The View from the Income Summit
At the Lifetime Income Summit in Washington last week, federal officials and financial industry executives amiably swapped views. But competitive tensions lay not far beneath the surface. Rep. Earl...
A Sobering VA Outlook, Via Cerulli
"The industry is still feeling the fallout from the Great Recession," Cerulli's Lisa Plotnick tells RIJ. "But the bad news is not
unaddressable."
Nervous Americans Not Flocking to Annuities
Total annuity sales for the first quarter were $47.4 billion, down 6.9% from $50.9 billion in the previous quarter, and down 27%, from $64.4 billion in the first quarter...
First Quarter Index Annuity Sales Down 3.9%: AnnuitySpecs
In the first quarter, Allianz Life again led all issuers with a 20% market share. Its MasterDex X was the top selling product for the fourth consecutive quarter.
Fidelity Launches Corporate Bond Fund
The fund will track the Barclays Capital U.S. Credit Bond Index, a value-weighted index of investment-grade, corporate fixed-rate issues with maturities of one year or more.
Regulate Ratings Agencies More or Less?
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), the former "Saturday Night Live" comedy writer, wants an independent panel to assign Wall Street deals to rating companies.
Rising Flows for Active U.S. Stock Funds
Target-date funds continued to gather assets, with inflows of $20.5 billion in 2010 through April.
Part III: Industry Answers
In the final week or two of its RFI on in-plan annuities, the Labor Department began receiving comments from the industry that has a big stake in the way...
Part II: Tracing the Distortion
In print, on radio and on TV, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich helped fuel the rumor that 401(k) plans were under attack.
Using Psychology to Sell Annuities
Some behavioral finance experts believe that principles of psychology could be used to boost annuity sales.
Jackson National Tailors GMWB for the Tax-Conscious
The new living benefit allows contract owners to withdraw enough to offset all or part of the income tax on their distributions.
Post-Crisis, Greeks Face Longer Work Lives
Today, the police, harbor workers, security services and journalists for the state media can retire in their 50s. Starting in 2013, these privileges will be abolished.
Milliman Proposes “Simple, Obvious” In-Plan Annuity Fix
"The life insurance companies have a big opportunity here," said Ken Mungan of Milliman. "They should jump on it."
Prudential Financial Nets $536m in 1Q 2010
Individual annuity gross sales for the quarter just past were $4.9 billion (up from $2.2 billion a year ago), while net sales were $3.2 billion (up from $643 million...
It’s Crunch Time for Annuity Issuers: Conning Research
"Premiums have actually declined, and rebuilding them will be a challenge," said Conning's Scott Hawkins.
TIAA-CREF Comments on Retirement Income
“One of the disadvantages of in-plan options is that Qualified Joint Survivor and Annuity (QJSA) rules can often be cumbersome, confusing, and difficult to administer," said the TIAA-CREF brief.
From GAO, a Primer on Retirement Income
Last week, the Government Accountability Office sent a snapshot of America’s retirement income status to Sen. Herb Kohl, who will hold hearings on the topic in June.
