Probing the Minds of Advisers

By Kerry Pechter
Manufacturers trying to build retirement income solutions for advisers face the fact that advisers vary widely in their approaches to retirement planning, says Howard Schneider of Practical Perspectives, which has co-produced a new survey with GDC Research.

A Liquidity Option for DIAs?

By Kerry Pechter
The desirability and feasibility of allowing owners of deferred income annuities to convert income streams to lump sums was discussed at the American Law Institute's Continuing Legal Education Conference on Life Insurance Company Products in November.

Comment: Goodbye, Mature Market Institute

By Kerry Pechter
Last spring, MetLife pulled the plug on its popular, respected thought-leadership unit after a 15-year run. Did the decision signify a loss of faith in the Boomer retirement opportunity?
Featured

RetiremEntrepreneur: Borden Ayers

By Kerry Pechter
Borden Ayers is creator of the Retirement Management Executive Forum, a unit of Diversified Services Group in Philadelphia. The RMEF hosts meetings where executives from 33 select retirement companies "share insights, successes and obstacles."

The Equities Outlook for 2014

By Ron Surz
Even though stock prices have surged, both dividends and earnings have kept pace. Prices therefore appear to be reasonable going into 2014, according Ron Surz, who analyzes the markets from San Clemente, Calif. Check out these fabulous charts and heat maps.
News

The latest 401(k) stats from EBRI

By Kerry Pechter
At year-end 2012, 15% of the assets in the EBRI/ICI 401(k) database were invested in target-date funds and 41% of 401(k) participants in the database held target-date funds.

Equity funds gain record $352bn; bond funds lose record $86bn

By Kerry Pechter
“The Fed finally succeeded last year in its long-running campaign to coax fund investors to speculate. The ‘great rotation’ that some market strategists long anticipated is under way,” said Davd Santschi, CEO of TrimTabs Investment Research.

Private pension funding level rises 18 points in 2013

By Kerry Pechter
Public defined plans, endowments and foundations benefited in December from the equity rally as well as their holdings in private equity, according to BNY Mellon’s Investment Strategy & Solutions Group (ISSG).