‘Reinsurance Sidecars’: A Capital Idea

By Kerry Pechter
Athene Annuity & Life sold the most fixed deferred annuities in the first three-quarters of 2024. Its parent, Athene Holdings, has attracted billions in just-in-time third-party capital through Bermuda 'reinsurance sidecars.' Coincidence? Not likely.
Income Outcome

Case Study: An FIA for Guaranteed Income

By Kerry Pechter
A 62-year-old woman, newly retired, wanted exactly $600-a-month to supplement her Social Security benefit, starting immediately. She asked New Jersey advisor Andy Panko to locate the lowest-cost source of such an income.

Honorable Mention

By Editorial Staff
Federal watchdog report briefly covers U.S. insurance industry; Fidelity's annuity platform adds rare Fidelity annuity; High surrender rates accompany high annuity sales, AM Best says; Greg Lindberg pleads guilty to $2 billion fraud; Retirement got tougher for more people in 2024: EBRI.

Bermuda Shorts

By Editorial Staff
Corebridge loses $1.2 billion on Fortitude Re derivative; Brighthouse turns to reinsurance for capital support; Kuvare-owned life insurer enhances FIA; RGA sidecar raises $480 million in capital.

Index-linked annuities lead sales surge: LIMRA

By Editorial Staff
The overall sales leader was Athene Annuity & Life, with sales of $27.98 billion concentrated in fixed deferred annuities, followed by Corebridge, MassMutual, Allianz Life of U.S. and Equitable.
Anecdotal Evidence

Post-Election Overhang

By Kerry Pechter
Despite recent court rulings, Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Labor leaves some room for uncertainty over the future of rollover-related ERISA regulation.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

November 2024

Middleware is Central to In-Plan Annuities

By Kerry Pechter
Middleware is hub-and-spoke software that lets retirement plan recordkeepers and life insurers talk to each other. Steve McCoy of iJoin, a provider of managed account user interfaces, and Bill Mueller of IPX, a middleware...
October 2024

How T. Rowe Price Approaches the ‘401(k) Income’ Market

By Kerry Pechter
By bundling a deferred income annuity with a managed payout program, T. Rowe Price's optional 'out-of-plan' 401(k) income tool aims to boost participants' spending power in retirement by as much as 50%, relative to...
September 2024

J.P. Morgan Asset Mgt Joins the 401(k) Annuity Race

By Kerry Pechter
To educate participants, JPMAM's ‘My Retirement Income Planner,' an online tool for 401(k) participants, will help them decide whether to cover 25% of their plan savings with an Equitable or Prudential lifetime income...