Honorable Mention
Nationwide enters the exchange-traded funds arena, The Principal sells a group annuity to NCR in a pension risk transfer deal, Fidelity reports record 401(k) balances.
News
Trump expected to name Powell as Fed chair today
Powell, an attorney, joined the central bank's board of governors in 2012 under President Barack Obama and was renominated in 2014.
The 80/20 rule (more or less) applies to Registered Investment Advisors
'Billion-dollar RIAs are becoming formidable competitors for B/Ds,' according to new research from Cerulli Associates.
New Morningstar tool supports “best interest” rollover recommendations
Using the tool, advisors can determine, demonstrate, and document whether a proposal is in the investor's best interest, according to Morningstar.
NAFA partners with message encryption provider
'Our members and their clients should have access to a private and secure channel for sharing documents and sending messages,' said Chip Anderson, executive director of NAFA, in a...
How pricey is your managed account? Check it out
In a new report, 'Beneath the Surface: What Americans are Paying in Advisory Fees,' the robo-advisor Personal Capital does its best to embarrass the wirehouses and big brokerages.
Ruark tracks variable annuity living benefit utilization habits
For life insurers, the long-range profitability of variable annuity living benefit riders depends on policyholder behavior around surrenders, withdrawals and annuitization. Ruark Consulting tracks that behavior and reports on...
U.S. life expectancy declines slightly: SoA
Using the MP-2017 improvement scale could reduce a pension plan's obligations by 0.7% to 1.0%, based on a 4% discount rate, the Society of Actuaries' latest estimates suggest.
Honorable Mention
Edward Jones reaches $1 trillion is assets "under care," Milliman study shows MEPs funding status has improved, Concord Coalition criticizes Senate budget proposal, Jonathan Matta joins MassMutual DCIO sales...
Follow the Money: Vanguard’s new REIT II Index Fund draws $6.3 billion in September
Despite expectations of another interest rate hike this year, taxable bond remained the leading category group in September with $34.9 billion in flows overall, up from $27.5 billion in...
GAO and CBO publish major retirement analyses
You can find links to these reports here.
Goldman Sach’s workplace IRA will waive wrap fee in 2017
Workers who enroll in Goldman's Honest Dollar IRA will pay only fund fees (9 to 13 bps) and custodial fees until 2019.
A Western & Southern Group income annuity joins Fidelity online platform
Western & Southern Group's IncomeSource immediate annuity joins comparable products from Guardian, MassMutual, New York Life and The Principal on the Fidelity Insurance Network, an online direct-to-consumer sales platform.
Honorable Mention
Stash has a new banking app, Cerulli reports higher CIT sales, David Blanchett's prize-winning paper, and new hirings/promotions at Voya Financial and MassMutual.
Financial Engines adds college and health planning modules for participants
The innovations are part of Financial Engines' initiatives in the emerging field of 'financial wellness' for plan participants.
DOL delay will help annuity sales in 2018: LIMRA
Because of the delay of the DOL fiduciary rule, LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute now expects fixed annuity sales to increase 5-10 percent in 2018, an improvement over the expected...
Fidelity’s global unit to experiment with variable fees
The annual management fee will rise if an actively-managed fund outperforms its benchmark index, but will fall if the fund underperforms its benchmark, according to press reports.
Why most 401(k)s don’t offer in-plan annuities
Technically, the 401(k) is a profit-sharing plan, not a pension plan. Under federal law, only pension plans need to offer in-plan retirement income options. A new TIAA whitepaper explains.
Threats to broker-dealer model: It’s more than DOL
Even if the DOL conflict of interest rule is ultimately diluted, it has reinforced shift to fee-based advice from commission-based sales, according to Bing Waldert, managing director of...
Market value of U.S. retirement savings reaches $26.6tr in 2Q17
Mutual funds managed $3.3 trillion, or 65%, of assets held in 401(k) plans at the end of June 2017. Forty-eight percent of IRA assets, or $4.0 trillion, was invested...
