Rockstar Review: Direct to Consumer Insurance and Investing Service - LINK by Prudential
This is part of our Rockstar Reviews series. This week’s review is by Hank Coleman who is an active duty Army officer and the publisher of Money Q&A, a personal finance blog about investing ideas after you’ve maxed out your retirement plans. This review is sponsored by Prudential. All opinions are from the author. It’s not so easy to create your own financial roadmap without the tools and expertise necessary to succeed. Personal financial management is something everyone needs to know how to do throughout their adult lives, but there are very few services that link everything together. Many people find themselves frustrated along the way. Many suffer from analysis paralysis by the sheer number of financial choices they have to make. The sheer number of services and fintech smartphone apps that tend to do only one thing really well compound the problem. The goals based approach is the primary reason why LINK by Prudential exists. It gives people access to quality advice, personalized guidance, and realistic financial solutions all in one place. It helps you meet your financial goals and minimize your frustration along the way. LINK offers a seamless experience where customers able to get advice with advisory services, buy insurance, and purchase financial products and investments all from one site. It's truly a one-stop shop instead of the hodgepodge approach of many other apps and websites. Whether your goals are small and short-term, like saving up for a down payment on your next car, or enormous and long-term, such as saving for early retirement, there’s no reason to try and tackle these lofty goals on your own. LINK by Prudential can help you plan for the future much more effectively and eliminate obstacles along the way. Here are some reasons why LINK might be a good fit for your unique financial situation.
Personalized Financial Guidance
There are plenty of web and app-based financial services out there today, but comparatively few offer the same level of personalized financial guidance that LINK by Prudential provides. For instance, while many web-based financial services rely solely on customer questionnaires and algorithms to provide financial advice, LINK combines advanced web technologies with personalized support from highly qualified, human representatives. LINK by Prudential provides its members with several different options for personal financial development and support. Members can receive help and advice through phone calls with financial professionals, informational videos, online resources, or screen-sharing with an advisor. No matter how you learn or absorb information, there is a way with LINK to help you find and digest the information you need to help you make financial decisions for you and your family. This level of support is largely unparalleled in the personal finance sector. Unless you have thousands of dollars in assets to hire your own financial advisor, you’ll struggle to find the same quality of help and guidance that’s available from LINK to answer your phone calls and emails. Additionally, you can take action based on the plan you establish in a variety of ways. You can buy the recommended products for your roadmap directly through the LINK website, remote advisers, or set up a meeting with a local adviser near you.
Create a Financial Roadmap
So, what happens when you sign up for LINK by Prudential? First and foremost, you begin with an introductory session – over the phone – to create a customized roadmap. You start by answering questions so LINK by Prudential can understand your goals. Your roadmap is created with a professional guiding you through every step of the process if you choose to. At this stage, it’ll take just 30 minutes or so to develop a strategy to accelerate your progress towards financial goals. The strategies LINK develops for you typically include items like:
- Protecting your family with life insurance and other options
- Advising on investments for savings goals (e.g., down payment on a home or emergency savings fund) with the help of a Prudential Managed Account (PMA)
- Preparing for retirement by charting your progress and setting up stable income streams
After you create a roadmap, you’ll continue to have access to Prudential’s team of LINK advisors. These advisors can help you adjust your strategy, answer questions, and offer constructive feedback to help make your financial dreams become a reality. You’ll also be able to monitor your progress in your online profile with the help of clear visuals and in-depth, yet easy-to-follow financial analyses. The LINK portal gives you clear indications on how you’re doing with your goals so you can track your progress. Another great feature is that the roadmap you establish with LINK is flexible. If your family’s priorities, timeline, and goals change, you can easily adjust your plans. Also, as your life changes, LINK can rebalance your financial plan to meet your needs.
Realistic Financial Solutions for Common Frustrations
Similar to weight loss goals, people often give up on their financial plans because the processes involved are too difficult, confusing, and even isolating. Just as you wouldn’t start a new workout regime without a personal trainer ensuring you are completing the exercises properly, you don’t want to navigate the complex worlds of investing, annuities, savings, and insurance without a team of knowledgeable advisors. The LINK advisors help to ensure you remain on the path to optimal financial sustainability every step of the way. With LINK by Prudential, you get actionable advice with realistic strategies for achieving the goals that you outline with your advisor. Where many financial apps and websites merely tell you what to do, LINK advisors also help you figure out how to accomplish your goals. They help you to break up short and long-term goals into manageable pieces, based on your current financial situation and tolerance for risk.
Backed by Prudential
LINK by Prudential takes a modern approach to help you plan your financial future. And, it’s born from Prudential, one of the largest life insurance company in the United States based on assets, managing over $1.4 trillion based on the latest filings. Additionally, Prudential is one of the oldest U.S. insurance and investment companies. They have a track record of over 140 years of experience helping people achieve their family’s financial goals.
Is LINK by Prudential Right for You?
Contrary to popular belief, there is no singular “right” or “wrong” way to organize your personal finances. It really comes down to your individual goals, current or projected income, obligations to your family, debts, and many other factors involved. Personal finance truly is personal. For these reasons, LINK by Prudential is an excellent alternative to general finance smartphone apps and other online fintech solutions because it prioritizes a highly personalized approach to financial management that involves consistent access to human advisors at every stage of the process. Whether you are on the verge of retiring, trying to reconfigure your finances to accommodate a major life goal, or you simply want more humanized financial guidance than what you’re currently getting, LINK by Prudential can help you finally get back on track to creating the financial future you want for yourself and your family.