Knighthead enters U.S. FIA market
Knighthead Insurance Group has launched Chartline and Chartline Bonus, two fixed indexed annuities designed to provide clients with “straightforward and intuitive accumulation.” The contracts are issued Knighthead Life, the U.S. carrier of Knighthead Insurance Group.
Knighthead launched Staysail, a multi-year guaranteed rate annuity (MYGA), in 2025. The company has offices in Charlotte, NC, and the Cayman Islands.
“Knighthead Insurance Group has been offering fixed indexed annuities internationally for more than ten years, consistently providing competitive and reliable cap rates. This successful approach will be carried forward as Knighthead enters the U.S. fixed index market,” said Edward Massaro, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Knighthead Insurance Group, in a release.
Chartline features a minimum interest guarantee. Chartline Bonus provides an upfront premium bonus. Model portfolios with “unique combinations of indices, caps and participation rates” are available: Global Diversified Balance, American Benchmark Collection, and Cap Amplifier.
Knighthead Insurance Group was founded in 2014 as a direct insurance and reinsurance provider. It now manages over $7 billion of annuity reserves. In 2024, the Group launched Knighthead Life to provide retirement solutions to the U.S. market.
Morningstar analyzes Trump’s universal plan coverage proposal
Responding to the State of the Union and Trump’s impending executive order, researchers from the Morningstar Center for Retirement and Policy Studies have examined how a federally administered auto-enrollment retirement plan could affect long-term retirement wealth outcomes for Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X workers.
Using the Morningstar Model of US Retirement Outcomes, the analysis simulates the impact of
- Automatic enrollment
- Default contribution rates
- Potential enhancements to the Saver’s Match
while also accounting for real-world behaviors such as opt-outs, cash outs, and preretirement withdrawals.
The paper analyzes how a federally administered auto‑enrollment retirement plan could affect participation and long-term retirement wealth under different plan design and incentive scenarios. Key findings from the study:
- A federal auto‑enrollment plan could bring nearly 32.3 million new savers into the system and increase retirement wealth by 28%-49% under base plan designs.
- Workers with 10+ years of sustained participation could see 67% to 125% higher retirement wealth under auto‑enrollment scenarios.
- Strengthening the Saver’s Match can boost average retirement wealth increases to 59%-77% and adds up to $1.35 trillion in projected retirement wealth over 10 years.
- The largest relative gains are seen among Gen Z and millennials, single women, and lower‑ and middle‑income workers, with some groups experiencing wealth increases exceeding 100% under enhanced match scenarios.
Transamerica’s new RILA has an income feature
Transamerica has introduced TSIA Income, a new registered index-linked annuity (RILA). Like all existing Transamerica RILAs), its Performance Lock+ feature allows clients to lock in index gains during a crediting period. Clients also have monthly opportunities, prior to the Allocation Anniversary, to re‑enter their original Index Account Option.
The new RILA offers:
- TSIA Income, a no explicit fee RILA income option. Income can begin immediately or be deferred, with Rider Withdrawal Percentages that increase based on age. If retirement goals change, investors can redirect assets towards growth and protection instead.
- An optional Step-Up feature. For an additional fee, the withdrawal base can be reset to equal the policy value if the policy value is higher.
- An optional Additional Death Benefit (ADB). Elected at issue, the ADB allows beneficiaries to receive an additional death benefit amount based on rider earnings, so contract owners can leave more to loved ones while maintaining lifetime income.
iCapital’s platform to add ‘Claude’
iCapital, a global fintech platform, said it will integrate Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence models into iCapital’s “existing platform, expanding how advisors, product providers, and their clients engage with education, workflows, and insights across the investment lifecycle,” according to a release.
“Initial applications will focus on workflows targeted at advisors and client enablement as well as product provider engagement,” the release said.
“iCapital’s end-to-end platform manages the lifecycle of non-traditional investment products, making it easier to learn about, buy, manage, and integrate alternative assets, structured investments, and annuities into portfolios, driving growth, scale, and efficiency. Our solution(s) can be customized and offers specific modules as needed.”
iCapital services than $1.14 trillion of assets on its platform, including $300.6 billion in alternative platform assets, $251.4 billion in structured investments and annuities outstanding, and $589.4 billion in client assets reported on, and serves over 3,300 wealth management firms and 123,000 active financial professionals.
ShareBuilder 401k now has a Roth version for sole proprietors
ShareBuilder 401k, a provider of low-cost, all-ETF retirement solutions for small and mid-size businesses including the self-employed, has added Roth 401(k) deferrals to its proprietary Solo 401(k) platform, Solo 401(k) Saver.
The Roth 401(k) feature enables business owners and any employees to make post-tax contributions to their 401(k) accounts no matter how much they earn, allowing for tax-free withdrawals of both contributions and earnings in retirement. ShareBuilder’s employer-based 401(k) and Solo 401(k) Plus offerings have included Roth since 2006.
ShareBuilder 401k is a digital provider of low-cost, all-ETF retirement products for small and mid-size businesses, including the self-employed. Founded in 2005 and serving over 6,500 businesses nationwide, ShareBuilder 401k offers index-based 401(k) plans, digital quoting, and investment management (ERISA 3(38)) services.
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