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Cover Stories

It’s Spee-Ahz, By a Nose!

by Kerry Pechter

It’s Spee-Ahz, By a Nose!

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

Gaobo Pang and Mark Warshawsky's study supports a strategy of combining income annuities with mutual funds in retirement.

How Good Is This Ad? You Decide.

by Kerry Pechter

How Good Is This Ad? You Decide.

Wed, Aug 26, 2009

This ad drew a wide range of responses. Many reviewers said it “spoke to them.” Some said it left them cold.

A Chat with Jackson’s Clifford Jack

by Kerry Pechter

A Chat with Jackson’s Clifford Jack

Wed, Aug 19, 2009

'We talk all the time about not being the team that performs extremely well for eight and two-thirds innings just to screw it up on the final out,' said the Jackson National EVP.

Comment: The High Price of Low Rates

by Kerry Pechter

Comment: The High Price of Low Rates

Wed, Aug 12, 2009

A low interest rate policy, while necessary in a crisis, acts as a tax on the average person and plants the seed for the next credit crisis, according to two NBER Working Papers published in July.

The Decumulation Beat

What I read at the beach in August, and how I almost appeared on Fox News

What I read at the beach in August, and how I almost appeared on Fox News

I finally found time to read "Boomsday," Christopher Buckley's novel about a presidential candidate who asks Baby Boomers to save Social Security by agreeing to commit suicide at age 70.

News

Innovative Two-Stage Income Annuity Proposed

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

The payout from Phoenix's Retirement Income Options variable income annuity is life-contingent and variable during the "early retirement" stage, but pays a fixed income with a death benefit during the optional "later retirement" stage.

Forgetful Elderly Should Own Income Annuities: Harvard Study

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

“People don't know what to do with their money in general,” one advisor told Pensions and Investments. “It may get worse the older you get, but really this is a problem for all workers.”

All Signs Point to an Aging Work Force

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

Nearly four-in-ten adults who have worked past the median retirement age of 62 told Pew Research that they delayed their retirement “because of current economic conditions.”

Obama Announces Workplace Savings Initiatives

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

The president told Americans, “If you work hard your whole life, you ought to have every opportunity to retire with dignity and financial security."

A Few New Names on Annuity ‘Leaderboard’

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

Since the end of 2008, Sun Life, American Equity Investment Life and MassMutual have joined the list of the top 20 annuity sellers, while Genworth Financial, Principal Financial, and Allstate have slipped off.

Despite Crisis, Total Annuity Sales Lag By Just 3%

Wed, Sep 09, 2009

Almost 90% of purchasers of new variable annuity contracts are electing living benefits and almost 60% are electing guaranteed lifetime income riders, despite industry-wide pull-backs in those benefits.