NJ Supreme Court sides with Gov. Christie on pension issues
Last year, Gov. Christie cut $1.6 billion from the state's fiscal 2015 public pension contribution, claiming that the state could not afford it.
How Vanguard participants save
Vanguard has released its annual almanac on the savings habits of participants in its retirement plans. You can read highlights from "How America Saves 2015" and link to a...
Ruark reports “good news” on FIA policyholder behavior
AIG Life & Retirement, Allianz, American Equity, Athene, EquiTrust, Forethought, Midland National, Nationwide, OneAmerica, Pacific Life, Phoenix, and Security Benefit participated in Ruark Consulting's study of surrender and partial...
Wood you, could you, be my alternative investment?
TIAA-CREF, which announced the close of a new timberland investment vehicle, has been investing in timberland since 1998 and manages a portfolio of over $2 billion in timber assets...
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Market Strategies International (Cogent Reports), MassMutual and Voya Financial.
Are Most Glide Paths Upside Down?
Investing in equities early in the lifecycle, when balances are low, offers little advantage and may even discourage young investors who suffer losses. So says one of the studies...
Lincoln’s new FIA links to risk-controlled S&P500 Index
The interest credited on the new OptiBlend option is based on the performance of the S&P 500 Daily Risk Control 5% Index.
Decumulation? Most Americans don’t know the concept
More than half of those with retirement savings have no distribution plan for how they will access or stretch their money once they retire, with one in five not...
A new type of risk tolerance assessment, from FinMason
FinScore determines risk tolerance by showing people two portfolios and letting them decide which one they like more, not unlike the way an optometrist measures a person’s vision.
Stowe succeeds Wells at Jackson National Life
Jim Sopha, chief operating officer, will assume the role of president of Jackson, reporting to Stowe.
Quote of the Week
“We’re not doing anything really fancy or sexy, it’s really basic stuff. The fund business is so different than banking. One, it is an agency business so you as...
What happens when ‘the Fed yields’?
'We would prefer to see the Fed depart from its zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) sooner rather than later,' say analysts at BlackRock Investment Institute.
Beware equity bubble in Europe: Cerulli
"Asset managers should enjoy the QE bonus flows while they last. But the pattern is unlikely to be different from previous cycles, and the end may already be in...
FIAs on pace for record sales year: Wink
Allianz Life maintained its sales leadership position with a market share of 20.3%. American Equity Companies was again the second-ranked carrier, while Security Benefit Life, Great American Insurance Group,...
Cannex releases new version of its product allocation software
Moshe Milevsky and the QWeMA group developed the PrARI service in 2008. It is used by a variety of financial institutions in support of their retirement income programs and...
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from John Hancock, Broadridge, Prudential and MassMutual.
Question: Is ‘File and Suspend’ a Loophole?
Should a high-earning, two-income couple be able to claim an extra $48,000 from Social Security? Or should a law be passed to eliminate that possibility?
First quarter annuity sales rankings, from LIMRA
"Total annuity sales have been lower in the first quarter than the prior quarter eight out of the last nine years,” said Todd Giesing, senior business analyst at the...
U.S. DC plans are leakier than those abroad, study shows
In a new paper, a group of researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research point out that it’s a lot harder for plan participants in Australia, Canada, Germany,...
