Life Insurers as LEGO Monsters

By Kerry Pechter
Michael Gordon, CEO of Axonic Insurance, part of Axonic Capital, sees the future of the life/annuity/asset-management business as an increasingly a la carte affair, where the components of the business are like interchangeable Lego blocks and where platform providers help clients snap them together.

NAIC Urged to Limit ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Strategy

By Kerry Pechter
'The ability of insurers to significantly lower the total asset requirement for long-duration blocks of business that rely heavily on asset returns appears to be one of the drivers of the significant increase in reinsurance transactions,” wrote a New Jersey and an Iowa insurance regulator. 'A stunning development,' said one federal official.
Featured

A Chat with the President of Prudential Annuities

By Editor Test
Bob O'Donnell talked to RIJ about sustaining VA guarantees in an uncertain rate environment, and about the public's ability to understand VA riders. MetLife, AXA Equitable, and Jackson National also comment here on limiting new contributions to older, richer contracts.

‘The Future of Lifetime Income’

By Editor Test
Symetra Life and Russell Investments have teamed up to build a low-cost variable annuity with a lifetime income feature that doesn't involve costly hedging, insurance charges or commissions.
News

NAIC Urged to Limit ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Strategy

By Kerry Pechter
'The ability of insurers to significantly lower the total asset requirement for long-duration blocks of business that rely heavily on asset returns appears to be one of the drivers of the significant increase in reinsurance transactions,” wrote a New Jersey and an Iowa insurance regulator. 'A stunning development,' said one federal official.

Can layoffs shorten lifespans?

By Editor Test
Unemployment shocks at ages 57 to 61 have the biggest long-term effect on survival, while shocks at earlier (ages 55 to 56) or later (ages 62 to 65) ages have no significant long-term effect, economists at Wellesley College found.

Living benefit buyers live longer: Ruark

By Editor Test
Mortality levels among purchasers of guaranteed living benefits are lower than among variable annuity purchasers who did not buy a guaranteed living benefit, according to the 2012 Variable Annuity Mortality Study from Ruark Consulting.

Bullish sentiments follow central bank easing

By Editor Test
"While there is a debate about the effectiveness of QE measures in stimulating the economy, there is little doubt that they have provided a boost to equity markets," writes John Praveen of Prudential International Investments Advisors.