NAIC Reassures Congress on Private Equity-Led Insurers

Responding to Sen. Sherrod Brown's March inquiry, the association of state insurance commissioners gave high marks to their own oversight of PE-linked life/annuity companies. But the NAIC's 'nothing to see here' message disappointed some.
Anecdotal Evidence

Annuities are Sorely Misunderstood

By Kerry Pechter
About 97% of all annuities sold are deferred annuities. I think of them more as tax-deferred, principal-protected investments than as personal pensions in retirement. Most people don't know the difference.

Breaking News

By Editorial Staff
‘Constance,’ a CDA, gains new investment choices; Envestnet acquires 401kplans.com; Putnam repositions its target-date series for ESG; NIRS says retirement tax breaks are unfair; Alternatives can hedge inflation risk: Cerulli.

Insurers get an edge from hedge funds in 2021

By Editorial Staff
The life/annuity segment saw its dollar exposure to hedge funds rise in 2021 by 14.0%, to $6.1 bn, and the property/casualty segment by 0.9% to $6.7 bn, following several years of declines, according to AM Best.

Social Security’s solvency has improved

By Editorial Staff
Social Security paid benefits of $1.133 trillion in 2021. There were about 65 million beneficiaries at the end of the calendar year, according to the Social Security trustees' annual report, published June 2.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

May 26, 2022

Fixed-Rate Annuities: First Quarter Favorites

By Editorial Staff
“FIA and RILA sales were both slightly down from the prior quarter. That might reflect some investor uneasiness about equity index-linked products,” said Todd Giesing, head of LIMRA Annuity Research.
May 19, 2022

Desperately Seeking Alpha (and Getting Caught)

By Kerry Pechter
Low rates, demand for yield, financial alchemy, gaudy incentives and a black swan event provided the ingredients for the cataclysm at AGI US. Pictured: SEC chief Gary Gensler.
May 12, 2022

Who Has ‘Three Legs at Evening’? (The Elderly)

By Kerry Pechter
The Pension Research Council's Spring Symposium took place (virtually), which meant no semi-formal dinner with the sphinx at the University of Pennsylvania's museum. But the presentations of research papers were still well-worth hearing.