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Sounds Like a Plan
Wed, Jan 25, 2012
A directory of 27 software tools accompanies this overview of the rapidly evolving financial planning technology industry.
Industry Views
$300 Billion, Up for Grabs
Cogent Research's new 2012 Assets in Motion study can help you understand and benefit from the rising flow of money from qualified plans to rollover IRAs.
Burton Malkiel Talks About Efficient Markets
In this video sponsored by Vanguard, Burton Malkiel, Princeton professor and author of "A Random Walk Down Wall Street," talks with RIJ editor Kerry Pechter about what "efficient market" means to him. The 10th edition of "A Random Walk" has just been published.
New Income Solutions for Long Retirements
With the numbers of people over age 100 growing rapidly, there is an equally growing need for advisors to consider an array of retirement income solutions.
Annuity Issuers Slowly Enter The Digital Age
Annuity issuers are making a concerted effort to implement and promote paperless document delivery services.
401(k)s: They’re Not (Necessarily) Just for Employees Any More
A growing number of 401(k) plan sponsors, retirees, record keepers and regulators want retirees to stay in their plans well into, or even straight through, retirement, PIMCO has found.
The Future Of Online Customer Feedback Has Arrived
TIAA-CREF’s TC Listens website is an innovative new medium for obtaining client feedback online.
TIPS for Retirement Investing in the ‘New Normal’
TIPS can preserve purchasing power, provide systematic income and offer the assurance of a government guarantee for retirees depending on income from their investments.
Firms Back Variable Annuity Product Launches With Aggressive Online Marketing Campaigns
With variable annuity sales down, firms are intensifying online product marketing campaigns to reach more prospective investors.
Found in Translation
Annuity issuers are reaching out to non-English-speaking investors through websites written in Spanish and Asian languages, according to Corporate Insight.
Behavioral Economics and Retirement Investing
PIMCO and its Allianz affiliates recently sponsored a new study, “Behavioral Finance and the Post-Retirement Crisis.” PIMCO Retirement Product Manager Tom Streiff explains how the study’s findings can foster the development of successful retirement income products.
Annuity Issuers Embracing Social Media One Tweet At A Time
A growing number of annuity issuers are using creative approaches on Twitter to reach new audiences online.
Roth IRA Conversion Promotions Are All The Rage Online
Many firms have launched engaging online sales campaigns focusing on the Roth IRA conversion opportunities that will be available in 2010.
Annuity Firms Turn Their Focus To Online Client Security
Annuity firms introduced enhanced online security measures in 2009, but they remain laggards in the financial service industry.
Should Annuity Firms Care About Social Media?
The annuity industry has been slow to adopt social media. But given the industry’s target audiences, does it matter? Download an excerpt from the report "Social Media: Trends and Tactics in the Financial Services Industry."
Marketing Online Education To Advisors
Our latest research shows that dynamic displays, such as Flash interfaces, offer firms engaging new ways to present and market online educational content to advisors.
Industry Views are special reports that are sponsored and independent from RIJ's editorial content.
DATA CONNECTION
Source: "When to Commence Income Annuities,"
Jeffrey K. Dellinger, Retirement Income Security
Enterprise, Inc., 2011
Advisors/Planners/Reps
What’s in an advisor’s title? Still not much, says Cerulli
Tue, Jan 24, 2012
Many advisor practices “offer some of the basic elements of financial planning, but focus their efforts nearly exclusively on asset accumulation strategies,” Cerulli said in a release.
Wirehouses are down but far from out: Cerulli
Thu, Jan 19, 2012
Although their headcount is down and their images are tarnished, wirehouses remain the kings of investment distribution, according to a report from Cerulli Associates.
The Outer Limits of Outsourcing
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
Advisors can’t do everything themselves. But they need to be careful in choosing what to hand off to a software tool, a vendor or an assistant.
The ‘Safety First’ Income Planner
Tue, Jan 10, 2012
Maryland advisor Antoine Orr couldn’t find an income planning tool that matched his low-risk, low-debt philosophy. So he created the Plancorr Planner.
Three Steps to Annuity-Free Income
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
For retirees who say, 'Don't sell me a product!', Thornburg Investment Management recommends a retirement income strategy built on 'endowment' spending, three buckets and its own dividend fund.
‘Decumulation is Like a Rubik’s Cube’
Tue, Oct 25, 2011
The Money Management Institute has identified 34 financial services firms that have created what it calls Personal Retirement Income Solution Management (PRISM) tools or programs.
RSQ-y Business at John Hancock B/D
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
John Hancock Financial Network will offer its advisors the Retirement Sustainability Quotient, an income planning tool that Moshe Milevsky (pictured) developed for ManuLife Financial, JHFN's Canadian parent.
Wealth2k income planning tool added to Pershing advisor platform
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
Income for Life Model, a time-segmentation retirement income planning tool from Wealth2k, will be integrated into the NetX360 advisor web platform offered by Pershing, the clearing firm owned by BNY Mellon.
