Fixed-Rate Annuities: First Quarter Favorites
“FIA and RILA sales were both slightly down from the prior quarter. That might reflect some investor uneasiness about equity index-linked products,” said Todd Giesing, head of LIMRA Annuity Research.
Guest Column
‘Growth Traps’ Outnumber ‘Value Traps’: GMO
About 30% of stocks in the MSCI US Value index underperform that index by 9% on average in a typical year, writes our guest columnist. But about 37% of the MSCI US Growth index underperform by an average of 13%.
Life/annuity insurers lead surge into private equity investments
Roughly 58% of the insurance industry's exposure to private equity is through investments in leveraged buyout funds, according to a new AM Best report. Among insurers, MassMutual was most heavily invested in private equity.
Anecdotal Evidence
There’s No National ‘Ponzi’ Scheme
Are our grandchildren doomed to inherit all of our debts, and nothing else? Such pessimism ignores the obvious fact that our grandchildren will inherit our assets along with our debts.
Breaking News
iCapital buys SIMON, fusing two fintech firms; Principal closes $25bn reinsurance deal; Securian Financial will be recordkeeper and PPP for WELLthBUILDER PEP; Nationwide is latest in New York's purge of unlawful 'replacement practices'; Riversource fined $5 million for ‘switching;’ Rockefeller Capital Management will be Empower's investment fiduciary; Turer to succeed Kroll at Lincoln Financial.
COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
May 19, 2022
Desperately Seeking Alpha (and Getting Caught)
Low rates, demand for yield, financial alchemy, gaudy incentives and a black swan event provided the ingredients for the cataclysm at AGI US. Pictured: SEC chief Gary Gensler.
May 12, 2022
Who Has ‘Three Legs at Evening’? (The Elderly)
The Pension Research Council's Spring Symposium took place (virtually), which meant no semi-formal dinner with the sphinx at the University of Pennsylvania's museum. But the presentations of research papers were still well-worth hearing.
May 5, 2022
The ‘Retirement Income Consortium’ is Born
Eight financial giants formed the Retirement Income Consortium to promote income solutions in 401(k) plans and 'develop a vetted due diligence framework' for 'selection and monitoring' of those solutions.
