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The Bucket
Thu, Feb 02, 2012
Brief or late-breaking items from Prudential Retirement, John Hancock Annuities, John Hancock Financial Network, TD Ameritrade, TIAA-CREF, Northwestern Mutual Life, Securian Retirement, and Great-West Life & Annuity.
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
News
BlackRock launches ‘Multi-Asset Income Fund’
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
"We want to help clients employ different strategies that go beyond the simple, 60/40 equity-and-fixed income portfolio rule of the past,” said the head of BlackRock’s U.S. retail business.
SunAmerica expands lifetime income options
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
SunAmerica has also introduced a new investment portfolio – the SunAmerica Dynamic Allocation Portfolio –as an underlying investment in their variable annuity products.
Allianz Life launches new indexed annuity
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
Only field marketing organizations and agents associated with the Allianz Preferred distribution model will distribute the Allianz 365i Annuity, whose income rider costs 1.2% per year.
Deloitte Consumer Spending Index ends 2011 on “low note”; contraction predicted in 2012
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
Job losses in higher-income industries like government and financial services have apparently added to the weakness in household earnings and hurt overall spending.
New York Life resolves itself to a duo
Wed, Jan 25, 2012
The company reorganized itself into two basic divisions, an Insurance Group run by Chris Blunt and an Investments Group run by John Y. Kim. Kim will succeed Blunt as head of the Retirement Income Security (RIS) business.
RMB seen as third reserve currency, after dollar and euro
Tue, Jan 24, 2012
Holding RMB is important for investors who have global aggregate portfolios or diversified global bond portfolios, said Jim McCaughan, CEO of Principal Global Investors.
January rally led by institutional investors: TrimTabs
Tue, Jan 24, 2012
Much of the year-to-date gain in U.S. stocks has occurred in overnight futures trading, said Trim Tabs executive vice president David Santschi.
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.
The Bucket
Mon, Jan 23, 2012
Brief or late-breaking items from Milliman, the Insured Retirement Institute, the Financial Planning Association, the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, Fidelity, Swiss Re, Putnam Investments, DTCC, the American Academy of Actuaries, the Society for Human Resource Management, and Ameriprise Financial.
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.
Investors more optimistic in 4Q 2011: John Hancock
Thu, Jan 19, 2012
More than half of all investors surveyed said they expect to be in a better position financially two years from now compared with today.
One in five millionaires would pay more tax
Thu, Jan 19, 2012
But 65% just want to be left alone by the government to enjoy the wealth they’ve earned, an annual PNC survey shows.
Bond funds grow, stock funds shrink in 2011
Wed, Jan 18, 2012
Bond funds saw net inflows of $116 billion during 2011, while equity funds saw net outflows of $51 billion for the year, according to Strategic Insight.
The Bucket
Wed, Jan 18, 2012
Brief or late-breaking news from Jefferson National, Lincoln Financial, and F-Squared Investments.
The Bucket
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
Brief or late-breaking items about Guardian Life, Bankers Life, the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, MetLife, The Principal, Edward Jones, Mutual of Omaha, Securities America, and the SPARK Institute.
Winners of PLANSPONSOR 401(k) Survey announced
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
Three service providers stood out in PLANSPONSOR's annual Defined Contribution Survey this year: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Diversified Retirement Corporation, and BMO Institutional Trust Services.
Aria Retirement Solutions aims stand-alone living benefit at RIA market
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
SALBs are back in the news. The RetireOne Transamerica solution is the first of what Aria Retirement Services CEO David Stone said will be several income solutions provided by Aria in partnership with major insurance carriers.
Lincoln Financial team will study consumer decision-making
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
Emily Pachuta will lead the team, as head of Consumer Insights group within Lincoln’s Insurance Solutions/Retirement Solutions division.
Uncle Sam publishes annual financial report
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
For those who like diving into economic statistics, even the 16-page summary of the 2011 Financial Report of the U.S. Government provides an ample pool of data.
Federal Reserve favors more predictability on rates
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
But “a number of members noted their dissatisfaction with the Committee's current approach for communicating its views regarding the appropriate path for monetary policy,” said the minutes of the Dec. 13 FOMC meeting, published this week.
