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The Complete Growth Platform for Independent Advisors — Unlimited Reports, Lead Gen, Support, Training & More|
Trusted by 8,000+ Advisors with 214,000+ Reports Generated
|See Stonewood in Action|
In recent years, we’ve seen subtle shifts in the marketing topics that consistently drive leads for independent financial advisors.
While long-time topics like Social Security timing and Estate Planning continue to drive engagement, the five emerging topics below are particularly effective in 2026.
These topics connect today’s economic and legislative environment to concrete actions a saver can take with the help of an advisor like you.
How many are you leveraging in your marketing approach? Read on to help drive your lead gen in 2026 and beyond.
Close More Business with Stonewood Reports
Easy to run. Easy to present. Pick the report that fits your next client conversation and we'll send a sample to your inbox immediately.
Roth Done RightTax & IRMAA Analysis
Annuity AlphaFIA vs. Managed Account
Legacy Done RightLife Insurance Analysis
Total Tax BurdenRetirement Tax Snapshot
Marketing Topic #1: Midterm Elections
Once again, all eyes are on Washington. The leadership of both the House and Senate will be determined in November during the midterm elections. While the election outcome won’t likely have an immediate effect on tax and retirement policy, it will still be an important year to focus on addressing legislative risk for your clients. A great place to start? Download this free white paper on how to protect your client’s retirement assets from legislative changes.
Marketing Topic #2: A Better Approach for Legacy Funds in Your Client’s IRA
Let’s face it: Many of our clients have dual plans for their IRA funds: use those funds for income, and then leave whatever’s left to their heirs. But as many top independent advisors know, IRAs are a tax-heavy way to leave a legacy. 2026 can be the year you help your clients with a better (tax-free) approach.
Tax-free life insurance has long been used in the legacy planning process, but often as a stand-alone strategy. Today, many advisors are positioning it as an extension of the Roth conversion conversation for excess (legacy) IRA funds.
Last year, Stonewood released our Legacy Done Right software to make this analysis easy for advisors. The report compares the after-tax legacy of a client’s IRA to a Roth IRA, life insurance policy, or blend of the two. See how it works and request a sample here – > https://www.stonewoodfinancial.com/software/legacy-done-right/
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8 Ways to Turn a Book Into a Lead-Generation Machine
Download 8 Ways to Drive Leads with Books and discover how advisors can use books to warm up cold prospects, create more meaningful follow-up, boost event conversions, and open stronger retirement planning conversations
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Turn Roth Conversations Into Revenue
Watch this complimentary training to learn how leading advisors use retirement tax concerns to create urgency, open Roth conversion conversations, and uncover valuable new planning opportunities.
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Create urgency around tax planning
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Uncover new planning opportunities
Marketing Topic #3: Add Value to Your Client’s Reading List
Looking for a powerful way to help your clients use today’s lower tax-rate environment to plan for what’s ahead? My partner Neil and I have written a new book, The Road Less Taxed. It’s a simple, entertaining way to help your clients understand how to protect themselves from risks from Washington.
Advisors are leveraging consumer books at seminars, through email campaigns, on social media and YouTube, and more. If you’re not marketing with books, you may be missing out on high-quality lead nurture and client value. CHeck out my guide on 8 Ways to Market with Books here.
And if you’re looking for a great tax book to market, learn more about The Road Less Taxed and request a free copy of the book here → https://www.stonewoodfinancial.com/books/
Marketing Topic #4: IRMAA
What’s one of the most overlooked factors in your clients’ retirement planning? IRMAA, the Medicare surcharge some higher-income savers pay. In 2026, we’ll need to continue educating savers on how IRMAA could impact their retirement income – and what they can do about it. I put together this free IRMAA primer if you need some expert insights.
IRMAA has been a winning topic at seminars, webinars, and other live events. Most savers have never heard of IRMAA until they’re hit with it in retirement, and audiences are extremely responsive to advisors who take them through the basics – and show them strategies to minimize IRMAA.
If you asked me to name the #1 marketing topics advisors are under-utilizing in 2026, I’d tell you it’s IRMAA. IRMAA can open the door to powerful conversations on income planning, tax mitigation, and legacies reallocation. Don’t sleep on it.
