Understanding the Black Investor
African Americans in general have fewer assets, less faith in Wall Street and less appetite for risk than whites, but their need for financial guidance is arguably that much...
How To Market to Advisors
Here's a smarter way for retirement income product manufacturers to segment and sell into the advisor market, according to survey analysts Howard Schneider of GDC Research and Dennis Gallant...
Plan Sponsor Group Joins Hueler SPIA Platform
The deal will allow the 1,200 members of the Profit-Sharing Council of America to give their six million plan participants access to a no-load, multi-issuer SPIA platform. (Photo of...
RIIA ‘Gets’ Open Architecture
Few organizations seem to understand the ascendancy of "open architecture" better than the Retirement Income Industry Association, whose mantra is "the view across the silos." Here's a report on...
Take the ‘Gauss’ Work Out of Saving
Using "non-Gaussian" analysis, Jim Otar has created a benchmark for evaluating retirement savings vehicles--and discovered that cautious savers might want to hold fewer equities.
Morningstar’s ‘Secret Sauce’
Speaking at the 2011 Morningstar/Ibbotson Conference in Orlando, Roger Ibbotson (above) described low-liquidity as a largely unrecognized source of alpha in stocks and mutual funds.
Wedding Bells for TIPS and ALDA
Together, PIMCO's TIPS-based managed payout funds and MetLife's longevity insurance mitigate two big retirement risks: inflation risk and the risk of outliving one’s savings.
LPL Taps Five Insurers for New VA Platform
Advisors who use LPL Financial’s new Fee-Based Variable Annuity platform can manage VA subaccounts just like mutual funds. (Photo at LPL’s San Diego office.)
A Guide for the Perplexed Participant
GuidedChoice is the latest 401(k) advice provider to announce a platform that helps participants turn their savings into income—with or without a rollover to an IRA. (Above: CEO Sherrie...
The New ‘Big O’?
The revelation of a novel share class of variable annuities--its working title is "O" shares--was perhaps the most interesting piece of news that emerged from the IRI Marketing conference...
A New Cylinder for Financial Engines
Income+, a process-driven, product-neutral income program for 401(k) managed account clients, could alter the competitive landscape of the retirement industry.
A Death in the Family, Part II
Forget "death panels." Loving, decisive words from a doctor helped this dying pianist decide to let go of her life. The conclusion of a two-part story.
A Death in the Family, Part I
For the very old and their families, preservation of life often competes with preservation of finances. Here's how one California family coped with an elderly mother's death. (The first...
Genworth Exits the VA Race
“They’re editing their lineup,” said Eric Berg, an analyst at Barclays Capital. “They’re getting out of the businesses where they lack meaningful size." (Above, Genworth CEO Mike Fraizer.)
Why We Retired Our Pensions, and How to Revive Them
An ambitious new book, The Decline of the Traditional Pension, captures the state of public, private, domestic and global pensions with scholarly rigor.
A ‘Turbit’ Drawdown Strategy
In a recent paper, two Vanguard CFPs detail the merits of a hybrid between the ‘turtle’ and the ‘rabbit’ approaches to decumulation.
RIJ’s Top Ten List for 2010
Letterman, look out. Retirement Income Journal offers its own list of the year's highlights in the retirement income industry (or in one person's small corner of it).
Rep. Ryan’s Express Could Save—or Derail—Public Pensions
Perhaps the most pointed aspect of the bill, H.R. 6484, is its requirement that states use Treasury rates, which are historically low, to discount pension obligations and calculate funding...
Why Prudential Sells the Most VAs
Constant proportion portfolio insurance, or CPPI, has helped Prudential attract crowds to its Highest Daily VA. Now other insurers are wondering if they should employ CPPI.
AllianceBernstein’s Multi-Insurer In-Plan Annuity
To make sure that the glide paths of plan participants' TDFs lead to a 'safe landing,' asset manager AllianceBernstein has enlisted three insurers--AXA Equitable, Lincoln and Nationwide--to equip them...
