll-Free: (800) 880-4234 | Fax: (714) 456-1797 | www.centaurusfinancial.com

FOR BROKER/DEALER USE ONLY • NOT FOR USE WITH THE PUBLIC Sales Bulletin

For Broker/Dealer Use Only • Not for Use With the Public

Centaurus Financial, Inc.