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.
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.
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 are making a concerted effort to implement and promote paperless document delivery services.
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.
TIAA-CREF’s TC Listens website is an innovative new medium for obtaining client feedback online.
TIPS can preserve purchasing power, provide systematic income and offer the assurance of a government guarantee for retirees depending on income from their investments.
With variable annuity sales down, firms are intensifying online product marketing campaigns to reach more prospective investors.
Annuity issuers are reaching out to non-English-speaking investors through websites written in Spanish and Asian languages, according to Corporate Insight.
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.
A growing number of annuity issuers are using creative approaches on Twitter to reach new audiences online.
Many firms have launched engaging online sales campaigns focusing on the Roth IRA conversion opportunities that will be available in 2010.
Annuity firms introduced enhanced online security measures in 2009, but they remain laggards in the financial service industry.
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."
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.
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
This hip-hop bout between "Keynes" and his nemesis "Hayek" was screened at the IMCA conference Tuesday. If you're not among the millions who've seen it on YouTube, prepare for highbrow humor with a back beat (you can't lose it).
Tue, Jan 24, 2012
Pacific Index Choice now has an optional lifetime income benefit for 75 basis points and the Pacific Destinations VA comes in a new and cheaper share class.
Thu, Jan 19, 2012
After a credit boom and bust, we face a long period of spending less and saving more, writes the well-known author and NYU Stern School professor.
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
"Going forward, I think the only sustainable product designs will be in the context of risk-levered funds,” said Steve Murphy, FSA, a senior vice president at the Cincinnati-based mutual insurer.
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.
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
The Bank of Montreal will halt new sales of its BMO Lifetime Cash Flow, a retirement income product that Canadian insurers said worked a bit too much like a variable annuity. The Canadian finance minister agreed.
Mon, Dec 19, 2011
"The industry’s large in-force book of variable annuity business will continue to be a drag on profitability over the near term," the ratings agency said in a recent bulletin.
Mon, Dec 19, 2011
"We have been buying inflation-linked bonds and selling government bond futures against them," writes the head of fixed income at Old Mutual Asset Managers.
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
New CEO Dean Connor decided to cut Sun Life's losses in the U.S. annuity business after a third quarter that negatively impacted many U.S. annuity issuers. The Canadian firm will focus on its employee benefit and MFS Investment Management businesses in the U.S.
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
“Pressures such as low interest rates, volatile equities markets, and a political and regulatory environment in flux will continue to impact the industry, making it difficult for insurers to boost earnings," Ernst & Young said iin a release.
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
A gerontology professor argues in a new article that Americans’ 401(k) holdings are coming up trillions of dollars short, thanks to high investment management fees.
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
Another “very bright spot in the third quarter data was the significant increase in net cash flow, to $8.9 billion from $5.7 billion in the second quarter and $6.4 billion in the third quarter of 2010,” wrote Frank O’Connor, product manager of the VA database at Morningstar.
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
"It's an interesting environment," said Beacon Research CEO Jeremy Alexander (left). "The word is that some carriers are keeping a lid on business" because of the low rates.
Tue, Nov 22, 2011
The author of "Rational Exuberance" and co-creator of the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices heralds a new science that will help us understand economics by studying the physical structures that underlie brain processes.
Sun, Nov 13, 2011
On a recent visit to Shanghai, our contributor found that a dollar doesn't command as much respect on the streets of China as it once did.
Tue, Nov 08, 2011
While forecasting a 10% decline in investment yields for life insurers due to Fed interest rate policy, Ernst & Young proposes six strategies firms can use to combat the impact of low rates. E&Y's Doug French (pictured) spoke with RIJ.
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
MetLife's reduction of the deferral bonus on its hot-selling GMIB Max VA rider by a half-percent and news that Sun Life's strength rating is under review are symptoms of the impact of ultra-low interest rates on VA issuers.
Wed, Oct 26, 2011
This excerpt from a new Congressional Budget Office report on wealth inequality in the U.S. shows that "highly compensated workers have replaced people whose income is from property or securities at the top of the income distribution."
Wed, Oct 19, 2011
With United Technologies' recent adoption of an in-plan annuity, it now appears more likely that guaranteed income will eventually become commonplace in the defined contribution space. The Hartford, after a false start, has jumped back in that game.
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
The associate director of the Center for Retirement Research wants financial services companies to fund a revival of the delivery of Social Security statements to working Americans. Cost: $55 million. Benefit: Priceless.
Wed, Oct 05, 2011
Deficit hawks say that federal debts and deficits put our progeny in a hole. Indeed, they've said it for decades. But some economists, starting as far back as 75 years ago, have said that's poppycock. The latter may be right.
Wed, Oct 05, 2011
After overhauling its huge retirement plans, this Fortune 50 firm selected AllianceBernstein's stand-alone living benefit as its in-plan 401(k) income option. AXA Equitable, Nationwide, and Lincoln Financial were expected to support the lifetime guarantee.
Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Investors have been asking Moody's if variable annuity issuers have made their products safer, and how Moody's evaluates the safety of VA guarantees. For answers, Moody's turned to the issuers themselves.
Wed, Sep 21, 2011
Rod Greenshields of Russell Investments questioned the value of conventional financial wisdom in a lively presentation at the FPA Experience 2011 conference.
