The Mad Men of Wall Street
Our guest columnist saw a news report that said 10% of the 3.9 million people who work on Wall Street are "clinical psychopaths." He set out to discover the...
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‘We Should All Work To Age 70’
Guest columnist Smorenberg, chairman of the World Pension Summit, says that we should all--individuals, companies and institutions--be planning for a standard retirement age of 70.
Philadelphia Story
Mackenzie, author of two books on pensions and annuities, attended the Pension Research Council’s conference on “The Market for Retirement Financial Advice” two weeks ago at the Wharton School...
New CDA offered by Great-West Life for Bank-Affiliated B/Ds
The new "contingent deferred annuity," which attaches a lifetime income guarantee to a portfolio of Vanguard exchange-traded funds, offers potentially higher payouts rates if the 10-year Treasury rate rises.
New Allianz Life VA income rider enhances withdrawal rate, not benefit base
Instead of tempting the client with a guaranteed rollup in the benefit base every year, Income Focus enhances the withdrawal rate. And, instead of guaranteeing that enhancement, Allianz Life...
Mind Your ETFs and CITs
In this data-rich report, the president of the Center for Due Diligence, a Chicago-based organization for plan advisors, explains which way the winds of the 401(k) world are blowing....
One-Time Crusader Breaks Bad
Matthew Hutcheson, who portrayed himself as a champion of fuduciary responsibility, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week in Boise, Idaho, on charges of stealing millions of...
The Crisis Behind the Crisis
A new report from Oliver Wyman examines the dysfunctional state of the global financial services industry. It blames asset-liability mismatching for a lot of the trouble, and suggests a...
Rollups are Back in Style
Guardian Life and Protective Life have both filed prospectuses for variable annuities with 10-year/100% deferral bonuses.
New Lincoln VA funds use Milliman-inspired volatility buffer
Lincoln Financial vice president Dan Hayes described the advent of volatility management mechanisms inside today's VAs funds-of-funds as comparable to the emergence of "4G" cellphone technology.
The American Recovery
"America’s full recovery is not yet guaranteed. A mix of steadfastness, caution, and good luck is needed for that to happen," writes the CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO.
Getting into the Heads of RIAs
Data on the views and practices of RIAs are included in a recent study co-authored by Howard Schneider (left), of Practical Perspectives and Dennis Gallant of GDC Research.
Alternatives Move to Center Stage
Over the next five years, 55% of advisors see their allocation to alternative investments increasing “moderately” and 11.1% see it increasing “substantially,” according to a Jefferson National survey.
What Are Sales Trends Telling VA Issuers?
Investors were running scared after 3Q equity market turmoil. But they didn’t flock to variable annuity guarantees for protection.
Patently Controversial
Lincoln National Life has received a new patent on its GLWB process, raising concerns that it might once again seek royalties from other VA issuers.
An Interview with David Wray
Don't expect participants to revolt when they see how high their 401k fees are, and don't expect 12b-1 fees to disappear, said the president of the PSCA. But the...
Vocal reactions to the New 401(k) Rules
Professionals from across the retirement income industry express their views of the DoL/Treasury announcement last week on fee disclosure and annuities.
Keynes vs. Hayek: The Rap Video
This hip-hop bout between "Keynes" and his nemesis "Hayek" was screened at the IMCA conference Tuesday. If you're not among the millions who've seen it on YouTube, prepare for...
Pacific Life launches GLWB for indexed annuity and ‘O-share’ variable annuity for Edward Jones
Pacific Index Choice now has an optional lifetime income benefit for 75 basis points and the Pacific Destinations VA comes in a new and cheaper share class.
