If It Ain’t Fixed Indexed, It’s Broken

By Kerry Pechter
Fixed indexed annuities remain a niche product, representing only about 10% of annuity sales. But that the niche has grown into an almost $50 billion-a-year business. Sales of FIAs have grown especially fast at independent broker-dealers since 2013.

Beware the ‘Specialized’ ETFs

By Kerry Pechter
In this month's Research Roundup, RIJ shares four recent academic papers on the proliferation of ETFs, the danger (or not) of national debt, rational inflation expectations, and the impact of recent changes in RMD rules.

Jackson National Puts Its Future in Veteran Hands

By Kerry Pechter
Laura Prieskorn (left) and Marcia Wadsten are the new CEO and CFO of Jackson National Life. The leading seller of variable annuities in the US is in the process of demerging from its long-time British owner, Prudential plc.

Which ‘Dependency Ratio’ Should We Use?

By Kerry Pechter
Economists typically use the 'aged dependency ratio' to show the burden of the Social Security program on workers. But the 'total dependency ratio' might be more informative. (Photo by Johann Walter Bantz.)
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Is It Time to End Tax Deferral?

By Kerry Pechter
This strikes me as the issue at the heart of the controversy over the Department of Labor's conflict-of-interests proposal—the issue we duck and dodge, while pretending that it’s all about “advice.”

FINRA Sides with Brokers against DOL Proposal

By Kerry Pechter
As it stands, the “fractured approach" of the Department of Labor conflict-of-interest proposal "will confuse retirement investors, financial institutions, and advisers,” wrote FINRA executive Marcia Asquith in a comment on the DOL/EBSA website.
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