Marketing Topic #5: OBBBA & Social Security
Our clients just filed taxes for the first time under the new tax rules passed in OBBBA. One of the most confusing provisions in the bill still seems to be the new tax deduction for seniors age 65-plus (intended to offset the taxes they pay on Social Security benefits). We’ll need to keep educating clients on this new deduction – here’s a free white paper you can download to help.
The OBBBA tax changes are a great topic for radio shows, podcasts, webinars, YouTube videos and anywhere else you’re aiming to educate and engage savers around timely topics that matter to them.
And if you’re looking for a powerful CTA on taxes, check out Stonewood’s Retirement Tax Bill lead generator. This customizable landing page and calculator lets your prospects evaluate the total potential taxes they could pay in retirement – and how much they can save by working with you.
Looking for marketing content directly leads to client conversations and analysis?
Stonewood is a membership organization that creates the industry’s most powerful marketing tools and client report software. Our tools work with any IMO and any carrier on your terms.
How Stonewood Advisors Stay Ahead of the Next Planning Conversation.
Watch a recent Stonewood Study Group focused on the legacy planning conversation. You’ll see how Stonewood helps advisors break down timely planning topics, client conversation angles, and practical strategies you can put to use immediately.
Expert insights. Real strategies.
Study Group Replay
Timely planning topics
Real client conversation angles
Practical strategies you can use
Real Advisors. Real Results.
See how advisors are using Stonewood software to win larger cases and deliver better
outcomes for their clients.
An advisor was working with a prospect who was a real "do-it-yourselfer" when it came to Roth conversions.
The client was converting assets up their existing tax bracket – and hadn't considered any impact to
IRMAA.
With Roth Done Right, the advisor was able to show an alternate pattern that sped up the conversion to
6 years. The new structure offered $30,000 savings in conversion taxes – a 20% reduction on the
prospect's conversion tax bill. The report also showed hundreds of thousands of dollars in long-term
tax and IRMAA savings from the converted assets – an amount the prospect hadn't been able to quantify
on his own.
Outcome
A new client with $1M in new AUM, and a $1M FIA sale to fund the conversion process.
An advisor was working with a prospect who already had assets with Ken Fisher. Fisher's team presented a
5% systematic withdrawal projection, so the advisor needed a stronger way to frame the income
conversation.
Using the Annuity Alpha report, the advisor showed how an annuity could deliver over 8% in annual cash
flow with lifetime income, plus a long-term care doubler. The contrast was clear enough that the prospect
moved forward.
Outcome
$1.5M placed and a $100K in new business revenue.
An advisor was working with a 58-year-old couple with an established, well-funded retirement income plan,
leaving an additional $3M IRA to build out a legacy for the kids. The couple's existing advisor had no
real additional plan for this money, other than to keep it in their managed account and grow that money as
much as possible for the kids.
Using the Legacy Done Right report, the advisor showed the need for tax planning on this $3M IRA.
According to the advisor, the simple analysis "opened up the wallet" to the Roth conversion story. The
advisor then used the blended Roth/Life feature in the report to show a blend of Roth Conversion assets
with some Life Insurance to help maximize the client’s legacy.
Outcome
$3M in motion. The advisor picked up a $1.5M FIA sale that will be converted to Roth. And the advisor
also sold a 5-Pay Protection focused IUL policy at $225,000 of premium per year.
An advisor group incorporated the Total Tax Burden report into the strategy presentation for all new
prospects. They ran the tax snapshot for every new client as part of their first meeting conversation,
quantifying the growing tax burden of IRA money – and illustrating the kinds of tax savings possible
when working with their firm.
Starting in January of 2023, this simple analysis was presented to every single prospect who walked in
the door. The goal was to differentiate their practice and drive overall revenue growth through various
Roth conversion strategies.
Outcome
From 2022 to 2025, new annual AUM rose from $5M to $50M. Annual FIA sales rose from $3M to $35M.
And annual life premium rose from $50K to $1M.
8 Ways to Turn a Book Into a Lead-Generation Machine
Discover how advisors can use books to warm up cold prospects, create more meaningful follow-up, boost event conversions, and open stronger retirement planning conversations.
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Roth Done RightTax & IRMAA Analysis
Annuity AlphaFIA vs. Managed Account
Legacy Done RightLife Insurance Analysis
Total Tax BurdenRetirement Tax Snapshot
Real insights Practical strategies Easy to present.
