Spiritual Advisor
Good advisors think of themselves as healers, in a way. Larry Ford takes that concept to a new level. Has he totally lost his mind, or is he onto something?
The FIA ‘Loophole’
At the Society of Actuaries Life & Annuity Symposium in Toronto this week, the invasion of the fixed indexed annuity market by private equity firms was of keen interest. Several presenters described how these firms get an edge over traditional issuers.
Buenos DIAs
It’s morning in America for manufacturers of deferred income annuities, or DIAs. Are they a passing fancy, or do they offer the perfect balance between risk and reward?
Roll Over, Rollovers: ‘Roll-Ins’ Have Arrived
Retirement Clearinghouse (formerly RolloverSystems) CEO Spencer Williams wants people to consolidate (roll in) their retirement accounts in their current 401(k)s. It would mean fewer ‘stranded’ retirement accounts and less ‘leakage,’ he claims.
Featured
The Variable Annuity Market in Five Acts
Actuary Timothy Paris, CEO of Ruark Insurance Advisors, Inc., charts the evolution of the variable annuity product and its market in this article, which first appeared as a blogpost on the Society of Actuaries' Riskpertise site.
Will Boomer Retirement Melt the Markets?
An editor at IPE.com says decumulation by Boomers won't spell disaster for the equity and bond markets--thanks in part to inequality. "The wealthiest 1% of US baby boomers own almost one-third of the cohort’s financial assets (and can live off the income without selling)," he writes.
News
Partial lump-sum payouts for Social Security?
Researchers suggest that instead of giving Americans increasingly higher monthly benefit for waiting past age 62 to claim benefits (to a maximum age of 70), the Social Security Administration might present the premium for delay as a lump sum.
Vanguard launches emerging markets gov’t bond index fund
Following the subscription period, the fund will seek to track the Barclays USD Emerging Markets Government RIC Capped Index. The fund will invest solely in U.S. dollar-denominated emerging markets bonds.
Lower-income 60-somethings are raiding their IRAs
Among households ages 71 to 80, those whose withdrawals exceeded the RMD amount were withdrawing more than twice as much, proportionately, as did those who withdrew the minimum required amount.
The Bucket
Brief or late-breaking items from Northwestern Mutual and Jackson National Life.
