As Federal Reserve policymakers see different justifications for last month's interest-rate decrease, Chairman Jerome Powell faces the challenge of forming a unified message on why the central bank might continue lowering rates, despite a lack of clear deterioration in the economy. Powell is delivering a speech today in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

About one-quarter of adults report having a disability, and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits can help. This article outlines how to make the most of these benefits and raise overall income.

Rules coming from the Financial Accounting Standards Board could lead insurers to be less interested in selling products with long-duration obligations, such as annuities, life insurance and long-term-care insurance, Allison Bell writes. The rules "could further increase pressure on life insurers to move toward selling products such as investment-only variable annuities, dental insurance, vision insurance, and short-term health insurance that involve few or no long-term benefits guarantees," she writes.

Fiduciary Exchange has incorporated Ebix's annuity marketplace technology into its insurance exchange system. FIDx's insurance exchange program offers advisors access to annuity products from multiple insurers.

A study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 65% of members of Generation X are saving for retirement, compared with 78% of baby boomers and 57% of millennials. The study also found Gen Xers have less confidence in their retirement prospects than other generations.

LinkedIn's Sales Navigator feature is an effective tool for financial advisors to use for outbound prospecting, write Stephen Boswell and Kevin Nichols of The Oechsli Institute. They offer three tips for using the Sales Navigator, including saving prospects as "leads" and reaching out to prospects who have posted in the past month.

A number of lawsuits have been filed recently concerning the selection and offering of target-date funds in 401(k) plans. Carol Buckmann, a lawyer specializing in Employee Retirement Income Security Act matters, suggests specific actions for plan fiduciaries to mitigate the risk of litigation over TDF selection.

When discussing charitable giving, advisors should ask clients a series of questions to develop a plan, writes Ken Nopar of the American Endowment Foundation. These include when the client prefers to give, how he or she decides which organizations to support and who is involved in the giving decisions.

Advisers need to be careful to avoid devoting all of their time to existing clients and letting prospecting fall to the wayside, writes Kristine McManus, the chief business development officer of practice management at Commonwealth Financial Network. To determine whether their company is growing, advisers should examine how many new clients and new client referrals they've brought in over the past three to five years.

The availability of deferred income annuities through workplace retirement plans may increase soon if the Senate passes the Setting Every Community up for Retirement Enhancement Act, according to a paper published by the Brookings Institution. The measure aims "to get more annuities into workplace plans by making it easier for employers to protect themselves from future liability," the paper says.