The Reverse Mortgage Puzzle
With so many Boomers retiring with low average savings but high average home equity, demand for government-insured reverse mortgages, or HECMs, should be growing. Instead, it's shrinking. Here's why.
Trends RIJ Will Track in 2021
When will annuities be loved? After all the creative destruction of the past 10 years, what’s next for the annuity industry? Which trends will persist? Which products will flourish? We discuss the trends that Retirement Income Journal expects to cover in 2021 and beyond.
The Catch-22 of In-Plan Annuities
Fixed deferred annuities may be the most promising candidates for inclusion in 401(k) plans. But in order to adapt these contracts to the defined contribution space, they must lose some of the 'illiquidity' that helps make annuities valuable. Some innovative solutions are now on the market.
Bermuda Triangle Part IV: The Reinsurance Angle
Publicly-held life insurers are using reinsurance to improve their balance sheets. But at what cost? 'I believe that many of these blocks of business are only being funded in part with real assets,' a forensic accountant told RIJ.
Featured
Selling like Coldcakes
This week, RIJ features the first installment of a three-part series on the reverse mortgage industry, and why it's shrinking when it should, on paper at least, be growing.
The Future of Robo-Advice
'I’d love to see several of the start-up robo-advisors thrive in the coming years. But most face serious economic headwinds,' writes the founder and CEO of Morningstar, Inc.
News
MetLife isn’t a SIFI, federal judge rules
Judge Rosemary Collyer's opinion was sealed, but parts may be made public next month.
Ruark shares results of FIA behavior study
In contrast to variable annuities, the FIA experience does not show clear sensitivity to the relative value or “moneyness” of GLWB riders, Ruark found after studying eight years of indexed annuity owner behavior.
Another robo—the “Robin Hood of fees”—takes aim at fund fees
"FeeX" shows visitors the differences between the fund fees they are paying and funds that offer similar investments but lower fees--then helps visitors into a rollover IRA at Betterment, E*Trade, Scottrade, TD Ameritrade or Wealthfront.
