Survivor Funds: Not for the Faint of Heart
“Survivor funds,” which offer mortality credits but aren’t annuities, could provide investors with enhanced returns, these authors claim. But, for some, loss of principal would be certain. (Painting...
View ArticleThe Risks to America's Booming Economy
'The danger is that overpriced assets and high-risk loans could lose value and cause an economic downturn,' writes our guest columnist, the well-known Harvard economist.
View ArticleAuto-enrollment promotes debt as well as savings, study shows
Lower-income employees had the biggest wealth increases from auto-enrollment, but they offset their gains—by as much as 75%—with new installment debt and credit card debt, according to a four-year...
View ArticleSales of non-variable fixed annuities neared $100 billion in 2016: Wink’s
The Allianz 222 Annuity was the overall best-selling indexed annuity for the tenth consecutive quarter, according to Wink’s Sales & Market Report for the fourth quarter of 2016.
View ArticleTransamerica hires Salesforce’s “Einstein” to make distribution smarter
Transamerica Financial Network will use Saleforce's “Cloud Einstein's intelligence and machine-learning capabilities to better understand and predict customer behaviors,” according to a release this...
View ArticleGenworth’s medically underwritten income annuity now quoted on CANNEX
A medically underwritten annuity contract offers higher monthly payments than a traditional immediate annuity if the beneficiary has a certifiable health condition that shortens his or her life...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleSocial Security Maximizer
The Social Security Maximizer is an integral tool for a retirement planner's comprehensive financial planning calculations.
View ArticleFIA Yields That Clients May Never See
The new no-commission indexed annuities, a response to the now-endangered Obama fiduciary rule, could be much richer for clients than commissioned products. But advisor fees are likely to consume the...
View ArticleSavings Pros Meet in City of Big Spenders
At the NAPA 401k Summit in Las Vegas this week, nearly 2,000 plan sponsor advisors et al worried about policy threats to their industry. At nearby slots and gaming tables, middle-class Americans...
View ArticleSurvivor Funds: Not for the Faint of Heart
“Survivor funds,” which offer mortality credits but aren’t annuities, could provide investors with enhanced returns, these authors claim. But, for some, loss of principal would be certain. (Painting...
View ArticleAnecdotal Evidence: Fresh News from the Emerald City
Here's the latest from the nation's capital on the fiduciary rule, the state-sponsored auto-IRA 'Secure Choice' retirement plans, and the 'auto-portability' of 401(k) accounts from old employer to new.
View ArticleBank annuity income up 2.3% in 2016: MWA
It was a feast-or-famine kind of year. While bank annuity fee income reached a record level in third quarter 2016, the other three quarters of the year were among the six smallest quarters in the last...
View ArticleDOL provides “significant relief” on fiduciary rule: Wagner Law Group
'This approach essentially eliminates the need for transition agreements, disclosures, and certain structural changes (such as the appointment of a BICE officer) that were formerly required to be in...
View ArticleHonorable Mention
Late-breaking news: MetLife launches its spin-off Brighthouse Financial retail brand, A.M. Best reports on U.S. life/annuity industry's capital losses, Jackson National Life survey shows that a third...
View ArticleRetirement Clearinghouse gathers allies for its ‘auto-portability’ solution
At a forum called 'Retirement Plan Portability & Public Policy: Unlocking the Potential in Portability' in Washington, D.C. on March 30, a panel representing EBRI, Groom Law Group, and Retirement...
View ArticleRetirement trade groups gird to protect ‘tax deferral’
The 'SOS Coalition' encompasses the $25.3 trillion retirement industry, which plans to defend the $100 billion-a-year tax expenditure on long-term savings if and when Congress attempts to overhaul the...
View ArticleDOL Hints at Regulatory ‘Relief’ for Indexed Annuities
'Allowing all annuity products to be covered by PTE 84-24 [until the end of the year]... could be a signal in terms of where a revision to the rule could be heading,' said consultant Steven Saltzman...
View ArticleTime for Retirement 'SeLFIES'?
The Nobel Prize-winning economist and his colleague propose a new way to turn DC savings into retirement income. It involves 'Standard of Living Indexed, Forward-Starting, Income-Only Securities'...
View ArticleA Bold, Direct-Sold, Multi-Premium DIA from Nationwide
The new product, currently available only in Arizona and accessible only through a portal on Nationwide's website, is designed for middle-class investors over age 35 with household incomes between...
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