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.
The Income Expert
In this video, Mark J. Warshawsky, director of Retirement Research at Towers Watson, discusses his new book, Retirement Income (MIT Press, 2012) with RIJ editor Kerry Pechter. Their conversation focuses on the author's recommended strategy of buying a series of immediate annuities during retirement.
Low Hanging Life Insurers
Patient investors in search of stock-market bargains might consider the shares of U.S. life insurance companies.
Science, Business, or Something In-Between?
In the retirement income field, research ranges from almost “pure” science to borderline business promotion. It's not always easy to identify the boundary between the two.
Featured
Alternatives Move to Center Stage
Over the next five years, 55% of advisors see their allocation to alternative investments increasing “moderately” and 11.1% see it increasing “substantially,” according to a Jefferson National survey.
News
Dissolve Solvency II’s capital requirements?
The Dutch Social Affairs minister, a phalanx of pension-sponsoring industry associations, and European insurers are all protesting the stringent capital requirements proposed under Solvency II, the regulatory regime that would harmonize Europe's insurance standards.
Towers Watson downgrades intermediate bonds
In the medium-term, as private-sector deleveraging problems fade, there is likely to be a stronger and faster cyclical recovery than most intermediate bond markets appear to be pricing, the consulting firm said.
Tax cuts and tax expenditures hurt the economy: Concord Coalition
Deficit-financed tax cuts don’t pay for themselves and “are not a free lunch,” said Diane Lim Rogers, chief economist at the independent research group.
Morningstar establishes online ‘Alternative Investments Center’
“Advisors play a crucial role in educating their clients about alternative investments,” said Nadia Papagiannis, Morningstar’s director of alternative fund research.
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Credit Suisse, The Standard, OneAmerica, LPL Financial, Advisor Software Inc., Oliver Wyman, and the Bank of Montreal.
Schwab supports DTCC’s service for custody of alternatives
“AIP is designed to provide the alternative investment industry with the same type of efficiency and scalability that exists in the mutual fund industry,” said Schwab executive vice president Bernie Clark.
Six Annuities for the Wealthy
Contrary to conventional wisdom, high net worth individuals can benefit from owning annuities. It just has to be the right kind of annuity.
