Crime writer wins $50.9 million verdict against advisor
"Notwithstanding eight figure earnings per year during that period, CEI and [Patricia] Cornwell learned that their net worth, while substantial, was the equivalent of only approximately one year’s net...
View ArticleIn Off-Year for Annuities, FIAs and DIAs Shine: LIMRA
Overall, annuity sales were $52.6 billion in the fourth quarter, down 8% from the previous year. For the year, annuity sales dropped 8%, tallying $219.4 billion. Variable annuity sales totaled $147.4...
View ArticleVariable Annuity Carriers 'Mix It Up' in Q4
"We may be at an inflection point, with the first carriers beginning to tweak products in small ways for competitive advantage despite the ongoing low interest rate environment," writes John McCarthy,...
View ArticleThe Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Nationwide, MetLife, Northwestern Mutual, and Jefferson National.
View ArticleQuote of the Week
"The business man is only tolerable so long as his gains can be held to bear some relation to what, roughly and in some sense, his activities have contributed to Society"--John Maynard Keynes, Essays...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleThe Retirement Income Paradox
In a survey of advisors on the topic of retirement income, GDC Research and Practical Perspectives found the firm that certain "contradictions" are making it hard for firms to take advantage of the...
View ArticleSorry to Burst Your Bubble
A look at the way bond funds recover from rate hikes and a review of the effect of rate hikes in the 1970s and 1980s on bond funds shows that fears of a bond bubble may be overblown.
View ArticleVariable Annuity Carriers 'Mix It Up' in Q4
"We may be at an inflection point, with the first carriers beginning to tweak products in small ways for competitive advantage despite the ongoing low interest rate environment," writes John McCarthy,...
View ArticleLife and annuity companies will face reckoning in 12-14 months: Conning
Conning's new report is titled, “U.S. and Global Insurance Industry Outlook: Economic, Capital Markets, and Regulatory Challenges Continue—Nothing to Be Gained by Waiting for Things to Get Better.”
View ArticleDebate continues over capping 401(k) tax break at 28%
Under the “28% cap” proposal, someone in the 39.6% marginal tax bracket could reduce his federal income taxes by a maximum of $14,000 on a deferral of $50,000 into a 401(k) plan, rather than the...
View ArticleSmall plan participants pay as much as 1.97% in annual fees
The average target date fund expense in a large plan is .98%, while the balanced fund average is 1.12%. The average target date fund expense for a small plan is 1.37%, while the balanced fund average...
View ArticleEurope evaluates incentives for working longer and subsidies for saving more
Pension adequacy in Europe “requires active aging strategies, investments in life-long learning of all age groups, the adaption of workplaces to the needs of older workers and new forms of labor-force...
View ArticlePacific Life announces new pension de-risking product
The product is intended to enable plan sponsors “to de-risk their pension obligations and stabilize their corporate balance sheets and income statements without affecting plan termination, said a...
View ArticlePrudential Enters DIA Space with All-Bond VA
“The annuity space is book-ended at one end by the SPIA, and at the other end by the VA with a guaranteed lifetime income benefit. Our new product resides somewhere in the middle," says Bruce Ferris...
View ArticleTen Questions about Quantitative Easing
If quantitative easing and other unconventional monetary policies remain in place for too long, their side effects could be severe – and the longer-term costs very high, warns this ever-pessimistic...
View ArticleThe Best Retirement Research of 2012
For the second consecutive year, we bring you the most intriguing, influential and useful retirement-related academic research that came to our attention in the prior year.
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleSorry to Burst Your Bubble
A look at the way bond funds recover from rate hikes and a review of the effect of rate hikes in the 1970s and 1980s on bond funds shows that fears of a bond bubble may be overblown.
View ArticleVariable Annuity Carriers 'Mix It Up' in Q4
"We may be at an inflection point, with the first carriers beginning to tweak products in small ways for competitive advantage despite the ongoing low interest rate environment," writes John McCarthy,...
View Article