‘Fiduciary duty’ remains under-defined, says UK law professor
“This is all about what you do with other people's money – you can't get more political than that. [But] It’s very difficult to lay down a hard and fast rule that will work for decades to come,” said...
View ArticleWhich is better for Ireland: Auto-enrollment or mandatory participation?
A report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development says compulsory participation in national defined contribution plans is more effective and less expensive than auto-enrollment...
View ArticleSmall is beautiful, say these plan providers
Transamerica launches a new service for small-plan sponsors, The Online 401(k) jumps into the auto-IRA business, and Fidelity announces that small-plan balances have rebounded 64% since the nadir of...
View ArticleSecurian, Nationwide add managed-vol funds to VAs
The trend toward embedding risk-management mechanisms inside variable annuity portfolios continues.
View ArticleNine Insurers Now Offer DIAs
Here are thumbnail descriptions of deferred income annuities from American General, Guardian Life, MassMutual, MetLife, New York Life, Northwestern Mutual, The Principal, Prudential and Symetra.
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleA Man of Conviction
How did Matthew Hutcheson, once a poster boy for fiduciary rectitude, turn into the wanted-poster man for fiduciary misconduct? But his ill-fated deal for the Osprey Meadows golf course (pictured) in...
View ArticleRoll Over, Rollovers: 'Roll-Ins' Have Arrived
Retirement Clearinghouse (formerly RolloverSystems) CEO Spencer Williams wants people to consolidate (roll in) their retirement accounts in their current 401(k)s. It would mean fewer ‘stranded’...
View ArticleBuenos DIAs
It’s morning in America for manufacturers of deferred income annuities, or DIAs. Are they a passing fancy, or do they offer the perfect balance between risk and reward?
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 ArticleSnoopy Takes a Cue from the Gorilla
With the brand-new MetLife Shield Level Selector accumulation annuity, as with as the similar AXA Equitable Structured Capital Strategies product, investors can get a higher cap on their index-linked...
View ArticleWith Income Annuities, a Lot of Knowledge (or None at All) Is Better than a...
Annuity marketers may want to start stressing the link between annuities and independence in old age, rather than just income in old age. That's one of the takeaways from a study published recently in...
View ArticleFinancial Engines makes Income+ service portable from 401(k) to IRA
Income+ is a retirement income planning service that Financial Engines launched in late 2011. Morningstar Inc., a Financial Engines competitor in this space, also made an announcement this week.
View ArticleWells Fargo DC plans to carry Prudential’s in-plan annuity option
IncomeFlex allows plan participants who are nearing retirement to buy a stand-alone living benefit that works a lot like the guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit on a retail variable annuity...
View ArticleAthene divests Aviva USA’s life insurance business
Athene Holding, a private equity firm, needs a life insurance operating company in order to issue fixed indexed annuities, but it has no interest in being in the life insurance business per se.
View ArticleQuote of the Week
“The largest theme in the VA product space is still de-risking--though I don’t remember it being called 'risking' back in 2005 and 2006,” quipped Casey Malone of Milliman’s Seattle office at the...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
View ArticleRoll Over, Rollovers: 'Roll-Ins' Have Arrived
Retirement Clearinghouse (formerly RolloverSystems) CEO Spencer Williams wants people to consolidate (roll in) their retirement accounts in their current 401(k)s. It would mean fewer ‘stranded’...
View ArticleBuenos DIAs
It’s morning in America for manufacturers of deferred income annuities, or DIAs. Are they a passing fancy, or do they offer the perfect balance between risk and reward?
View Article