Fresh from Midland National and DPL, AllianzIM
Midland National's new fee-based FIA, only at DPL Financial Partners, has a health-related income multiplier. Allianz Investment Management's structured ETFs have new caps.
AM Best expects lower annuity sales in 2020
Drag from the low interest rate environment continues to hurt margins and stifle earnings growth, weakening the industry’s investment returns, an AM Best release said.
Honorable Mention
After the big deal, AM Best affirms ratings of Jackson National and Athene; Not many people talk to advisers about decumulation: Allianz Life; TIAA and Savi partner for student...
DOL requests input on ‘pooled’ 401(k)s
Are regulations needed to limit the potential for conflicts of interest and self-dealing among non-employer sponsors of "pooled employer" 401(k) plans, or PEPs? The Department of Labor seeks feedback.
Nationwide launches suite of variable annuity income benefits
Nationwide has also introduced an “Income Carryforward” feature. As described in the prospectus, it allows contract owners 'to roll forward one year of unused income during the income phase.'
Ties grow between Athene and Jackson National
Athene's $500 million investment and $1.25 billion reinsurance deal with Jackson National is expected to boost Jackson's Risk-Based Capital (RBC) ratio by about 80 percentage points.
Demand for income-generating products is underestimated: CANNEX
Only one in seven advisors believes the average client is very interested in an income-generating product, but 42% of consumers say they are (or already own one), according to...
Honorable Mention
Hear the ‘Stones on iHeartRadio, courtesy of Alliance for Lifetime Income; AM Best says higher reserve requirements hurt life/annuity companies in 1Q2020; AIG adds factor-based global index to its...
CBO: Crisis will cost US economy $15.7tr over 10 years
The Congressional Budget Office projects that from 2020 to 2030, cumulative nominal GDP will be $15.7 trillion (5.3%) less than the CBO projected in January.
In private, life insurers express ‘concern’
'About one-third of companies expect a negative 10-year treasury rate at the end of 2020 in their worst case scenario,' according to a high level life insurance industry report.
Athene to use artificial intelligence-driven indexes in FIAs
'AiPEX with Watson simulates a team of thousands of analysts and traders working around the clock,' according to a release this week.
Honorable Mention
DOL allows electronic communications to plan participants; Envestnet FIDx partners with RetireOne; What high-net-worth investors want: Cerulli; Lamarque promoted to general counsel at New York Life.
One bright spot in first quarter annuity sales
Whatever you call them, indexed variable annuities continue to experience a growth spurt. Jackson National led the industry with almost $5 billion in first-quarter annuity sales.
Prudential (finally) joins structured variable annuity race
Prudential offers FlexGuard, its first entry into the 10-year-old indexed VA market. The contract offers a new twist on the 'step rate' crediting strategy. Also this week, AIG added...
Honorable Mention
DPL Financial Partners will distribute no-commission VA from Transamerica; NextCapital to provide 'managed advice' to MassMutual plan participants; Great American enhances its Index Frontier contracts; Equitable enhances its flagship...
Public pensions are not a drag: Study
Economic growth attributable to public pensions generated approximately $341.4 billion in state and local revenues. Adjusting this figure for taxpayer contribution $162 billion yields pensions’ net positive impact of...
New index options on Allianz Life indexed variable annuity offer high three-year caps
The three-year crediting rate limits are 75% and 80%, respectively, according to a May 4 product rate sheet on the Allianz Index Advantage product. The current rates expire June...
What it means when ETFs deviate from NAVs: Cerulli
'Advisors purchasing a mutual fund as a long-term holding may be overpaying and would be better served in an ETF. Investors who do not need intra-day liquidity but may...
Advisers feel confidence and caution, survey shows
While most advisers say that social-distancing hasn't hampered their ability to serve clients, 'they acknowledge a negative impact on revenues and profitability,' according to a new report from Practical...
Companies with Resistance to COVID-19
The equity crash in March was a living experiment that allowed investigators to see precisely which of a company's characteristics help or hurt its share price during a big...
