Anecdotal Evidence
Medicare Advantage plans, which offer zero premium coverage for those 65 and over, are here to stay. But when ‘the product is free, you’re the product.’ Pairing traditional Medicare...
The Pfau Phenomenon
In a decade's worth of presentations, books and research papers, Pfau has arguably pierced the resistance of independent advisers to the floor-and-upside retirement income method (and to annuities) to...
A More Impeachable Offense
The president’s efforts to pressure the Fed chairman into lowering interest rates to boost the stock market may be more abusive than his call to the president of Ukraine....
Investors Flocked to Money Funds in August
August also saw the value of passive U.S. equity funds surpass the value of U.S. actively managed equity funds by about $25 billion ($4.271 trillion vs. $4.246 trillion), according...
Why Eight States Are Suing Over ‘Reg BI’
'Dually registered' advisers can switch hats between the broker/commission model and the adviser/AUM model as needed, to the confusion and expense of investors. Eight state attorneys general say the...
We Deserve Better
We were on our way up and out of the extreme low interest rate regime until the end of July, when factors related to the 2020 election came into...
Storm Warning? Let an Annuity By Your Umbrella
For advisors who sell annuities, market tremors are known to stimulate business. After a bit of volatility, older investors in particular show more interest in taking profits out of...
Of Black Walnut Trees and ‘the Debt’
'Now tell me again,' said my neighbor, who works as a public health administrator, 'why I shouldn’t worry about the size of the federal debt.' So I did.
Apple Stock, Bourbon and Cigars
Every summer, I try to spend a weekend with two old friends. We used to talk about our spouses and children. Now we talk most about retirement and money....
Of ‘Thrillers, Spillers, and Fillers,’ Plus the Mueller Hearings
Like every decorative pot of plants, every retirement income plan needs a 'thriller, a spiller and a filler.' We also deconstruct this week's Mueller hearings.
Where’s the Nuance in News about Annuities?
In stories about annuities, even in the Wall Street Journal, writers seem to assume that annuities are a single product, and not five or six financial products with overlapping...
MMT Isn’t a Joke
Modern Monetary Theory's enemies have been trying to discredit it either by equating it with something stupid (printing money willy-nilly) or by making jokes about it. But MMT isn't...
Making a Case for the COLA-SPIA
'First optimize Social Security. If that ‘paycheck’ isn't enough, buy a SPIA. An inflation-indexed SPIA would be ideal. A COLA-SPIA may be the next best alternative,' Joe Tomlinson told...
Is the SECURE Act Too Weak to Make a Difference?
Yes, there's a new 'safe harbor' for selecting an annuity provider for a 401(k) plan in legislation that appears headed for the president's signature. But there's no sign that...
RIJ’s 500th Issue
Ten years ago, the “retirement income industry,” a narrow but deep niche of individuals and organizations that included much more than the annuity industry, evidently needed a news outlet...
Deregulating Retirement
Retirement bills close to passage in the House and Senate remove barriers to commerce in the 401(k) business but could also weaken safeguards that have been in place for...
At the Morningstar Investor Conference
Annuity providers failed to sponsor a single booth at the Morningstar conference trade show. That's a bit odd, since they claim to want to break into the registered investment...
The Reason for SPIAs, from Pfau and Finke
In a new whitepaper sponsored by Principal Financial Group, the two retirement experts from The American College use hypothetical cases to show the advantages of using deferred and immediate...
The Awful Optics of Fighting Fiduciary Rules
Broker trade groups are fighting proposed fiduciary rules in New Jersey and Maryland, but brokers' opposition to consumer protections isn't likely to improve their image.
Why Living Benefits Are Dying
Instead of buying variable and indexed annuities for lifetime income and protection against outliving their savings, Americans are buying annuities for accumulation. We pose six theories for the weakness...