How Are Life Insurers Coping? A.M. Best Counts the Ways
Headwinds like “marginal to declining premium growth,” an “aging agent and adviser channel,” and “regulatory uncertainty” continue to frustrate life insurers, the ratings agency says.
Live, from NY: Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman, co-recipient of a Nobel Prize for his work on behavioral finance and author of the best-seller, 'Thinking Fast and Slow,' spoke with informative grace and humor at the...
UBS Looks at Longevity and Annuities
For years, wealth managers have paid little attention to longevity risk or annuities. But times are changing, and even wirehouses like UBS are at least talking the longevity talk....
Are the Bears Crying Wolf?
As Bulls celebrate Janet Yellen's latest walk down "easy" street, technical analysts tell RIJ that, according to their charts, Wall Street is headed for hard times.
Borzi Needs to Appreciate Retail Distribution More
The argument over whether there should be a fiduciary standard or a suitability standard misses the point. This is about the cost of distribution, not about ethics.
The Fed Stays in ‘No Man’s Land’
My nightmare scenario is that when rates go up, equity prices will fall, and millions of Boomers will wish they'd sold their stocks at the peak and bought income...
Prudential and MassMutual in Deal to De-Risk Kimberly-Clark Pension
“This is not necessarily a bad business to be bidding on, but it’s inherently risky, especially with the low rate environment," said Rob Haines of CreditSights.
Bird? Plane? No, It’s a New MetLife VA Rider
With the new FlexChoice guaranteed lifetime withdrawal rider on its flagship variable annuities, MetLife is betting that it can provide Boomers with a competitive income vehicle that's light on...
At Second-and-Goal in Retirement, What’s Your Play Call?
Stocks are like a passing offense and bonds, arguably, are more like a running game. In a new article, Morningstar’s David Blanchett writes that most retirees would be better...
Fidelity Sees ‘Robo-Advice’ at Its Heels, and in its Future
'From eMoney they’re getting the retail and advisor aggregation tool and the client portals; that is, the user experience part, where the industry is playing catch-up with the...
Why the Borzi Proposal is So Scary
The "conflict of interest" or "fiduciary" rule could stop the manufacturers of retirement products from distributing to one of their target markets: the owners of $6 trillion in rollover...
Jack of Alternatives
"I believe that alternative investments—in four broad categories—are areas where people should diversify," said former Jackson National Life executive Clifford Jack in an interview with RIJ. His book, 'Generation...
First Investors launches flexible-premium longevity annuity
“Sales of our single pay deferred income annuity, which we introduced last year, have been three or four times what we projected," said Carol Springsteen, president of First Investors...
About That White House Memo on IRAs
A memo on White House letterhead dated January 13 has rekindled both hopes and fears that the Department of Labor might soon re-propose restrictions on the kinds of transactions...
The Ultimate Income Strategy
"By making the final years of life (should they occur) the insurance company’s problem, makes retirement investing feel more...
Let’s Concentrate on Recordkeeping
What's driving the flurry of consolidation in the defined contributon plan recordkeeping industry? RIJ asks the experts: Fred Reish, Mark Fortier, Peter Littlejohn, James Holland, Jeff Feld, Tom Clark...
NAFA Throws a Hail Mary on QLACs
"There is only one opportunity to make a good first impression and they may have blown it," one observer said about a letter from the National Association of Fixed...
Illinois Mandates Workplace Retirement Plans
Private-sector employers in Illinois with 25 or more full-time employees have to offer access to a retirement plan by June 1, 2017 or face penalties. Illinois state senator Daniel...
Trial Date Set for “Excessive fee” Suit against Boeing
“This decision reflects the pendulum that has clearly swung in the participants’ favor in recent years,” writes ERISA attorney and blogger Thomas E. Clark, Jr. of FRAPlanTools.com.
High Valuations Carry a Cost: Prudential
"When rates rise, something always breaks. There’s no telling what asset class may start the ball rolling, but it can’t come as a surprise," said Quincy Krosby, a...
