'After pulling record sums from equity mutual funds in December, mom and pop investors have turned into net buyers in January,' according to new data from the West Coast...
Aging boomers drive flows into fixed income
Advisors are focused on downside risk protection and they commonly use taxable fixed income (83%) and municipal fixed income (74%) to achieve the objective for clients, said Cerulli Associates.
‘Digital design’: A new line of defense against ERISA lawsuits?
'A reliable way to avoid potential litigation is to... develop processes for determining which digital designs and elements are most relevant for participant success,' said Shlomo Benartzi. The UCLA...
Three advisor technology leaders to collaborate on retirement software
Former eMoney founder and CEO Edmond Walters will lead Apprise Labs, as the venture is called, with collaboration from Envestnet and PIEtech.
Honorable Mention
In Georgia (Europe), auto-enrollment faces legal challenge; Investors start to sweat over global warming: MSCI.
Jackson National launches second fee-based version of Elite Access VA
Jackson may be betting that the return of volatility in the fourth quarter of 2018 will spark fresh interest among registered investment advisors in the liquid alternatives that the...
iShares collect $36.1 billion in December: Morningstar
iShares ETFs gathered more than triple the inflows of runner-up Vanguard's $11.4 billion last month. Vanguard still came out ahead for 2018 with nearly $161 billion in inflows to...
Jackson and RetireUp partner on annuity illustration tool for advisors
RetireUp’s algorithms were chosen to power Jackson National’s wizard after RetireUp participated in a Jackson “Hothouse competition,” a “creative problem-solving methodology” that encourages teamwork, innovation and agility.
New York proposes public-option IRA by 2021
Fewer than half of working New Yorkers have access to a retirement savings plan at work and 40% of New Yorkers ages 50 to 64 have saved less than...
Honorable Mention
iPipeline processes 240,000 annuity transactions in 2018; Duke University settles 'excessive fee' lawsuit; Oceanwide-Genworth merger moves ahead.
Khalaf succeeds Kandarian as MetLife CEO
Michel A. Khalaf joined MetLife through its acquisition of American Life Insurance Company (Alico) from American International Group (AIG) in 2010. Kandarian managed MetLife through the spinoff of its...
Conning assesses life and annuity businesses
The new study focuses on 'the inorganic strategies that insurers have used over the last decade' and on how insurers 'are creating value by strategically repositioning their companies.'
A retirement account for cryptocurrency buffs
Bitcoin IRA said it will license its cryptocurrency platform technology to enterprise businesses, who can in turn offer the capability to advisors and clients.
Honorable Mention
Advances in ‘A.I.’ favor direct channel growth: Cerulli; Securian offers new multi-year guaranteed annuity; Small employers warm to retirement plans: LIMRA; Citigroup settles 401(k) fiduciary lawsuit for $6.9 million.
When the Fed tightens, emerging market borrowers feel the pinch
Increases in the federal funds rate of 25 basis points were associated with a 4.2 percentage point larger overall decline in dollar credit for emerging market firms than for...
In Austria, earlier retirement was associated with earlier death
An additional year in early retirement increased a man’s probability of death before age 73 by 1.85 percentage points and reduced the age at death by an average of...
JPMorgan Chase to pay $135 to settle SEC charges
'With these charges against JPMorgan, the SEC has now held all four depositary banks accountable for their fraudulent issuances of ADRs into an unsuspecting market,' said Sanjay Wadhwa, Senior...
Medicare premiums for 2019
The standard Medicare Part B monthly premium for 2019 will, for most individuals, be $135.50. Single beneficiaries with incomes over $85,000 and married couples with incomes of over $170,000...
Honorable Mention
Transamerica is sued by its own 401(k) participants; ETFs added $47 billion in November; Alight and Advizr in financial wellness partnership; AIG buys UK group life company.
New Jersey to establish auto-enrolled IRA for workers without plans
The Garden States joins two other 'blue states,' California and Oregon, in sponsoring a portable workplace savings plan for workers without access to a plan. The IRAs will offer...