‘De-Risky’ Business

By Kerry Pechter
Prudential has dominated the burgeoning market in jumbo pension buyouts. In the week following Prudential deals with JC Penney and Philips Electronics, RIJ spoke with Peggy McDonald (above), an actuary and a leader in the insurer's pension risk transfer team.

Research Roundup

By Kerry Pechter
Almost every controversial subject in the US today--from Fed policy to machine learning to immigration--contains an element or theme related to retirement policy. The articles reviewed in this month's Research Roundup are proof of that.

‘iTDFs’ Smooth the Bumps of Retirement Income

By Per U. K. Linnemann
A former chief actuary of Denmark seeks a US target date fund company that might use his technology, the 'iTDF,' to create a seamless transition from pre-retirement savings to safe income during the first 20 years of retirement.

A Revolt Against PE-Led Annuity Issuers

By Kerry Pechter
Matt Zagula is an annuity wholesaler and fixed indexed annuity (FIA) designer. He and forensic accountant Tom Gober created the TSR ratio, a scale for rating FIA issuers. Mutual and fraternal insurers score best; private equity-led life insurers score worst.
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The Link between Inequality and ‘Retirement Readiness’

By Kerry Pechter
“In North America – alone among regions – the population share of the middle class exceeds their share of wealth: in other words, the middle class as a group have less than average wealth," says the 2015 Global Wealth Databook from Credit Suisse.

Stock Market Volatility and Investors’ Trust

By Larry Cohen
Households mistrust discount brokers the most, followed by full-service brokers and banks, writes our guest columnist, a director at Consumer Financial Decisions - Strategic Business Insights. Financial-planning and mutual fund firms fare a bit better.
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