MetLife’s New DIA, and Its Competition
This story includes a handy chart that can help you compare the features of the deferred income annuity contracts currently offered by eleven U.S. life insurers. MetLife’s is the newest and most flexible.
Is Social Security Unsociable to Annuities?
Virtually all American retirees already own a pension that's more generous than any retail annuity could ever be: their Social Security benefits. But how much does the entitlement "crowd out" demand for retail annuities? The answers may surprise you.
Ten Images that Explain Retirement
No, this image isn't one of them! A while ago, we asked retirement advisers what images they use to illustrate complex financial principles. The frequent response: “When you find some, let us know!” So here are our suggestions.
The Retirement Industry Conference
Want lots of 2013 data on annuity sales and VA rider use? You’ll find it—plus Richard Thaler’s crowd-stumping riddle—in this roundup of news from the recent LIMRA/LOMA/SoA conference in Chicago.
Featured
The One True Path to Income
As we curse the low payouts of income products, it’s worth remembering that the fault isn’t entirely in our stars (low interest rates), but also in ourselves (insufficient savings).
Piketty and the Zeitgeist
'It is now acceptable to talk about inequality in America... This might explain why Piketty’s book has received greater attention in the US than in his native France,' writes this professor at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study.
News
Investors rotate from growth to value; REITs outperformed the S&P
“Fund flows have shifted dramatically beneath the market’s calm surface,” said TrimTabs CEO David Santschi, in a release. 'Investors showed an overwhelming preference for value over growth.”
