Are ‘multi-asset income funds’ for real?
“As talk of a gravy train gains currency, however, now is a good time to consider what lies beneath the multi-asset income label," said Barbara Wall, a director at Cerulli Associates, in a release.
View ArticleLower VA reserves on guarantees boosted life insurer income in 2012: Fitch
The majority of the 2012 net income change for life insurers--to $34 bn from $9 bn in 2011--came from large variable annuity companies who reported lower reserves on guaranteed benefits, which more...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleThe FIA 'Loophole'
At the Society of Actuaries Life & Annuity Symposium in Toronto this week, the invasion of the fixed indexed annuity market by private equity firms was of keen interest. Several presenters...
View ArticleSpiritual Advisor
Good advisors think of themselves as healers, in a way. Larry Ford takes that concept to a new level. Has he totally lost his mind, or is he onto something?
View ArticleThe Kreppa that Almost Melted Iceland
Iceland's economy and pension system has come back from the "kreppa" or banking crisis that struck five years ago. This country of the aurora borealis and matronymic last-names is full of surprises...
View ArticleA DIA with Dividends
The distinctive aspect of Northwestern Mutual's Select Portfolio deferred income annuity is that the contract owner can earn income-enhancing, inflation-protecting dividends over the life of the...
View ArticleGradual versus Lump-Sum Annuitization: The Jury is Still Out
A study by a unit of Fidelity Investments showed that it is premature to recommend a gradual, fixed percentage-of-assets monthly annuity purchase as an option in retirement plans, because the strategy...
View ArticleSolvency Isn’t Social Security’s Only Problem
We need to reform the program’s benefit structure, now misaligned with its original anti-poverty goals, as much as we need to reform its financing structure, writes the Urban Institute fellow.
View ArticleAdvisors want more ‘value-add’ support: Practical Perspectives
BlackRock/iShares is by far the most frequently listed provider of useful value-add support, followed by American Funds, JP Morgan, MFS, Jackson, and Fidelity.
View ArticleThe Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from ING U.S., BNY Mellon and Lincoln Financial Group.
View Article86% of 67-year-olds are collecting Social Security: MetLife
"Half of this group may not have achieved their retirement savings goals and are not confident about paying for the next phase of their lives,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife...
View ArticleEmployees still not asking about 401(k) fees: Mesirow
“The reality is that many participants need assistance through custom guidance or a more paternalistic, automated solution,” said Chris Reagan, Mesirow Financial senior managing director and practice...
View ArticleQuote of the Week
"They say there are two sides to everything. But there is only one side to the stock market; and it is not the bull side or the bear side, but the right side" -- Edwin Lefevre, "Reminiscences of a...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleSpiritual Advisor
Good advisors think of themselves as healers, in a way. Larry Ford takes that concept to a new level. Has he totally lost his mind, or is he onto something?
View ArticleThe Kreppa that Almost Melted Iceland
Iceland's economy and pension system has come back from the "kreppa" or banking crisis that struck five years ago. This country of the aurora borealis and matronymic last-names is full of surprises...
View ArticleA DIA with Dividends
The distinctive aspect of Northwestern Mutual's Select Portfolio deferred income annuity is that the contract owner can earn income-enhancing, inflation-protecting dividends over the life of the...
View ArticleSign of the Times
A 'grey market' phenomenon in more ways than one, Airbnb’s lodging website allows Boomers and others to boost their retirement incomes and, conversely, to afford their dreams of retirement travel.
View ArticleVA Issuers Keep On Tweakin'
Carriers filed 97 VA product changes in the first quarter of 2013, down from 101 in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 59 in Q1 of last year. Benefits continue to shrink and volatility controls on...
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