The NEST Approach to Risk

“We know that there’s no free lunch and that you have to take a certain amount of risk. But we don’t want to do anything stupid,” said the head of investment policy at the National Employment Savings Trust, the U.K.’s new “public option” DC plan.

A New NEST for British Nest-Eggs

This is the first part of a two-part article on Britain’s ambitious national defined contribution fund for undersavers, a "public option" called the National Employment Savings Trust, or NEST.

Weighing the Value of a Variable Annuity

A VA lifetime withdrawal benefit—especially one with a 'ratchet'—can provide the upside potential and downside protection that many Boomers want in retirement, say researchers Petra Steinorth and Olivia Mitchell. But a life annuity offers a higher dose of "AEW."

De-Risky Business

Squeezed by low interest rates, variable annuity issuers have no choice but to keep trimming their benefits. In this review, a VA expert surveys the summertime activity of (and skuttlebutt related to) major manufacturers.
Featured

Strategic Insight is Bullish on ‘In-Plan’ Annuities

"This market is more mature than many people realize," said Tamiko Toland, principal author of a new Strategic Insight review of the efforts to sell individual lifetime income guarantees to current participants of defined contribution plans.
News

Six VA issuers that advisors love

Prudential, Jackson National, MetLife, Aegon/Transamerica, and RiverSource have increased their penetration among VA users over the past year, says a new report from Cogent Research.

The Bucket

Brief or late-breaking items from Nationwide, Transamerica Retirement Services and MassMutual Retirement Services.