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Uncertainty about tax legislation, and Congress’ apparent disinterest in 401(k)s except as a kind of piñata, lent a daffy, fatalistic tension to many of us at the ASPPA and LIMRA annual conferences, held this week at a convention center outside Washington, D.C.

How pricey is your managed account? Check it out

By Editorial Staff
In a new report, 'Beneath the Surface: What Americans are Paying in Advisory Fees,' the robo-advisor Personal Capital does its best to embarrass the wirehouses and big brokerages.

U.S. life expectancy declines slightly: SoA

By Editorial Staff
Using the MP-2017 improvement scale could reduce a pension plan's obligations by 0.7% to 1.0%, based on a 4% discount rate, the Society of Actuaries' latest estimates suggest.

Taxes Will Be Cut But Not Reformed

By Kerry Pechter
'The odds of tax reform coming out of this conference are zero percent,' said former Treasury official Mark Iwry at the academic forum of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investments Association last week in New York. 'The odds of tax cuts are considerably higher.'

Ruark tracks variable annuity living benefit utilization habits

By Editorial Staff
For life insurers, the long-range profitability of variable annuity living benefit riders depends on policyholder behavior around surrenders, withdrawals and annuitization. Ruark Consulting tracks that behavior and reports on it periodically.

Honorable Mention

By Editorial Staff
Edward Jones reaches $1 trillion is assets "under care," Milliman study shows MEPs funding status has improved, Concord Coalition criticizes Senate budget proposal, Jonathan Matta joins MassMutual DCIO sales team, and Fidelity adds a short-term bond fund to its lineup of index funds.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

October 19, 2017

JourneyGuide: A New Income Planning Tool from Ash Brokerage

By Kerry Pechter
'We’re targeting a ‘soft launch’ in early November... followed with an official market release about a month later,” said Derek Trimble, CEO of JourneyGuide, a spin-off from Fort Wayne, In.-based Ash Brokerage.
October 12, 2017

Annuity-Friendly Nominee at DOL

By Kerry Pechter
Preston Rutledge (above) is reported to be the Trump administration's nominee to lead the DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration, which handles the fiduciary rule, et cetera. He's currently the retirement policy wonk on the...
October 5, 2017

Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing

By Kerry Pechter
Fee-based indexed annuities have generous crediting terms. But unless fee-based advisors can decide how to bill clients for holding such a safe, low-maintenance product, they may not recommend the category at all. That would...