Merry Christmas from RIJ!
Retirement Income Journal will not publish on December 28th. The next issue will appear on January 4, 2018. We wish all our readers and advertisers a safe and happy...
Sales of fee-based VAs and FIAs on rise in US: Cerulli
Much of the surge in FIA sales is a result of an inadequate supply of attractive VA guarantees. 'Advisors are looking at new retirement income solutions,' said Cerulli director...
VA sales drop in 3Q2017 despite equities rally
Ameriprise Financial and Allianz, ranked eighth and ninth in quarterly sales, saw sales increases in 3Q2017. Thanks largely to its Index Advantage structured variable annuity, Allianz enjoyed a 26%...
Home equity and purchases of long-term care services
Spikes in house prices significantly increased homeowners' use of both paid home health care and unpaid informal care but did not increase the use of nursing home care, the...
Vanguard uses blockchain to share index data
'Investment managers will be able to instantly distribute, receive, and process index data, resulting in better benchmark tracking and significant cost savings,' said a Vanguard principal.
Honorable Mention
Fujitsu settles excessive fee case, Holland debates retirement age hike, T. Rowe Price enhances its financial wellness offerings, Quebec enriches mandatory defined contribution plans, CIT assets reach $2.8 trillion...
Integrity Life enhances Indextra FIAs
Sales of the Indextra series exceeded $1.5 billion as of November 30, 2017, according to the release. Launched Sept. 29, 2014, Indextra had strongest first-year sales in W&S Financial...
Over one-third of U.S. households own IRAs: ICI
Among the 9.1 million households that took withdrawals from IRAs for tax year 2016, 71% used the RMD rule to calculate them. About two-thirds asked a financial adviser to...
Researchers weigh impact of various Social Security solvency cures
A two-year increase in the age for receiving full Social Security benefits (to age 69) would reduce annual consumption in retirement by 5.6% for low-income, 4% for middle-income, and...
AIG launches New York’s first fixed annuity with GLWB
To satisfy New York regulators, AIG had to design the product's guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit rider somewhat differently from versions offered in other states.
Vanguard and BlackRock/iShares dominate October fund flows
'Taxable bond' remained the leading category group in October with $39.1 billion in flows overall, followed by 'International equity,' whose flows more than doubled to $22.2 billion from $9.8...
DB-DC hybrid idea resurfaces in UK; launches in Germany on January 1
The British government is looking anew at a hybrid defined contribution plan design that would give participants a non-guaranteed variable income (with or without smoothing) in retirement.
Fixed annuity sales dipped sharply in 3Q2017
'Despite the unfavorable market conditions for annuity sales, I still anticipate that fourth quarter will be strong,' said Sheryl J. Moore of Wink, Inc., which tracks fixed annuity sales....
How to succeed in the DC investment-only market
Five firms 'are carving out a distinct advantage within the target date funds and retirement income categories,' said Sonia Sharigian, author of a new Cogents Report, Retirement Plan Advisor...
As Bitcoin price soars, TOBAM launches the first Bitcoin mutual fund
The market value of a single Bitcoin rose more than 1,000% in dollar terms in the past 12 months, to $8,263 from $748, according to Coindesk.
ICI releases first-half 2017 participant behavior data
Only 1.6% of DC plan participants stopped contributing during the first half of 2017, according to a new report from the Investment Company Institute.
