Look to Asian bonds for growth: AGI
Portfolio managers at Allianz GlobaI Investors expect the renminbi (RMB) to become a fully convertible currency by 2020, but China will "have to liberalize its interest markets .”
No Tower of Babel, or Babble, from Babbel
If you're engaged in selling or marketing income annuities, you must read this 2007 white paper by Wharton professor David Babbel. It's an enduring classic.
Bond funds grew again in April: Morningstar
Domestic stock funds saw net outflows of $9.3 bn and money market funds saw net outflows of $17.3 bn. This story includes a chart of ten mutual fund families...
Top five SPIA sellers, 2003-2011
None of the top five sellers of single-premium immediate annuities in 2003 were among the top five in 2011, and SPIA sales have become more concentrated among the top...
Quote of the Week
“Money is created in two fundamentally different ways… There is outside money, which is created whenever a government pays for something by making a draft on its central bank...
Is This Any Way to Sell SPIAs? You Bet./
Kelli Hueler, creator of the Income Solutions online income annuity sales platform, delivered an academic paper at the Pension Research Council's annual conference at the Wharton School last week,...
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.
Dept. of Ruffled Feathers
I suggested to Kelli Hueler that she has "ruffled some feathers" in the annuity business. The creator of Income Solutions was both surprised and not surprised to hear that.
Working women save two-thirds as much as men: ING
Among those with savings in or outside an employer-sponsored retirement plan, men have saved $149,000, on average, compared to $108,000 in total average savings for women, according to the...
Nationwide expands variable life and annuity investment lineup
As of May 1, 2012, Nationwide’s investment lineup includes 92 variable annuity investment options and 96 variable life investment options.
Soft yen cited as cause of first-quarter losses for Prudential
The company took a pre-tax charge of approximately $1.5 billion from net changes in value relating to foreign currency exchange rates and changes in market value of derivatives.
Allstate launches indexed annuities
The Allstate "GrowthProtector" is a savings tool and the "IncomeProtector" has a lifetime income benefit with a 7% annual deferral bonus.
Pacific Life licenses Moshe Milevsky’s “RSQ” income planning tool
The tool, which ManuLife, John Hancock and other insurers have licensed, generates a “Retirement Sustainability Quotient” based on a client’s age, current retirement savings and desired retirement income and...
Quote of the Week
"One of the best uses for low-balance 401(k) accounts is as a 'bridge' to facilitate the deferral of Social Security benefits . But...
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...
Quote of the Week
"Life is really quite stochastic in nature." -- Robert O'Donnell, president, Prudential Annuities, addressing the 2012 Retirement Industry Conference in Orlando, April 26.
Springtime is for SPIAs, Etc.
Here at RIJ, May is the month when we focus on income annuities. Expect to hear a lot about SPIAs, SPIVAs, DIAs, and/or ALDAs over the next several weeks.
Fidelity, USAA, Vanguard are “top of mind” for affluent investors
Other top-of-mind firms include American Funds, Charles Schwab, Franklin Templeton, T. Rowe Price, TD Ameritrade, and TIAA-CREF. Not far behind are Genworth, John Hancock, MassMutual, MetLife, Nationwide, Northwestern Mutual,...
Debt can make you sick
Being in debt can cause stress, and stress can multiply the risk of illnesses as varied as ulcers, depression and heart attacks, the American Psychological Association claims.
