Act V of the VA Drama

In an effort to de-risk its book of GMIB business, Transamerica Life is offering to buy back the benefit. And one firm, Achaean Financial, wants to help insurers convert some of their living benefits to immediate variable annuities. Is this the start of a trend?

The Weird Math of Charitable Gift Annuities

Here's how the wealthy buy lifetime income while giving zip to insurance companies, a pittance to the IRS and--unless they live a very long time--a sizable gift to charity.

Will RIAs Sing This ARIA?

ARIA Retirement Solutions and AEGON/Transamerica have created a stand-alone living benefit (SALB) for the $1.3 trillion managed account market.

Jackson Hits the Alt-Option Key

Jackson National Life's newest variable annuity contract, Elite Access, offers a variety of high-turnover alternative investment options inside a tax-deferred wrapper--and no living benefits.
Featured

The American Recovery

"America’s full recovery is not yet guaranteed. A mix of steadfastness, caution, and good luck is needed for that to happen," writes the CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO.
News

Fiserv launches ‘Retirement Illustrator’

Retirement Illustrator is intended to help advisors present retirement spending requirements and distribution alternatives, accounting for risk events such as withdrawal, longevity, survivor needs and healthcare risks.

The Bucket

Brief or late-breaking items from DST Brokerage Solutions, Broadridge, BNY Mellon, SIGNiX, VERTEX, Allianz Life, the U.S. Treasury Department, Nataxis Global Investment Management, EBRI, Financial Executives International and Allianz Global Investors.

Mad Men

The leitmotif of the Retirement/Pension track of the Society of Actuaries Investment Symposium in New York on Monday was that risky assets and pensions mix like, say, metallic sodium and water. Explosively, that is.