My Dad’s Reverse Mortgage, Part II
I was staring into the smirking face of Moral Hazard itself. The stain of it was smeared on me too, because I was wishfully thinking that the condo might...
Thirteen Life and Annuity Specialists Rated ‘Successful’ by Conning
“In our analysis we see a greater focus on annuities among the successful insurers than we had previously,” said Steve Webersen, director of research at Conning.
Life Just Got Easier for Qualified DIAs
The new Treasury regulation on "longevity insurance" does more than promote late-life annuities. By removing an RMD barrier, it makes retirement income planning easier for middle-class people whose savings...
What’s In Their Wallets?
Vanguard inventoried the wealth and income of affluent older Americans and found that a surprising number of them are still receiving defined benefit pensions. Income-wise, Vanguard identified eight types...
Getting the Exclusion Ratio (Without Annuitizing)
AXA and, most recently, Lincoln Financial, are marketing variable annuities that combine investment flexibility with variable income options that (for non-qualified contracts) allow regular tax-favored distributions without annuitization.
Zombie Politics
America is paralyzed by short-sighted, long-lasting tax and entitlement policies that deceased politicians locked us into. In his new book, "Dead Men Ruling," economist Eugene Steuerle of the Urban...
Is Time Running Out on the Fiduciary Proposal?
'If it takes six months for a comment period and six months for hearings, and then time to develop a final rule, by then we’re running into an election...
Conning appraises the invasion of the life insurance company snatchers
Their generally shorter bond maturities could give firms like Guggenheim, Athene, Apollo and Global Atlantic an edge over traditional life insurers if and when interest rates begin to rise,...
Of Ponies, Manure Piles, and Annuities
An article about deferred income annuities in last Saturday's New York Times looked at DIAs through the "investment frame" rather than the "insurance frame." That's the wrong way to...
An Algorithm That Loves Annuities
PrARI, the retirement product allocation calculator that Cannex recently acquired with its purchase of the Qwema Group, shows advisers how to maximize retirement income (or legacy) using a blend...
The Fiduciary Rule: Going, Going…
The longer the DoL takes to draft a new version of its proposed fiduciary rule, the likelier it is that the re-proposal—if one ever appears at all—will be timid...
Merrill Lynch’s Intentions are “Clear”
"I want to be careful not to call it a product or a service. It’s an approach,” said David Tyrie, head of Personal Wealth and Retirement at Merrill...
MetLife’s New DIA, and Its Competition
This story includes a handy chart that can help you compare the features of the deferred income annuity contracts currently offered by eleven U.S. life insurers. MetLife’s is the...
The One True Path to Income
As we curse the low payouts of income products, it’s worth remembering that the fault isn’t entirely in our stars (low interest rates), but also in ourselves (insufficient savings)....
Is Social Security Unsociable to Annuities?
Virtually all American retirees already own a pension that's more generous than any retail annuity could ever be: their Social Security benefits. But how much does the entitlement "crowd...
It’s 2024. Do You Know Where Your Industry Is?
A new report from Diversified Services Group, Inc. and Greenwald & Associates offers predictions from 24 industry experts about the shape of the retirement industry ten years from now....
Ten Images that Explain Retirement
No, this image isn't one of them! A while ago, we asked retirement advisers what images they use to illustrate complex financial principles. The frequent response: “When you find...
The Retirement Industry Conference
Want lots of 2013 data on annuity sales and VA rider use? You’ll find it—plus Richard Thaler’s crowd-stumping riddle—in this roundup of news from the recent LIMRA/LOMA/SoA conference in...
Waiting for the Fiduciary Train
Don't hold your breath waiting for the second draft of the Department of Labor's fiduciary proposal. That's one takeaway from a four-hour meeting at the Practicing Law Institute in...
With New Indexed Annuity, Nationwide Takes a Walk on the Wild Side
In February, Nationwide introduced New Heights, a fixed indexed annuity with an enticing "uncapped" crediting strategy and a novel living benefit rider for the b/d and independent agent channels....
