The 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 ArticleSpiritual Advisor
Good advisors think of themselves as healers, in a way. Larry Ford takes that concept to a new level. Has he totally lost his mind, or is he onto something?
View ArticleLower-income 60-somethings are raiding their IRAs
Among households ages 71 to 80, those whose withdrawals exceeded the RMD amount were withdrawing more than twice as much, proportionately, as did those who withdrew the minimum required amount.
View ArticleThe Variable Annuity Market in Five Acts
Actuary Timothy Paris, CEO of Ruark Insurance Advisors, Inc., charts the evolution of the variable annuity product and its market in this article, which first appeared as a blogpost on the Society of...
View ArticleWill Boomer Retirement Melt the Markets?
An editor at IPE.com says decumulation by Boomers won't spell disaster for the equity and bond markets--thanks in part to inequality. "The wealthiest 1% of US baby boomers own almost one-third of the...
View ArticleVanguard launches emerging markets gov’t bond index fund
Following the subscription period, the fund will seek to track the Barclays USD Emerging Markets Government RIC Capped Index. The fund will invest solely in U.S. dollar-denominated emerging markets...
View ArticleThe Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Northwestern Mutual and Jackson National Life.
View ArticlePartial lump-sum payouts for Social Security?
Researchers suggest that instead of giving Americans increasingly higher monthly benefit for waiting past age 62 to claim benefits (to a maximum age of 70), the Social Security Administration might...
View ArticleFinancial / Retirement Planning Software Directory
See the detail on financial planning software including vendors, scopes, costs, and contacts.
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 ArticleSpiritual Advisor
Good advisors think of themselves as healers, in a way. Larry Ford takes that concept to a new level. Has he totally lost his mind, or is he onto something?
View ArticleThe Kreppa that Almost Melted Iceland
Iceland's economy and pension system has come back from the "kreppa" or banking crisis that struck five years ago. This country of the aurora borealis and matronymic last-names is full of surprises...
View Article“An inoculation, not a depredation”
Notes from all over: What a government official said privately about the $3 million cap on tax-favored accumulations; Mark Cortazzo's new business of mining old VA contracts; another New York Times...
View ArticleDicey
"We have been trained to consider all the possible future outcomes [of a gamble] and then weight them in accordance with their probability. In effect we freeze time and take multiple copies of the...
View ArticleAnnuity Sales Decline in 1Q 2013: LIMRA
"In many ways, the current market is more challenging to many annuity manufacturers than the recent financial crisis,” said Joe Montminy, assistant vice president and director of LIMRA annuity research.
View ArticleSwan Dive
In trying to predict the future, we make two mistakes, experts said at conferences this spring. In relying on averages of potential outcomes, we assume parallel universes. And we blame “black swans”...
View ArticleCan’t win for losing
Venturing into the sensitive area of ethnicity, Prudential documents a need for dramatic improvement in the financial circumstances of the average African American.
View ArticleLincoln Financial expands VA fund options
The new investment options, which seek to reduce exposure to market risks, include seven new options for Lincoln ChoicePlus Assurance products and four new options for American Legacy products.
View ArticleInsurance now a riskier business: State Street
A new study, “Facing the Future: Blueprint for Growth,” highlights three main insurer challenges: risk, regulation and the restructuring of product offerings.
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