Volcker’s Minsky Moment
“The banks shouldn’t be running casinos on the side,” said former Fed chairman Paul Volcker at the Hyman P. Minsky Conference in New York last week.
Annuity Products That Will Sell
At LIMRA's 2010 Retirement Industry Conference, consultant Timothy Pfeifer identified the deferred and immediate products that he thinks are ideal for insurers, distributors and investors today.
Turning Home Equity into Lifetime Income
A financial planner compares and contrasts three ways to create monthly income for life from a typical reverse mortgage.
Eating the Competition’s Lunch
MetLife’s Retirewise program offers hundreds of brown-bag seminars, like the one depicted in this ad, for 401(k) participants at firms where MetLife isn’t the provider.
Featured
Off-Track Bettors
"It should be noncontroversial that we can’t afford any more innovation on Wall Street," says the author of several books on the financial system.
How Big Is the Gap in Public Pensions?
Depending on the rate one uses to discount future obligations, state and local government pension plans face a funding shortfall in the wide range from $1 trillion to $3 trillion.
News
What the ABACUS 2007-AC1 Offering Circular Says
In the Offering Circular for the CDO at the heart of the SEC lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, the investment bank disclaims any fiduciary responsibility toward other parties in the transaction.
New York Life Reports 2009 Financials
Operating revenue reached a new high and the firm expanded its surplus by $2 billion, to $15 billion.
Principal Financial Introduces Participant Planning Tool
The new tool gives financial professionals access to a comprehensive library of education plans and materials, the company said.
Affluent Still Nervous, Merrill Lynch Survey Shows
Almost three out of four affluent baby boomers ages 51-64 are concerned about whether their assets will last throughout their lifetime.
RIIA Weighs In on In-Plan Income Options
Lifetime income options should be offered by all defined contribution plans, but they shouldn't be mandated elections for all participants, RIIA says.
