Obama’s Budget Too Austere for Retirement Industry
There’s outrage and indignation over the administration’s call for a $3 million cap on lifetime accumulations in tax-favored accounts, but only a tiny number of accounts would be affected.
New Research on 401K Plans, from Top Researchers
Boston College, DCIIA and Morningstar provide new research on Britain's 'NEST' experience with auto-enrollment, custom TDFs and why replacing bad 401k investment options is a good idea.
Tell Us What You Really Think
At the LIMRA-Society of Actuaries Retirement Industry Conference in Baltimore last week, Scott Stolz from Raymond James, Greg Jaeck from Edward Jones and Jarrod Fisher from Simplicity Financial Distributors delivered frank opinions about annuities and annuity issuers.
Why Indexed Annuity Sales Are So Strong
Many factors are driving the increase in indexed annuity sales: More manufacturers, better products, more distributors, competitive commissions, aging boomers, and relaxed regulation. But does the bubble contain the seeds of its own deflation?
Featured
Funny Money and the Super-Rich
The publisher of The Prudent Bear website blames U.S. monetary policy for empowering tasteless parvenus to leverage their way to the top—or at least onto the Forbes 400.
I’ll Let You Work Out the Details
Is it really true that if you cap a small business owner's tax-deferred retirement accounts at $3 million, he or she will stop offering a plan at all? Sounds like blackmail.
News
Vanguard to offer 401(k) services through TPAs
The move represents an expansion of the Vanguard Retirement Plan Access program, which was introduced in October 2011 to offer bundled services to sponsors of small- to mid-size 401(k) plans and to the fee-only advisors who work with those sponsors.
The Hartford hedges its VA risk in Japan
The company also announced that financial results for the first quarter of 2013 will include a deferred acquisition charge (DAC) of approximately $600 million, after tax.
Poland denies rumors that it will nationalize ‘second pillar’ assets
In spite of those denials, many observers believe the government will still attempt to access some of the assets, due to the need to reduce its deficit in line with the European Union's excessive deficit procedures.
Fitch: Puerto Rico’s bond rating (BBB-) depends on reform
Reforms signed into law in Puerto Rico last week aim to reduce future cash flow deficits in the plan both by increasing payments into the plan and reducing future cash payments out of the plan, Fitch said in a release.
ING U.S. to rebrand as Voya Financial
The operational rebranding process is expected to take approximately 24 months once it is started, and ING U.S. would not use its new name and logo commercially until the operational rebranding process has been completed.