Advisor loyalty to fund firms is in flux: Cogent
Wed, Sep 28, 2011
'Last year, DFA and BlackRock were the only Stars in our mutual fund company commitment ranking,' said Cogent principal John Meunier. 'This year, a total of four firms made it into the top tier.'
Advisor Survey Provides Mixed News for Annuity Providers
Wed, Sep 14, 2011
Cogent Research's 2011 Advisor Brandscape survey shows that many advisors sell annuities and are highly loyal to certain variable annuity providers. But on average they don't devote much of their clients' assets to annuities--and don't plan to in the future. At left, Cogent principal John Meunier.
Dennis Hopper was right, Hearts & Wallets survey finds
Tue, Aug 09, 2011
“The financial services industry needs to start executing on the reality that many investors don’t plan to retire,” said Laura Varas, Hearts & Wallets principal.
Raymond James launches the RightBRIDGE Annuity Wizard
Tue, Aug 02, 2011
The new tool, developed with CapitalRock, gathers key information from clients about their income, liquidity, time horizon, risk tolerance, expenses, and guarantees, and finds the appropriate variable annuity.
RBC Wealth Management ranks first in "satisfaction" survey
Wed, Jun 22, 2011
The annual J. D. Power and Associates U.S. Full Service Investor Satisfaction Survey also found that most people don't understand the difference between the "fiduciary" and "suitability" standards of advisor conduct.
Wolters Kluwer weighs in on Supreme Court’s Janus decision
Thu, Jun 16, 2011
In its 5-4 decision on Janus Capital Group, Inc. v. First Derivatives Traders, a lawsuit first filed in 2003, the high court held that liability for allegedly misleading statements in Janus' mutual fund prospectuses did not extend to the funds' investment advisers.
Seven more B-Ds to offer Allianz Retirement Pro VA
Wed, May 04, 2011
The insurer has also added to the team supporting the product, led by Corey Walther, Head of Investment Relations and Fee-Based Distribution for Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC.
Prudential, Edward Jones in VA distribution deal
Wed, May 04, 2011
Prudential has created a cost structure for its top-selling VA that satisfies the broker's client-focus. At left, Merry Mosbacher of Edward Jones.
Solving the SPIA compensation puzzle
Tue, May 03, 2011
By re-valuing each client's annuity contract each day, New York Life enables advisors to charge a fee based on the (shrinking) cost of replacing the income stream.
An Advisor's Perspective
Wed, Apr 27, 2011
Antoine Orr, president of Plancorr Wealth Management LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland, tells his clients to pay down debt and invest only what they can afford to lose. "African American wealth is more abundant than people think," he says.
Pershing positions itself as source for retirement-oriented advisors
Wed, Apr 27, 2011
The global clearing-and-execution firm and BNY Mellon unit has set up a website, Retirement PowerPlay, to help advisors "grow their retirement businesses” and has published a call-to-arms entitled, "The Secret Knock."
One-third of HNW investors have itch to change advisors
Wed, Apr 27, 2011
Investors under age 45 are keeping more than 40% of their money in cash or cash equivalents, according to a new survey by Northstar Research Partners and Sullivan, a communications strategy and design firm.
DTCC enhances Licenses & Appointments service
Wed, Apr 20, 2011
The changes, which are intended to help centralize the verification of completed mandated training, will roll out later this month.
How To Market to Advisors
Sun, Apr 10, 2011
Here's a smarter way for retirement income product manufacturers to segment and sell into the advisor market, according to survey analysts Howard Schneider of GDC Research and Dennis Gallant of Practical Perspectives.
What Advisors Say About Wholesalers, Etc.
Sun, Apr 10, 2011
"Keep the golf balls, umbrellas, coffee mugs, etc., and provide as much info, training and current ideas as possible." That's one advisor's anonymous comment about annuity wholesalers in the recent survey by Howard Schneider (left) and Dennis Gallant.
Have Investment Managers Earned Their Fees?
Wed, Apr 06, 2011
To help readers evaluate their own investment managers, our guest columnist offers a summary of the first quarter's equity returns by style, sector, and country.
Take the ‘Gauss’ Work Out of Saving
Tue, Mar 15, 2011
Using "non-Gaussian" analysis, Jim Otar has created a benchmark for evaluating retirement savings vehicles--and discovered that cautious savers might want to hold fewer equities.
Morningstar’s ‘Secret Sauce’
Wed, Mar 09, 2011
Speaking at the 2011 Morningstar/Ibbotson Conference in Orlando, Roger Ibbotson (above) described low-liquidity as a largely unrecognized source of alpha in stocks and mutual funds.
Advisors speak up in Curian survey
Wed, Feb 23, 2011
Eager to use their time more effectively, advisors want more functionality from their technology platforms.
LPL Taps Five Insurers for New VA Platform
Tue, Feb 22, 2011
Advisors who use LPL Financial’s new Fee-Based Variable Annuity platform can manage VA subaccounts just like mutual funds. (Photo at LPL’s San Diego office.)
