Advertising Guidance Team: Seminars and Webinars

How you determine if your seminar or webinar requires preapproval by the AGT begins with if you are securities registered or not. From there it will depend on if what you have created meets the definition of advertising. The three sections below will help guide your decisions.

If you decide to create your own content, prior approval from the AGT is needed for the following:

1. Advertising mentioning any National Life Group (“NLG”) company, product, or information specific to us (i.e., our critical injury Accelerated Benefit Rider, ratings, features, history, images, logos, etc.).
2. Advertising used to sell retirement products in one of our K-12 403(b)/457(b) plans, even if NLG or our products are not mentioned.
3. Advertising or communications that are associated with a sales contest based on NLG’s products.
4. Training materials on NLG products.
5. Advertising in which the intent is to specifically create interest in NLG products and features, even if NLG is not mentioned.

Any financial services marketing, communication, training, or recruiting piece you create or personalize requires the AGT’s prior review and written approval, even if it does not mention NLG.

If you are registered with another broker/dealer, you will need to verify their requirements. Follow the requirements for agents not securities registered above for your marketing and communications for NLG products and services.

NLG Marketing has preapproved seminars available on the Agent Portal under Sales & Marketing/Market Yourself/Marketing Hub, and also in many of the Marketing Campaigns under Marketing/Marketing Campaigns, or eKits – Marketing/Market Yourself/Marketing eKits. Using these preapproved seminars will significantly reduce the amount of time needed for the AGT’s review process. When using these seminars, please include any customization, such as your name, title, and disclosures before submitting for review.

At the time of submission, please include a completed Compliance Review Request (“CRR”) form (found on the Agent Portal under Training/Compliance/NLG Life & Annuity Compliance/Advertising/Social Media), the PowerPoint presentation, speaker’s notes pages, invitations (print and/or online), handouts, ads, and social media posts (affiliated distribution only), if applicable. Whether or not you create your own content for your seminar or webinar, be sure to submit all materials that will be used/distributed at the event together as one submission.

You may also be able to find presentations from financial publishing companies, financial website providers, and other financial services companies. Please refer to Does my seminar or webinar require prior review & approval by the Advertising Guidance Team (“AGT”) before I use it section in this article to determine whether your presentation requires review and prior approval by the AGT. You can also refer to the Previously Approved and Unapproved Marketing and Sales Systems, Software and Methods reference on the Agent Portal under Training/Compliance/NLG Life & Annuity Compliance/Advertising/Social Media for firm-approved seminar systems.

Additionally, RRs may use material from various mutual fund and annuity firms with whom ESI has a selling agreement. These seminar presentations must be submitted with the firm’s FINRA review letter(s) and the invitation that goes with the presentation.

• Written electronic communications (i.e., instant messaging, chat features, polling questions, electronic Q&A, etc.) must be turned off for all participants as part of the event scheduling.
• All materials used in the webinar (i.e. invitations, presentations, scripts, handouts, etc.) must be preapproved by the AGT.
• The presentation must have a script, not just an outline.
• You must ensure that all attendees are in states in which you are securities registered.

If a third-party, such as a mutual fund sponsor or another financial services company, is providing marketing reimbursement for your seminar or webinar and you are a RR of ESI, please refer to the Cash Compensation section of ESI’s Written Supervisory Procedures for additional information. These Procedures can be found on the Agent Portal under Training/Compliance/ESI Compliance/Overview.

Certain states have specific requirements if you are marketing towards veterans or seniors. Please check with the AGT (AGT@nationallife.com) regarding these requirements, as well as additional disclosures that may be needed.

In-person seminars and webinars present fantastic opportunities for growing your business. Ensuring you have everything lined up and preapproved can help make your events run smoothly. If you have further questions on anything discussed in this article, the AGT is available at AGT@nationallife.com or by calling (802) 229-3129.

National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.  Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser. In CO, MO, NH and WI, Equity Services, Inc. operates as Vermont Equity Services, Inc. All companies, unless otherwise noted, are affiliated and are located in Montpelier, VT.