Drama in Des Moines

Rejecting a takeover bid by Athene and MassMutual, fixed index annuity issuer American Equity will partner with Brookfield Asset Management. The deal releases up to $350m in capital for American Equity, and makes it a 'Bermuda Triangle' player. Photo: AEL headquarters in Des Moines.
Anecdotal Evidence

Nationwide wants five pieces of the in-plan annuity market

By Kerry Pechter
Nationwide, the 10th-largest annuity issuer in the US and a provider of about 34,500 retirement plans, is launching a cluster of in-plan annuities. RIJ talks with Eric Stevenson, president of Nationwide Retirement Plans since mid-2019.

Honorable Mention

By Editorial Staff
SEC to air October 26 public hearing on ‘Reg BI’; Plan participants want lifetime income options: Lincoln Financial; Pandemic creates anxiety about Social Security: Wells Fargo; Empower marks year of extraordinary growth; Financial Times announces top 401 retirement plan advisers of 2020.

The future of longevity risk transfer deals

By John Kiff
A Senior Financial Sector Expert at the International Monetary Fund asks why longevity risk swaps aren't as popular as longevity risk buy-outs (or buy-ins) with institutional investors. This post appeared first on the Pension Research Council website.

AIG brings FIA (with income rider) to market in New York

By Editorial Staff
AIG annuity product developers had to comply with New York requirements: No explicit fee for the income rider and no notional 'benefit base' for use in calculating annual payouts, which are 5.15% at age 65. The payout rate goes up 0.15% for every year income is deferred after purchase.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

October 15, 2020

The Five Most Important Retirement Income Decisions

By Steve Vernon
'Many of the decisions presented here are beyond the skills of most pre-retirees and retirees,' writes the author, a research scholar at the Stanford Center on Longevity. 'They’re going to need help.'
October 8, 2020

A Closer Look at CLOs (and Other U.S. Credit)

By Kerry Pechter
Bond mavens, check this out. A new SEC report describes how most of the $54-trillion dollar U.S. credit market survived last spring's financial crisis. It covers securitized 'leveraged loans,' which provide high-octane fuel for...
October 1, 2020

She’s Got Advice for Life Insurers

By Kerry Pechter
'Insurers can't remain wedded to product sales, which are becoming commoditized in a future that trends toward financial advice,' says industry veteran Michelle Richter, who just launched Fiduciary Insurance Services, LLC.