The Elephant in the Room
It's difficult if not impossible for anyone to describe the contours and textures of the annuity/retirement income business, or even any particular section of it. But fortunately there are people who...
View ArticleOut of Commission
Wondering what life under a strict fiduciary standard might be like? Just ask investors in the U.K. (also known as 'the nanny state') where sales commissions were banned from financial services last...
View ArticleAmerica's Bond Market Blues
"For China, the benefits of holding large quantities of US dollars no longer outweigh the risks, so it must begin to reduce the share of US securities in its foreign-exchange reserves," writes a...
View ArticleBritons debate best way to consolidate DC accounts
Some in the U.K. suggest the creation of a nationwide non-profit “pension-pot clearinghouse.” It would keep track of all the plans a person has contributed to and how much has been accumulated, as...
View ArticleBig outflows from bond funds persist
While the monthly outflow has been huge, it is still a recent phenomenon. The year-to-date net outflow of $28.4 billion reverses only a tiny fraction of the inflows from 2009 through 2012, which...
View ArticleStanford biz professor to host online course on retirement and pensions
The 'Finance of Retirement and Pensions' course will conclude with an interactive symposium about the challenges of U.S. pension systems. It will be held in January 2014 at the Stanford Graduate...
View ArticleDC participants should contribute 15% of pay for 40 years: Schroders
A Schroders executive criticized most collective DC fund managers for failing to target real returns of at least 3%. “You can’t eat relative returns,” said Lesley-Ann Morgan, head of Global Strategic...
View ArticleAdvisor headcount to shrink through 2017
Since peaking in 2005, the industry has shrunk by a net 32,000 advisors. Some simply aren’t needed. Competition and “underwhelming” client demand have caused firms to lower the supply of advisors,...
View ArticleThe Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Cannex and The QWeMA Group, Nationwide Financial, The SPARK Institute and ING U.S.
View ArticleAllianz Life Launches an “Indexed Variable Annuity’
The product, Index Advantage, includes variable annuity subaccounts, plus a low-risk index crediting method that returns 4% (annually adjusted) whenever the index is flat or positive, plus a...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleHave Your Danish, and Eat It Too
A novel retirement plan design, called TimePension (“Tidspension” in Danish) uses a buffer account to smooth out market volatility and ensure a stable income in retirement.
View ArticleThe Elephant in the Room
It's difficult if not impossible for anyone to describe the contours and textures of the annuity/retirement income business, or even any particular section of it. But fortunately there are people who...
View ArticleOut of Commission
Wondering what life under a strict fiduciary standard might be like? Just ask investors in the U.K. (also known as 'the nanny state') where sales commissions were banned from financial services last...
View ArticleSelling Income Annuities on Greed, Not Fear
Iowa advisor Curtis Cloke claims that his 'Thrive” system,' which finances retirement with period certain, cash-refund deferred income annuities, offers safety without sacrificing upside. He's one of...
View ArticleAn Old Argument for Annuities, Made New
The Thrive Income Distribution System takes an ancient annuity marketing pitch and dresses it up well enough to appeal to high net worth clients who otherwise might not spend five minutes looking at...
View ArticleOccupy QE
The Fed is relying on the 'wealth effect' – brought about largely by increasing equity and home prices – as its principal transmission mechanism for stabilization policy. There are serious problems...
View ArticleThree percent GDP growth for next three years: BNY Mellon
The Fed will fall “behind the curve” in its monetary policy, creating pressure for a major upward spike in interest rates in 2017 or 2018, following the Presidential election of 2016, predicts...
View ArticleA retirement income guide for the perplexed plan sponsor
If you want to come up to speed fast on the DC-to-DB dialogue, check out this hefty new report from the Society of Actuaries and the Stanford Center on Longevity.
View ArticleJackson National dominates annuity flows in first half of 2013
Three Jackson variable annuity contracts—Perspective II 05/05, Perspective II L-Series and Elite Access—were among the five best-selling annuity products in the first six months of this year.
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