Wed, Sep 14, 2011
In this article, an ERISA attorney sets out to help retirement plan advisors understand basic retirement plan concepts that can help them develop and maintain their retirement plan book of business.
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.
Wed, Sep 07, 2011
Two Rutgers professors explain how fragmentation of the banking system in the U.S. has led to a long series of panics here, of which the Great Recession was only the latest. Canada's financial history has been quieter.
Tue, Sep 06, 2011
Plan sponsors who urge union members to participate or to contribute more by pointing out other employees' saving behavior may produce unintended consequences, Harvard's David Laibson (in photo) and other researchers found.
Mon, Aug 15, 2011
Starting from a level of great wealth, North Americans and Europeans feel a sense of decline, while Asians, starting from a level of deep poverty, feel a sense of upward mobility and optimism, according to a recent global survey by HSBC.
Mon, Aug 15, 2011
In this edited version of a monthly bulletin from the Qwema Group, Moshe Milevsky (left) and Simon Dabrowski show advisors how to demonstrate the value of an income annuity to their clients.
Tue, Aug 09, 2011
SunAmerica's 'Retirement Re-Set' study showed why some retirees are happier than others. Jana Greer, president and CEO of SunAmerica Retirement Markets, explains. The company was the sixth biggest VA-seller in 1Q 2011.
Wed, Jul 27, 2011
In his regular quarterly update, the product manager of Morningstar’s Annuity Solutions reviews second-quarter VA manufacturer activity and looks ahead.
Tue, Jul 26, 2011
Big deferral bonuses and safer investment options characterize the income riders of Nationwide and Sun Life, both of which aim to be among the leading sellers of VAs.
Wed, Jul 20, 2011
What "story" helps you sell VAs? Mark Caner of Western & Southern describes his firm's contract as a safe, nimble, fuel-efficient vehicle for cruising through retirement.
Wed, Jul 13, 2011
The new multi-premium contract allows a person to build a personal pension with a series of contributions leading to lifetime income beginning at a pre-determined but flexible start date.
Wed, Jul 06, 2011
Consulting actuary Tim Pfeifer, a self-professed fan of the guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit, spoke with RIJ about the evolving variable annuity market.
Tue, Jul 05, 2011
Prudential, MetLife and Jackson National, which have dominated sales since the VA industry's post-crisis shake-out, all added to their market share in the first quarter of 2011, according to Morningstar's quarterly VA report.
Wed, Jun 29, 2011
About 40,000 Americans have investable assets of $30 million or more, according to the 15th annual World Wealth Report from Merrill Lynch and Capgemini.
Tue, Jun 21, 2011
Sales began going up after Fidelity incorporated SPIAs into its online retirement planning tools: the Income Strategy Evaluator and the Guaranteed Income Estimator.
Thu, Jun 16, 2011
The product enhancements are part of a series of investments The Hartford is making in its annuity business in recent months, the company said.
Thu, Jun 16, 2011
Lifetime withdrawal benefit exercise rates rose with in-the-moneyness and age of contract owners, according to Milliman's survey of 18 variable annuity issuers, including 11 top-20 issuers.
Tue, Jun 07, 2011
The French bank has sponsored the French Open for 38 years and in March launched a website called "We Are Tennis."
Wed, Jun 01, 2011
Under the conservative think-tank's proposal, a new optional, auto-enrolled savings plan would start in 2014. Under this plan, 6% of each worker’s income would go in a retirement savings plan that the worker owns and controls.
Wed, Jun 01, 2011
DST Systems’ Larry Kiefer says his firm’s new “middleware” simplifies the distribution of lifetime income products to plan participants, IRA owners and others.
Wed, May 25, 2011
Cogent Research has tapped into the attitudes of wealthy retirees and pre-retirees toward retirement income products.
Wed, May 18, 2011
Leading up to the May 1 deadline for contract changes, issuers continued to tinker with every aspect of their contracts--to reduce overall risk and to align their compensation formulas with advisor preferences.
Wed, May 11, 2011
An ad campaign featuring the 1967 Buffalo Springfield classic, "For What It's Worth," and other factors are helping drive higher income annuity sales in Australia for Challenger Ltd. Their latest product offers liquidity in the first 15 years.
Tue, May 10, 2011
The largest share of 401(k) assets is clustered in big accounts, and the highest-earning participants reap the most tax benefits, says a GAO study. The CEO of ASPPA, a plan administrator group, says the study is wrong.
Wed, May 04, 2011
Starting with today’s issue, we’ll devote four weeks of cover stories and features to single premium immediate annuities. Millions of mass=affluent Americans will need them.
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.
 |
 |
 |
RIJ Publishing, 4340 Knollwood Dr., Emmaus, PA 18049, 610-965-3103
Retirement Income Journal is a new online magazine dedicated to writing for and about the industry that has coalesced around the challenge of helping Americans turn their savings into secure lifetime incomes. This industry includes members of the insurance, asset management, banking, pension, structured products, reverse mortgage, information technology, financial planning and academic communities and the professional organizations that serve them.
Send editorial queries to kerry.pechter@retirementincomejournal.com.
RSS 2.0 Feed