Expect Sharp Drop in VA Sales: LIMRA
'We are seeing a significant shift in the annuity market,” said Todd Giesing, assistant research director at LIMRA's Secure Retirement Institute. 'We have to go back 20 years—to 1995—to find when the...
View ArticleDonald Trump Believes What?!
Trump talked about Treasuries bonds as if they were the dispensable top-timbers on a Jenga pile, when they actually comprise the indispensable bottom tier. No, Treasuries aren't in danger of default....
View ArticleMarcia Wagner Explains the DOL Rule
'It will be hard to design a compensation program that eliminates all incentives to provide improper advice,' said Boston-based ERISA attorney Marcia Wagner during a webinar this week on her...
View ArticleFirst quarter annuity sales: Better for fixed than variable
Jackson National was again the top seller of variable annuities, Allianz Life the leader in indexed annuities and New York Life led fixed-annuity sales. But AIG issued the most annuities overall in...
View ArticleFormer AARP brand strategist moves to Jackson National Life
Emilio Pardo will be based in Nashville, reporting to Barry Stowe, chairman and chief executive officer of Prudential plc’s North American Business Unit.
View ArticlePace of share buybacks, a plus for equity prices, slows
In a research note, TrimTabs reports that stock buyback announcements have totaled $261.5 billion this year through Thursday, May 19. This volume is down 35% from $399.4 billion in the same period...
View ArticleIn UK, Aegon shifts focus from annuities to web-mediated advice
In 2010, Aegon decided to start withdrawing from the UK annuity market, believing that annuities wouldn’t meet its long-term risk adjusted return requirements.
View ArticleChanges to reverse mortgage rules proposed
The proposed rule will reinforce and codify recent HECM reforms that FHA has implemented in the past several years, and will also add new consumer protections.
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 ArticleThree Advisor-Friendly Reverse Mortgage Strategies
In this installment of our HECM series, we review three strategies that should entice advisors: the HECM-for-purchase, the HECM-LOC for liquidity in down markets, and the HECM-LOC created at age 62...
View ArticleNo Retirement Account Left Behind
"Auto-portability" would consolidate a plan participant's old accounts into his or her current account, automatically. Spencer Williams and Tom Johnson of Charlotte-based Retirement Clearinghouse have...
View ArticleExpect Sharp Drop in VA Sales: LIMRA
'We are seeing a significant shift in the annuity market,” said Todd Giesing, assistant research director at LIMRA's Secure Retirement Institute. 'We have to go back 20 years—to 1995—to find when the...
View ArticleTest Your Reverse Mortgage IQ
To benchmark the public’s level of knowledge about HECMs, The American College’s New York Life Center for Retirement Income sponsored a survey that included a 10-question quiz. We invite you to take...
View ArticleThe American College Is Keen on HECMs. Here’s Why
'We thought it was very much in our wheelhouse to show people how reverse mortgages should be used and how they shouldn’t be used,' said Jamie Hopkins, co-director of the New York Life Center for...
View ArticleFinancial Groups Take DOL to Court—in Texas
RIJ believes that the federal government subsidizes the financial industry through favorable tax treatment, and that the public therefore deserves the assurance that anyone advising them on their...
View ArticleChinese bid to acquire Fidelity & Guaranty Life delayed
Anbang withdrew its application to acquire the company with the New York State Department of Financial Services, Fidelity & Guaranty said in a filing on Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange...
View ArticleIndexed annuity industry sets sales record in 1Q2016: Wink
Allianz Life was the dominant carrier, with an 18.4% share of the indexed market. Its Allianz 222 Annuity was the top-selling indexed annuity for the fifth consecutive quarter.
View ArticlePension buy-out volume up 21% in first quarter
At $1.084 billion, first quarter sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time since 2008 on 68 transactions, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute.
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