Is a ‘Two-Cylinder’ VA Better Than a Single?
Dual-account products offer the best of both worlds: low-cost tax-deferral with the option to move assets dynamically into a guaranteed lifetime payout vehicle over time.
How Many VA Owners Will Bail Out?
Issuers of variable annuities with income benefits could face lower-than-expected lapse rates and higher reserve requirements over the next 18 months, says Oliver Wyman.
Plugging Leaks in VA Guarantees
VA issuers can’t keep bearing so many of the contract risks. Milliman's Ken Mungan (above) and Deep Patel suggest three ways to make VA manufacturing more sustainable.
For VAs, Roll-Ups Rule
Perhaps unintentionally, "roll-ups," aka deferral bonuses, have arguably become the key feature of variable annuities with GLWBs. But can they save VAs from becoming a niche business?
Featured
Mr. Smith Goes to the Patent Office
An actuary-turned-entrepreneur claims to have invented a cheap, benign, versatile new income distribution tool. But he’s coyly cryptic about its secret sauce.
The 4% Withdrawal Rule—Maybe Planners Have Been Wrong
The complexity of the typical retiree's cash flows makes it nearly impossible for a planner to apply a simple rule of thumb like the 4% strategy, even if he or she wanted to.
News
A Longevity Test: Science or Science Fiction?
After studying the genomes of centenarians in New England, two Boston University researchers say they have identified a set of genetic variants that predicts extreme longevity with 77% accuracy.
Roth Account Openings Up 89% at Fidelity
New account openings increased significantly in the first four months of the year, driven by Roth IRA conversion activity and the use of Roth IRAs as a savings vehicle.
Plans Could Save 70 Bps a Year Through Trusts and ETFs
Without giving up the investment objectives offered by actively managed funds, participants in 401(k) plans could pay much lower costs on their assets by shifting to ETFs and commingled trusts, a Center for Retirement Research report said.
Bill Gross Cites Barrier to a Better ‘New Normal’
It is the lack of global aggregate demand—resulting from too much debt in parts of the global economy and not enough in others--that is the essence of the problem, PIMCO's CIO wrote in his latest column.
In Japan, Savers Grow More Conservative
Among risk assets, domestic stock funds were down 19% as a proportion of assets held, while foreign stock funds were down 28%, with a correspondingly positive growth in domestic and international bond funds.
