A Fixed Index Annuity with a Dash of Risk
The Momentum Growth contract from Delaware Life introduces a bit of gambling to the FIA product category—but within guardrails, and only with what contract owners might call 'house money.'
Anecdotal Evidence
Powell Should Resist Pressure to Lower Interest Rates
Today, interest rates in the U.S. are close to long-term averages. As a result, equity and fixed income investors are both rewarded. Lower rates aren't needed now, and may trigger a need for higher rates in the future.
401(k) Annuities for ‘Pretty Good’ Lifetime Incomes
Recognizing the longevity gap that's correlated with education, three retirement scholars recommend default income annuities starting at age 67 for participants with only high school diplomas and age 80 for those with college degrees. Such annuities aren't yet permissible as default options in 401(k)s.
Guest Column
ChatGPT’s View of Private Equity in TDFs
'Private equity appears safer and more diversifying than it really is because it controls its own marks. This undermines the integrity of asset allocation models and can lead to over-allocation, particularly in pensions, endowments, and TDFs,' the A.I. companion opines.
Insurers, CLOs, and High-Risk Borrowers: Oh My!
By purchasing tranches of collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), insurers increasingly 'provide the ultimate funding for bank loans,' recent research says. 'Understanding these transmission channels from non-bank investors to borrowers is crucial for assessing financial stability in modern credit markets.'
COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
July 2025
F-H-L-B Spells Cheap Cash for Big Annuity Issuers
The largest borrower from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system in 2024 was Athene Annuity and Life, at more than $15 billion. For at least 16 other top annuity issuers, FHLB loans are...
June 2025
RIJ and ChatGPT Discuss ‘Funding Short’
Life insurers used to be known as champions of 'asset-liability matching,' or ALM. Today, many of them are doing the opposite by 'funding short.' Here's a transcript of RIJ's recent conversation with ChatGPT about...
May 2025
Warring Watchdogs: NAIC and FIO
'The Federal Insurance Office conflicts with the states’ role as primary regulators, complicates their engagement with fellow insurance regulators globally, duplicates data collection from our industry,' said state insurance commissioners in asking Congress...
