Investment Fund Strategies with Highest Net Flows in January
Large cap blend funds, intermediate bonds, and emerging market strategies are among the leaders.
Flight to passive funds continued in January: Morningstar
State Street enjoyed a second month of double-digit billion-dollar flows and almost caught up with Vanguard in terms of passive flows. Their flagship ETF, SPDR S&P 500 SPY, attracted...
Ameriprise settles SEC claims that it over-charged retirement clients by $1.78 million
Approximately 1,791 customer accounts paid a total of $1,778,592.31 in unnecessary up-front sales charges, contingent deferred sales charges, and higher ongoing fees and expenses as a result of Ameriprise’s...
Stock buybacks reach $113.4 billion in February: TrimTabs
Despite the $1,000 one-time bonuses reportedly paid to employees at large employers after the passage of the new tax law, the buyback spurt indicates that the corporate tax cut...
U.S. ETF assets top $3.6 trillion: Cerulli
In response to the steady migration to index funds and ETFs, “many asset managers are looking to multi-asset-class investments as a way to reestablish their competitive position,” Cerulli said...
If jobs were more flexible, seniors would work longer: NBER
About 40% of retirees would work at a job that had the same wages and total hours as their last job, but a higher percentage--60%-- would be willing to...
Annuity Industry Sales Estimates
In 2017, total annuity sales decreased 8% to $203.5 billion compared with 2016, according to LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute’s Fourth Quarter 2017 U.S. Individual Annuity Sales Survey.
Annuity Sales Declined in 2017: LIMRA
Structured annuity sales increased 25% in 2017, to $9.2 billion, but indexed annuity sales fell year-over-year for the first time since 2009, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute.
Brighthouse offers new VA rider
FlexChoice Access offers a 5% compounded annual deferral bonus for the first 10 contract years. Contract owners can choose whether to receive level payments for life or higher withdrawals...
Poland unveils retirement system overhaul
Poland is preparing to use auto-enrollment to move workers into a new kind of employer-based defined contribution plan, with mandatory employer and employee contributions. The 20-year-old system of diverting...
Principal’s Mexico retirement business acquires MetLife’s
After the purchase, Principal in Mexico will manage around 3.4 million individual accounts for retirement with the equivalent of US$12.3 billion of assets under management at the current exchange...
Western & Southern reports $337 million in PRT business
Western & Southern offers pension risk transfer (PRT) services through its institutional markets business unit, which it established in September 2017.
Net Percentage of Asset Allocators Reporting Overweight in Equities Surpasses Previous Spikes
High number of investors are overweight in equities, despite, also, stating that equities are overvalued.
A.M. Best gives life/annuity industry a “negative outlook”
The industry 'remains plagued by macroeconomic and regulatory factors' as well as 'lackluster sales, rapidly evolving technological requirements and changing consumer preferences and behavior,' the ratings agency said in...
Interest outpaces adoption of digital advice: Cerulli
Investors ages 30-39 and older investors with $2 to $5 million to invest showed the greatest enthusiasm for pure digital offerings, the research firm said.
ETF traders dumped U.S. equities but not global: TrimTabs
“Contrarians should consider favoring U.S. equities over non-U.S. equities now,' the alert from the Los Angeles-based investment research firm said.
Honorable Mention
Securities America adds two new advisor groups; Transamerica Center for Retirement Research promotes Saver's Credit; new book from Wolters Kluwer explains new tax law; Great Western fee-based FIA joins...
Incentivizing Delayed Social Security Claiming with Lump Sum Payments and Reduced Annuities (Effects for Early, Normal and Late Claimers
Source: “Optimal Social Security Claiming Behavior under Lump Sum Incentives: Theory and Evidence, “ Raimond Maurer, Olivia S. Mitchell, Ralph Rogalla, and Tatjana Schimetschek, 2017DC-02-08-2017
England’s first hybrid retirement plan gets a tentative start
Under a recent agreement, the Royal Mail will contribute 13.6% of members’ pensionable pay to a new type of DB/DC hybrid plan and union members will contribute 6%. Government...
