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?
The ‘Senior’ Senator from Wisconsin
The soft-spoken Herb Kohl (D-WI) fights for retirees as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which will hold hearings on retirement income June 16.
You May Live in Interesting Times
Interest rate risk keeps us all in suspense. Here’s how executives at Vanguard, New York Life, Delta Global Advisors, Prudential Annuities, and Loomis, Sayles cope with the uncertainty.
Who’s Winning the Rollover War?
IRAs now hold more money than employer-sponsored retirement plans, and the big beneficiaries are Fidelity, Vanguard and Charles Schwab, says a report from Cogent Research.
Featured
The Year of Living Less Dangerously
A year or more after the financial crisis, major VA annuity issuers are trying to do more with less—less risk, that is. Here are nine of the latest efforts.
Loaded VAs Haven’t Lost Their Lustre
Prudential Financial and Jackson National Life rack up sales with variable annuity contracts that ignore the adage, ‘Simplify, simplify, simplify.’
News
Bernanke Cites Fiscal Impact of Aging
"Among the primary forces putting upward pressure on the deficit is the aging of the U.S. population," the Fed chairman said.
Montana Senator Nixes 401(k) Fee Disclosure
U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said that the proposed elimination of fee disclosure requirements was “unacceptable.”
ING Launches Registered Indexed Annuities
“Offering registered fixed index annuities gives us products that we can make available to many banks and full-service brokerage firms,” said Lynne Ford, CEO of ING Financial Solutions.
Vanguard Now Offers a Dozen TDFs
The 2055 Fund is aimed at investors between ages 18 and 22.
Why Do Educated People Live Longer?
One possible explanation is that the highly educated have better access to medical care and better adherence rates to prescribed regimes.
Our First Annual VA Special Editions
This week, we focus on the latest products and sales trends. Next week, we’ll delve into the issues that cloud the variable annuity industry's future.