Wealth2k offers free LTC presentation to advisors
Wed, Feb 16, 2011
“The movie will make it easier for advisors to broach the issue of planning for the costs of long-term care,” said Wealth2k CEO David Macchia.
Video: How Edward Jones Simplifies Annuities
Wed, Feb 09, 2011
Tim Burke, principal, Insurance Solutions, at Edward Jones, explains how switching exclusively to a new "O" share VA contract will make the annuity sale easier. Recorded at IRI Marketing Conference.
SEC Staff Recommends Uniform Fiduciary Standard
Wed, Jan 26, 2011
All those who give “personalized investment advice about securities to retail customers” should put the clients' interest above their own, the SEC staff recommends.
The New Madoff Windfall
Wed, Jan 26, 2011
Our occasional columnist explains why hedge funds are scooping up discounted claims against jailed Ponzi artist Bernard Madoff.
Are Direct-Sold Funds a Better Value?
Thu, Jan 13, 2011
New research argues that broker-sold mutual funds—both active and passive—tend to generate lower returns at higher costs than direct-sold mutual funds.
Four Drawdown Methods Compared
Wed, Jan 05, 2011
In his new book on the decline of defined benefit pensions, George "Sandy" Mackenzie also compares four non-insured retirement income strategies and chooses the best of a flawed lot.
States Have Mandate, But Not Money, To Oversee Mid-Sized Advisors
Tue, Jan 04, 2011
California, Florida, New York and Texas will account for 35% of all the advisory firms switching over to state regulation, according to National Regulatory Services, a Connecticut consulting firm.
Fees vs. commissions: a rebuttal
Tue, Dec 21, 2010
After Iowa advisor Curtis Cloke wrote to RIJ about our article, “Singing from the Fee-Only Song Book” (November 17, 2010), advisor Glenn Daily commented on Cloke’s letter. Cloke sent this letter in rebuttal of Daily's comment.
Unmet Expectations
Tue, Dec 21, 2010
Here’s one observer's somewhat disappointed reaction to the special section on Retirement Income Planning in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Financial Planning.
Letter to the Editor
Tue, Nov 23, 2010
There are two problems with Curtis Cloke's analysis of the relative merits of fees versus commissions for income annuities ("Fees vs. Commissions in SPIA Sales," RIJ, 11/17/10), writes Glenn Daily.
An Entrepreneur Tackles Decumulation, with TIPS
Tue, Nov 23, 2010
Manish Malhotra’s FIAP platform, set to launch next year, will enable advisors to build retirement income streams out of laddered TIPS, immediate annuities, and withdrawals from balanced portfolios.
Fees vs. Commissions in SPIA Sales
Wed, Nov 17, 2010
When a client incorporates an immediate annuity into a custom financial plan, we shouldn’t ask what revenue method is best for the advisor; we should ask what method is best for the client, writes advisor Curtis Cloke in a Letter to the Editor.
How to Expect the Unexpected (in a Retirement Income Plan)
Wed, Nov 17, 2010
If you incorporated the risk of expensive emergencies, the sustainable withdrawal rate would sink to 3%, writes Gordon B. Pye, Ph.D., in the current issue of the Journal of Financial Planning.
Singing from the Fee-Only Song Book
Wed, Nov 10, 2010
Given their focus on planning rather than sales, fee-only advisors seem well-suited to the labor-intensive process of creating customized retirement income solutions for their clients.
Don’t Let Your Politics Shoot You in the Financial Foot
Wed, Nov 10, 2010
If you intend to be rational about investing, separate politics from portfolio, writes fee-only advisor and author (and political news junkie) Russell Wild.
Which Firms Connect Best with Advisors?
Thu, Oct 21, 2010
“Prudential has strengthened its grip on advisors in the variable annuity space over the past year," says Cogent Research in a study of advisor loyalty to variable annuity issuers, mutual fund companies and ETF providers.
How to Reach the Middle Class Investor
Wed, Oct 13, 2010
The Society of Actuaries has issued two new papers, one that shows advisors how to create income plans for non-affluent retirees and one that explains why the middle-class shuns advisors.
Madoff's Unsolved Mysteries
Mon, Oct 04, 2010
On September 26, Los Angeles moneyman Stanley Chais may have taken the secret of the Ponzi artist’s missing billions to his grave.
The Bucket
Tue, Sep 28, 2010
Late-breaking items about WealthVest, LifeYield, Vanguard, ING, MassMutual and more...
'Annuitize Part and Invest the Difference'
Wed, Sep 22, 2010
Using Period Certain, Life or Joint Life with Period Certain, or Installment Refund payouts, retirees can often create income solutions that require less investment than required by GLWBs to produce the same level of income.
Jefferson National Offers DFA Funds
Wed, Sep 08, 2010
Jefferson National’s Monument Advisor VA contract offers more than 250 investment options, or five times the number offered by most VAs, the company said.
