How Debt Affects Retirement
“Remaking Retirement? Debt in an Aging Economy," was the theme of the 65th annual symposium of the Wharton School's Pension Research Council, held last week in Philadelphia. (Photo: Kitchen...
At the Morningstar Investor Conference
Annuity providers failed to sponsor a single booth at the Morningstar conference trade show. That's a bit odd, since they claim to want to break into the registered investment...
It’s No Joke: The Fed’s Comic Book is Wrong
The educational comic book from the New York Fed means well but perpetuates the myth that money was created in the private sector to facilitate barter and enabled commerce...
The Reason for SPIAs, from Pfau and Finke
In a new whitepaper sponsored by Principal Financial Group, the two retirement experts from The American College use hypothetical cases to show the advantages of using deferred and immediate...
Annuities that Pay Cash Back Rewards
Gainbridge, a insur-tech startup, aims to sell fixed deferred and period certain income annuities online. Its sister company, Relay, uses annuities to fund cash back rewards cards. Both firms...
New Research on 401K Plans, from Top Researchers
Boston College, DCIIA and Morningstar provide new research on Britain's 'NEST' experience with auto-enrollment, custom TDFs and why replacing bad 401k investment options is a good idea.
The Awful Optics of Fighting Fiduciary Rules
Broker trade groups are fighting proposed fiduciary rules in New Jersey and Maryland, but brokers' opposition to consumer protections isn't likely to improve their image.
Why Living Benefits Are Dying
Instead of buying variable and indexed annuities for lifetime income and protection against outliving their savings, Americans are buying annuities for accumulation. We pose six theories for the weakness...
Tell Us What You Really Think
At the LIMRA-Society of Actuaries Retirement Industry Conference in Baltimore last week, Scott Stolz from Raymond James, Greg Jaeck from Edward Jones and Jarrod Fisher from Simplicity Financial Distributors...
Why Indexed Annuity Sales Are So Strong
Many factors are driving the increase in indexed annuity sales: More manufacturers, better products, more distributors, competitive commissions, aging boomers, and relaxed regulation. But does the bubble contain the...
Kindur to Sell American Equity Fixed Annuity with Living Benefits
The fintech startup has chosen to offer ETF portfolios and an American Equity fixed annuity with a living benefit as sources of retirement income for its prospective online customers.
Help AM Best Create Metrics for ‘Innovation’
AM Best’s evaluation of a company’s innovation level will be based on two elements: innovation inputs (the components of a company’s innovation process), and innovation outputs (the impact of...
Lessons from a Living (DC) Experiment
Israel has found that even a mandatory defined contribution system can’t resolve all of the behavioral, economic, or administrative issues that prevent low-income and minority workers from saving for...
A Chronicle of ‘NARIA,’ Nationwide’s Income-Generating VA for RIAs
The 'Nationwide Advisory Retirement Income Annuity' has no commission or surrender schedule and offers RIA clients a choice of 130 investment options. The income rider costs 80 basis points...
What Advisors Want from Annuity Issuers
This week, RIJ received a press copy of “What Advisors Want from Annuity and Insurer Providers-2019,” a study by Practical Perspectives, a Boxford, MA-based financial services market research...
Why So Many Blacks in Financial Ads?
The presence of blacks in financial ads may be increasing because news coverage of the financial crisis among blacks has increased. Only the people who commission or create the...
Talking Annuities with AIG’s Todd Solash
Solash, who leads AIG's Individual Retirement business, spoke with us about the company's approach to the annuity market. The NAIC recently reported AIG's overall Life and Retirement businesses as...
The Incredible Shrinking Income Rider
Several variable annuity issuers offer optional income riders that allow a 7% or 8% withdrawal rate at age 70 unless or until the account value falls to zero, at...
A Textbook Way to Sell Annuities
If you’ve ever heard David Macchia speak, you’ll probably recognize his voice coming through the text of his new book. In 'Lucky Retiree,' Macchia explains retirement risks and time-segmentation...
Taken to the Cleaners, in Yehud
A better prime minister than Bibi Netanyahu would be Duke University behavioral economist Dan Ariely, said Aviram, who with his mother operates the laundry that I've frequented in...
