Complex Annuities for a Complex Era
Indexed variable annuities (IVAs) offer a potential solution for paralyzed clients—perhaps for those who feel baffled by a market where both bond and stock prices are at all-time highs....
A New Book from PIMCO’s Stacy Schaus
If you don’t know Ms. Schaus, you must be new around here. She’s an EVP at PIMCO, the head of its defined contribution practice and the voice of its...
Vermont offers state-wide voluntary MEP
The voluntary multi-employer plan, or MEP, 'will be open to any employer with fewer than 50 employees that does not currently provide a retirement plan to its employees.' Some...
Fiduciary Rule Hurts First Quarter Annuity Sales
Sales of certain fixed annuities were lifted by the recent uptick in the Fed's benchmark interest rate, but sales of variable and indexed annuities were depressed in the first...
Do Rollover IRAs Contain Pension Money?
The Labor Secretary did little this week to dispel the annuity industry's uncertainty about the future of the fiduciary rule. Neither did he demonstrate that he understands what the...
What to Do About Low Returns
The anticipated low return environment doesn't have to ruin your retirement plans, according to industry and academic speakers at the Pension Research Council's annual symposium, held May 4-5 at...
Overcoming Hurdles in the Variable Annuity Race
Prudential and AXA have remained among the perennial leaders of the variable annuity space by patiently tweaking existing products and exploiting niche opportunities.
Talking Annuities with Voya’s Carolyn Johnson
"Taking away the variability on the compensation—that’s generally a good thing,' said Johnson, CEO of the combined annuity and individual life insurance businesses at Voya Financial. "Voya hasn’t played...
Real and Fake News on State Auto-IRAs
Opponents of state-mandated auto-IRAs say the plans will unintentionally rob small business employees of the opportunity eventually to participate in 401(k)s. But that's really a phantom opportunity for many....
Mortality Credits: Sweet and Sour
'The only way to get closer to meeting your spending goals is through some sort of partial annuitization strategy,' said Michael Finke, dean of The American College of Financial...
In Target-Date Space, It’s Vanguard, Et Alia
Vanguard’s domination of TDF flows in recent years has paralleled its domination of overall mutual funds flows. Competitors search for ways to be different, but not too different.
Today at the Retirement Industry Conference
The consensus here at the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute/SOA Retirement Industry Conference is that the fiduciary rule is here to stay. But industry executives hope that it will be...
This Is How You Sell Annuities
'This works really well with couples, where the husband is a risk taker but the wife is worried that she’ll be left without any money,' said Curtis Cloke about...
Boeing’s 401(k) Joins the Hueler Annuity Platform
Boeing joined IBM, General Motors, Vanguard and other firms in giving its 401(k) plan participants access to the Hueler Income Solutions platform, where they can roll over savings to...
Many Happy Returns!
As a self-employed person who writes painful quarterly checks to Uncle Sam and pays both ends of his Social Security tax, I made my peace with the infernal revenue...
DOL Hints at Regulatory ‘Relief’ for Indexed Annuities
'Allowing all annuity products to be covered by PTE 84-24 ... could be a signal in terms of where a revision to the rule...
Anecdotal Evidence: Fresh News from the Emerald City
Here's the latest from the nation's capital on the fiduciary rule, the state-sponsored auto-IRA 'Secure Choice' retirement plans, and the 'auto-portability' of 401(k) accounts from old employer to new....
Leaks in the Bucket Method
After reading Wade Pfau's new article on bucketing, I concluded that bucketing has three flaws as a retirement income generator. It calls for equities in the last bucket, not...
Savings Pros Meet in City of Big Spenders
At the NAPA 401k Summit in Las Vegas this week, nearly 2,000 plan sponsor advisors et al worried about policy threats to their industry. At nearby slots and gaming...
