How Biden Might Pay for Expenditures

Having appropriated $1.9 trillion for pandemic recovery, and with more big ideas in store, the Democrats will be looking to balance their largesse with new revenue. If you're among the "top 2%," they'll be coming for you. But if taxes prevent inflation, that may not be bad.

Pandemic Hurt Annuity Sales in 2020

By Kerry Pechter
Annuity sales were buoyed in 2020 by a spike in purchases of registered index-linked annuities (up 38%) and fixed annuities (up 10%). Income annuity sales are north of $10 billion, but the once-imagined boom in SPIAs and DIAs hasn't occurred.

Honorable Mention

By Editorial Staff
Biden DOL won't enforce Trump's anti-ESG rule; PEP rally: TAG Advisors launches Pooled Employer Plan; Net income for life/annuity industry fell 55% in first three-quarters of 2020: AM Best; Luma platform will use FireLight annuity sales technology; SEI Wealth Platform to offer Income Conductor income planning tool; David Lacusky appointed to senior sales position at Global Atlantic.

For Higher Yield, Consider Emerging Market Debt

By Peter Marber
investors will find that a blend of EM dollar bonds from dozens of countries can help diversify their portfolios and improve their outcomes, writes our guest columnist, head of emerging markets at Aperture Investors LLC in New York.

New products bulletin

By Editorial Staff
Nationwide and Annexus partner on income-generating FIA; Equitable extends RILA feature to variable annuity; Securian offers new IOVA.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

March 4, 2021

‘Income America’ Offers ‘5ForLife’

By Kerry Pechter
'Our clients are so past proprietary solutions,” said Scott Colangelo, who brought Lincoln Financial, Nationwide, American Century funds, Vanguard, Fidelity and others together to create Income America 5ForLife, an in-plan 401(k) annuity. 'This won’t...
February 25, 2021

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...
February 18, 2021

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...