The Pleasant Inflation Surprise — Will It Last?
'The core inflation rate is likely to exceed the Fed’s 2.0% inflation target by the end of next year, which should keep the Fed on its path of gradual increases in the funds rate,' writes our guest...
View Article1Q2017 bank annuity fee income up 4.2% from 1Q2016
Of 624 bank holding companies (BHC), 280 or 44.9% sold annuities during first quarter 2017. Their $788.5 million in annuity commissions and fees constituted 35.1% of total BHC insurance sales volume...
View ArticleHonorable Mention
Brief or late-breaking items about Northwestern Mutual and the NFL, Milliman's robo-human hybrid research and Voya's new 401k chief.
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 ArticleCloudy with a Chance of Lawsuits
If the fiduciary rule and its Best Interest Contract Exemption are here to stay, will they trigger a wave of lawsuits against advisory firms? No one seems to know for sure.
View ArticleT. Rowe Price Reopens the Market for Payout Funds
Managed payout funds haven't gotten much traction in the last decade. But T. Rowe Price hopes that its target-date fund/payout fund hybrid, the Retirement Income 2020 Fund, will help it retain money...
View ArticleA High-Tech Challenge for High-Touch Advisors
Wealth management firms know they need next-gen ‘fintech.’ But many of them don’t know exactly which digital tools to buy or where to apply them in their businesses, tech vendors say.
View ArticleVanguard's New CEO: No Surprises
For at least two decades, it was assumed that Tim Buckley would be Vanguard's CEO someday. And why not? He helped Vanguard grow into the paradoxically transparent yet mysterious $4 trillion giant it...
View ArticleOn the Case: An Income Plan from ReLIAS
To solve for one couple’s retirement income needs, Mark Warshawsky of ReLIAS LLC proposed SPIAs and 7.5% annual withdrawals from an all-equity portfolio. RIJ will publish solutions from other experts...
View ArticleWhy We Need Randomized Modeling for Retiree Income Strategies
It’s hard to imagine modern retirement income planning without powerful computers and the Monte Carlo simulations they make possible. Our guest columnist explains why.
View ArticleShift to passive funds slows down in June: Morningstar
The leaders in active flows were American Funds with $3.9 billion and Vanguard with $2.9 billion. On the passive front, Vanguard was first with inflows of $22.7 billion, followed by BlackRock/iShares...
View ArticleLPL will flatten advisor compensation on mutual fund sales
'Other financial firms have limited or even fully removed brokerage options for retirement investors. But when brokerage is in the best interest of your client, we’re providing a solution,' said an...
View ArticleLow unemployment is the bright spot in the economy: Chao
'After the failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, it is increasingly unlikely that any major legislation will pass... this year. We expect a difficult September as lawmakers debate the debt ceiling...
View ArticlePrudential reorganizes five businesses into three main groups
'Each group will have a leader focused on understanding customer needs, experiences and expectations, and applying that understanding to capture growth opportunities within and across businesses,'...
View ArticleBetterment adds socially-responsible portfolio option
A 42% improvement in social responsibility over Betterment's existing portfolio came from substituting iShares DSI—a broad US ESG stock market ETF—for the portfolio's U.S. large cap exposures,...
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 ArticleT. Rowe Price Reopens the Market for Payout Funds
Managed payout funds haven't gotten much traction in the last decade. But T. Rowe Price hopes that its target-date fund/payout fund hybrid, the Retirement Income 2020 Fund, will help it retain money...
View ArticleA High-Tech Challenge for High-Touch Advisors
Wealth management firms know they need next-gen ‘fintech.’ But many of them don’t know exactly which digital tools to buy or where to apply them in their businesses, tech vendors say.
View Article