Australia’s ‘Super’ Gets a Presidential Shout-Out

By Kerry Pechter
Australia's mandatory defined contribution retirement savings system is "a 'good' system that has 'worked out well' for Australia, the president said from the Roosevelt Room. Mr. Trump is flanked by House Speaker Mike Johnson (left) and billionaire Michael Dell, a donor to 'Trump Accounts.'

Kyle Busch’s Crash Course in IUL

By Kerry Pechter
An indexed universal life policy demands about as little maintenance as an eight-cylinder, 750-horsepower, 200-mph NASCAR stock car. And in the hands of an unskilled, or untrustworthy driver, or pit crew, such a policy can crash and burn.

Dutch Pensions Go Collective

By Kerry Pechter
Today’s financial Goldilocks moment—with strong equity returns and robust fixed income yields—creates favorable conditions for the Netherlands to complete its long-planned switch from traditional private defined benefit plans to 'collective defined contribution.' 'You can almost call it a tontine,' a Dutch pension consultant told RIJ.
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Nominal SPIAs Beat Nominal DIAs—But Perhaps Not for Long

By Kerry Pechter
“DIAs may represent a more palatable hedge against longevity risk for retirees than traditional annuities, because they are cheaper and therefore provide more liquidity to retirees,” writes Morningstar's David Blanchett in a Journal of Financial Planning article.

‘Changing of the Guard’ Continues in VA Sales

By John McCarthy
MetLife is selling one-third of what it was two years ago. Prudential is selling half of what it did in the first two quarters of 2012. The biggest gainers since then include Transamerica, SunAmerica, and Lincoln. (This piece was written by Morningstar's annuity product manager.)
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Kyle Busch’s Crash Course in IUL

By Kerry Pechter
An indexed universal life policy demands about as little maintenance as an eight-cylinder, 750-horsepower, 200-mph NASCAR stock car. And in the hands of an unskilled, or untrustworthy driver, or pit crew, such a policy can crash and burn.

This is your brain on money

By Editorial Staff
Public television will turn its inquisitive light on the topic of behavioral finance next October 16.

Deloitte publishes annual DC benchmarking survey

By Editorial Staff
There continues to be limited interest in in-plan annuities, with 6% of plans offering this option in 2013, up from 4% in 2012. Ten percent of plan sponsors indicated they are looking into adding an accumulation annuity to their current plan.