Higher-income executives want more investment options, especially coming out of a market that knocked many portfolios off course. Daniel Banis talked to writer Lauren Barack about how advisors can best serve these clients and how MullinTBG, a benefits consulting company and unit of Prudential, has been readjusting its services in these new times.

1. What is the biggest demand from high- net-worth clients in retirement planning?
There's a lot of traction around this idea of an integrated total retirement solution-taking a defined contribution and having that integrated with a non-qualified plan. Most people estimate that they'll need 75% to 80% of their current income [when they retire], and their 401(k)s aren't going to get them there. So the non-qualified plan is really one of the key opportunities for these executives, as well as for those advisors who are selling directly to companies or advising employees who are well compensated.

2. How can advisors best present these options to clients?
A non-qualified plan is a flexible tool that needs to be presented as a flexible solution to clients so they can close the retirement gap. We firmly believe that advisors need to educate their clients on the options out there, because if they don't, someone else will. You might say selfishly that there are additional revenue opportunities on the plate for the advisors, but I don't think we approach it from that perspective. We present it as an educational opportunity to the client. They perceive these investment options as benefits, and you are bringing those benefits. And if you have a high-income earner, you absolutely need to be talking about deferred income plans.

3. Should advisors be concerned about possible tax increases?
Everyone assumes that taxes are going up. I would absolutely be focused on deferred compensation and non-qualified plans because they offer different tax growth opportunities. The idea is that at a later time, they can take those withdrawals when their taxes may go down. The second aspect for a savings opportunity that defers taxes is that the deferred tax growth is more beneficial than paying the tax today. And employees can have greater control when they take that distribution.

4. Are even highly paid clients requesting more guaranteed income streams?
It doesn't matter if you have $100,000 or $10 million. When your portfolio got hit a year ago, it provided a new perspective for risk management and diversification. With people losing 30% to 40%, there is a shift in thinking. People are asking, 'Can I afford to go through that kind of a downturn again?' And, 'What are my options out there to achieve retirement?' Investors are also not just focused any longer on accumulation. We saw for the first time that if we put $1 in the market in 2000, we walked away with just 91 cents at the end of decade. So there's a lot more focus today on guaranteed income options. And they are asking: if they invest a portion of a portfolio, would that provide a guaranteed income for them down the road?

5. What other trends should advisors to the rich be aware of?
Clients have been asking to aggregate their data regardless of where they have their other accounts. A number of firms have focused on that, and it has succeeded to different degrees. The ability to have [all accounts] integrated with a single sign-on is [gaining popularity.] An employee can access all his accounts on the same portal-and we are providing that today. Of course, the question of what happens in the marketplace today all depends on what you're willing to pay for.