The Four Most Common Questions about VAs
Investors have been asking Moody's if variable annuity issuers have made their products safer, and how Moody's evaluates the safety of VA guarantees. For answers, Moody's turned to the...
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Investment Myths Debunked
Rod Greenshields of Russell Investments questioned the value of conventional financial wisdom in a lively presentation at the FPA Experience 2011 conference.
Advisor Survey Provides Mixed News for Annuity Providers
Cogent Research's 2011 Advisor Brandscape survey shows that many advisors sell annuities and are highly loyal to certain variable annuity providers. But on average they don't devote much of...
12 Retirement Plan Concepts Financial Advisors Must Know
In this article, an ERISA attorney sets out to help retirement plan advisors understand basic retirement plan concepts that can help them develop and maintain their retirement plan book...
Use of peer pressure to encourage savings can backfire
Plan sponsors who urge union members to participate or to contribute more by pointing out other employees' saving behavior may produce unintended consequences, Harvard's David Laibson (in photo) and...
Why the U.S. had a crisis but Canada didn’t
Two Rutgers professors explain how fragmentation of the banking system in the U.S. has led to a long series of panics here, of which the Great Recession was only...
East and West Approach Retirement from Opposite Directions
Starting from a level of great wealth, North Americans and Europeans feel a sense of decline, while Asians, starting from a level of deep poverty, feel a sense of...
How to Demonstrate the Value of an Income Annuity
In this edited version of a monthly bulletin from the Qwema Group, Moshe Milevsky (left) and Simon Dabrowski show advisors how to demonstrate the value of an income annuity...
Happy Ants, Struggling Grasshoppers
SunAmerica's 'Retirement Re-Set' study showed why some retirees are happier than others. Jana Greer, president and CEO of SunAmerica Retirement Markets, explains. The company was the sixth biggest VA-seller...
A Pair of VA Contenders
Big deferral bonuses and safer investment options characterize the income riders of Nationwide and Sun Life, both of which aim to be among the leading sellers of VAs.
More Generous VA Benefits On the Way: Morningstar
In his regular quarterly update, the product manager of Morningstar’s Annuity Solutions reviews second-quarter VA manufacturer activity and looks ahead.
Mutual Satisfaction
What "story" helps you sell VAs? Mark Caner of Western & Southern describes his firm's contract as a safe, nimble, fuel-efficient vehicle for cruising through retirement.
NYLife Targets VA Buyers with New DIA
The new multi-premium contract allows a person to build a personal pension with a series of contributions leading to lifetime income beginning at a pre-determined but flexible start date.
An Actuary’s View of the VA Market
Consulting actuary Tim Pfeifer, a self-professed fan of the guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit, spoke with RIJ about the evolving variable annuity market.
Lonelier at the Top
Prudential, MetLife and Jackson National, which have dominated sales since the VA industry's post-crisis shake-out, all added to their market share in the first quarter of 2011, according to...
Eleven Million Millionaires Worldwide
About 40,000 Americans have investable assets of $30 million or more, according to the 15th annual World Wealth Report from Merrill Lynch and Capgemini.
SPIA Flow at Fidelity: $70M-a-Month
Sales began going up after Fidelity incorporated SPIAs into its online retirement planning tools: the Income Strategy Evaluator and the Guaranteed Income Estimator.
The Hartford enhances VA suite
The product enhancements are part of a series of investments The Hartford is making in its annuity business in recent months, the company said.
Milliman’s annual VA survey analyzes rider exercise rates, lapse rates
Lifetime withdrawal benefit exercise rates rose with in-the-moneyness and age of contract owners, according to Milliman's survey of 18 variable annuity issuers, including 11 top-20 issuers.
BNP Paribas and Tennis: Love Match
The French bank has sponsored the French Open for 38 years and in March launched a website called "We Are Tennis."
