Variable Annuity Carriers ‘Mix It Up’ in Q4

"We may be at an inflection point, with the first carriers beginning to tweak products in small ways for competitive advantage despite the ongoing low interest rate environment," writes John McCarthy, Product Manager, Annuity Solutions, at Morningstar Inc.

Sorry to Burst Your Bubble

A look at the way bond funds recover from rate hikes and a review of the effect of rate hikes in the 1970s and 1980s on bond funds shows that fears of a bond bubble may be overblown.

The Retirement Income Paradox

In a survey of advisors on the topic of retirement income, GDC Research and Practical Perspectives found the firm that certain "contradictions" are making it hard for firms to take advantage of the seemingly vast Boomer retirement opportunity.

Big Blue Longevity Dots

For Prudential Financial’s 30-second Super Bowl ad, its agency built a scoreboard-sized wall in a park in Austin, Texas and recruited hundreds of random Texans to post pie-sized blue stickers on it.
Featured

Crime writer wins $50.9 million verdict against advisor

"Notwithstanding eight figure earnings per year during that period, CEI and Cornwell learned that their net worth, while substantial, was the equivalent of only approximately one year’s net income," according to the 2009 complaint.

In Off-Year for Annuities, FIAs and DIAs Shine: LIMRA

Overall, annuity sales were $52.6 billion in the fourth quarter, down 8% from the previous year. For the year, annuity sales dropped 8%, tallying $219.4 billion. Variable annuity sales totaled $147.4 billion in 2012, down 7% from 2011.
News

AIG Life and Retirement gets an A+ from Fitch

AIG reported significantly improved profitability in the first nine months of 2012, with net income of $7.6 billion relative to a modest net loss in the prior year period. Life & Retirement’s pre-tax income rose 22% in the same period, year over year.

The Online 401(k) offers $200 for successful leads

“By instituting the referral incentive, we are hoping to debunk common myths about retirement plans and help Americans at businesses of all sizes effectively save for their retirement,” the Online 401(k) said in a release.

The Bucket

Brief or late-breaking items from Nationwide, MetLife, Northwestern Mutual, and Jefferson National.

Quote of the Week

"The business man is only tolerable so long as his gains can be held to bear some relation to what, roughly and in some sense, his activities have contributed to Society"--John Maynard Keynes, Essays in Persuasion, 1931.

The New Yorker launches business hub

The work of well-known business feature writers like Malcolm Gladwell, Ken Auletta, John Cassidy and James Surowiecki will be featured on the site.