A DIA with Dividends

The distinctive aspect of Northwestern Mutual's Select Portfolio deferred income annuity is that the contract owner can earn income-enhancing, inflation-protecting dividends over the life of the contract. (Photo: Northwestern Mutual's flagship building in Milwaukee.)

The Kreppa that Almost Melted Iceland

Iceland's economy and pension system has come back from the "kreppa" or banking crisis that struck five years ago. This country of the aurora borealis and matronymic last-names is full of surprises (Photo by Bjorn Ludviksson).

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.
Featured

Gradual versus Lump-Sum Annuitization: The Jury is Still Out

A study by a unit of Fidelity Investments showed that it is premature to recommend a gradual, fixed percentage-of-assets monthly annuity purchase as an option in retirement plans, because the strategy would lead to widely different outcomes based on luck and timing.

Solvency Isn’t Social Security’s Only Problem

We need to reform the program’s benefit structure, now misaligned with its original anti-poverty goals, as much as we need to reform its financing structure, writes the Urban Institute fellow.
News

86% of 67-year-olds are collecting Social Security: MetLife

"Half of this group may not have achieved their retirement savings goals and are not confident about paying for the next phase of their lives,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute.

Employees still not asking about 401(k) fees: Mesirow

“The reality is that many participants need assistance through custom guidance or a more paternalistic, automated solution,” said Chris Reagan, Mesirow Financial senior managing director and practice leader.

The Bucket

Brief or late-breaking items from ING U.S., BNY Mellon and Lincoln Financial Group.

Quote of the Week

"They say there are two sides to everything. But there is only one side to the stock market; and it is not the bull side or the bear side, but the right side" -- Edwin Lefevre, "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" (1923).