Tough Fed talk on inflation, little bite
'We prefer to take risk in equities over credit in the inflationary backdrop because we expect real—or inflation-adjusted—yields to stay historically low,' write BlackRock analysts.
401(k)s Are a ‘Fraud,’ and Other New Research
Here are five fresh, timely pieces of academic research on retirement-related topics, including the alleged unfairness of the employer-sponsored defined contribution plan savings system.
Consumer Groups Urge DOL to Tighten “Reg BI”
Consumer advocacy groups are urging the Department of Labor to return to its 2016 stance--when it required annuity sellers to pledge to act solely in their clients' best interest...
What’s the Deal with (Annuity) Reinsurance?
The use of "modified coinsurance" or "funds withheld" reinsurance is helping certain issuers of fixed indexed annuity conserve capital and take more investment risk. Its a strategy that can...
Meet MassMutual’s Bermuda Reinsurer
MassMutual helped finance Martello Re, the $1.65bn Bermuda reinsurer that just reinsured $14bn worth of MassMutual's in-force fixed-rate and fixed index annuities, and recruited Dennis Ho to be its...
Our retirement system needs work: Morningstar
The content and tone of Morningstar's new Retirement Plan Landscape Report, from a new Morningstar retirement research group, reflects the crisp, business-like approach that Morningstar's broad audience needs and...
Investment, Pension, or Annuity? This Fund Is a Hybrid
Purpose Financial's Longevity Pension Fund, introduced in Canada last summer, is designed to provide sustainable income for life with liquidity of principal. Getting SEC approval for its sale as...
‘I Can’t Believe This’
Ukraine had been touted as a cheap place for Americans to retire. That's one way to look at it. Of the ~11 million retirees in Ukraine (as of mid-2021),...
Will Buy-Out Firms Buy Out Medicare?
'Direct Contracting,' as the experiment is called, could put private equity (PE) firms between doctors and patients.
A Policy Dynamo Touts ‘Dynamic Pensions’
Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, an actuary and retirement policy expert at Canada's National Institute on Aging, claims that a non-guaranteed lifetime income tool could generate more income than any annuities. Tontines,...
‘Creeping inflation’ could hurt life insurers: AM Best
'Inflation could increase skepticism of a potential customer’s ability to afford life and annuity products, especially in the middle market,” said an AM Best analyst.
RIAs, 401(k)s, and Annuities: Is This the Future?
Managed accounts are one way to build annuities into 401(k) plans. Morningstar is bundling Hueler Income Solutions into its managed accounts, giving participants an easy path to an income...
Origins of the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ Strategy
This month's Roundup includes research on regulatory arbitrage by US life insurers; how income and wealth affect longevity; the intersection of pensions, trade and immigration; using home equity to...
Confessions of an MMT Groupie
Systems of paper money or “fiat money” have always been, and remain, as problematic as they are powerful. I can’t speak for MMT economists, but I don’t think that...
A New Alt-Asset Manager Enters the ‘Bermuda Triangle’
Since mid-2021, Sixth Street Partners has done reinsurance and investment deals with Lincoln Financial, Allianz Life and Principal Financial. The asset manager and its affiliates now manage $111 billion...
Energize a SPIA with Equities: Cannex
A new Cannex white paper shows how a single-premium immediate annuity (SPIA) combined with a strong equity allocation can make savings last longer in retirement and still provide a...
A New Film, ‘The Baby Boomer Dilemma,’ Praises Annuities
By the end of this cautionary tale, you might want to run out and, like Tom Hegna, buy a dozen annuities. (In photo: The film's fictional couple, under financial...
A 5-Year Cushion against Market Risk
'Prudent Asset Allocation' gives you the confidence of knowing that over the next five years, you don’t have to worry about market conditions,” says Louis S. Harvey of Dalbar,...
MassMutual flies into the ‘Bermuda Triangle’
MassMutual has all the pieces--a life insurer that issues fixed annuities, a stake in a Bermuda reinsurer, a big in-house asset manager, and various partnerships--that should enable it to...
‘Smart,’ from UK, Enters the US PEP Market
'Smart' is the recently-launched American branch of a British fintech with expertise in a kind of retirement savings plan that's called a 'master trust' in the UK and a...