The Bucket
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
Brief and late-breaking items from LPL Financial, the Insured Retirement Institute, MassMutual, Great-West Retirement Services, Securian and Allianz Life.
Could “Obamacare” encourage earlier retirement?
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
A review of Towers Watson retirement data shows that the presence of company-subsidized health insurance for retirees encourages people to retire before age 65. Researchers wonder if elements of "Obamacare"--the PPACA--could have a similar effect.
Consumer Reports rates 13 brokerage services
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
A trusted source for information on a wide array of products, Consumer Reports decided to investigate online and full-service brokerage services by polling their readers and sending mystery shoppers to brokerages. Here's how 13 services measured up.
White succeeds Bhojwani as president and CEO of Allianz Life
Wed, Dec 21, 2011
White (pictured at left) joined Allianz Life in 2009 as chief administrative officer responsible for compliance, information technology, operations, and suitability.
The Bucket
Wed, Dec 21, 2011
Brief or late-breaking items regarding AXA Equitable Life, MassMutual, Prudential Financial, Barclays Wealth, and Wealth & Pension Services Group.
Fitch calls U.S. life industry “stable,” but notes concerns
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.
See you in the new year!
Mon, Dec 19, 2011
Retirement Income Journal will not appear on December 28, 2011, in observance of the Christmas holidays. The next issue will appear on January 4, 2012. To all our subscribers and readers, thank you for making 2011 our best year yet!
TD Bank predicts 2% growth, 8.8% unemployment in 2012
Mon, Dec 19, 2011
Economic headwinds include “market volatility, Europe's banking and fiscal crises, a polarized US Congress and overzealous fiscal restraint in Washington.”
Expect slow growth over next decade: Vanguard
Mon, Dec 19, 2011
The fact that 10-year Treasury rates are only about 2% indicates the market’s belief that the U.S. economy will grow slowly over the next decade, Vanguard pointed out.
Barclays Wealth and Securian announce new executives
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
Christopher M. Hilger has been appointed the 16th president of the 131-year-old Securian Financial Group, Inc., and Joseph Danowsky has been hired by Barclays Wealth as a Managing Director and Head of Solutions for the Americas.
MassMutual introduces Pension Funding Scorecard
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
The Scorecard provides a quarter-by-quarter performance comparison for a liability-driven investing (LDI) portfolio vs. a traditional 60% equity/40% fixed income portfolio against the MassMutual Pension Liability Index (MMPLI).
Morningstar announces agenda for institutional conference
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
Thomas Sargent, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and professor of economics and business at New York University, will deliver the keynote address.
Envestnet acquires FundQuest
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
Timothy Clift, formerly chief investment officer and chairman of the investment committee at FundQuest, Inc., will join Envestnet|PMC as chief investment strategist, responsible for the development of investment strategies for client portfolios.
“Simpson-Bowles” reforms would reduce middle-class Social Security receipts: Urban Institute
Wed, Dec 14, 2011
Projected Social Security benefit reductions under the NCFRR recommendations are closely related to lifetime earnings, with those at the bottom of the lifetime earnings distribution largely shielded and those at the top experiencing significant reductions.
The Bucket
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
Brief or late-breaking items from MetLife, Vanguard, Boston Research Group, Securian, Nationwide, The Hartford and the MIT AgeLab.
Portugal to apply pension funds to deficit
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
The measure aims to transfer pension funds' liabilities to the Portugese Social Security program while using the assets to help the government meet its budget deficit target and pay down its debt.
New Celent report forecasts DC trends
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
The defined contribution industry will see growing use of collective investment trusts and custom target date funds, according to a new report from Celent.
Lynne Ford leaves ING
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
Ford’s departure was “the result of some consolidation within our broader retirement business," an ING spokesperson told RIJ.
Do Motley Fool stock recommendations beat the market?
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
“A strategy of shorting stocks with a disproportionate number of negative picks on the site and buying stocks with a disproportionate number of positive picks produces a return of over 9 percent per annum over the sample period,” a National Bureau of Economic Research paper said.
Correction
Thu, Dec 01, 2011
An article in last week's cover story ("Airbag-Equipped Annuities") erred in reporting that MassMutual had stopped selling variable annuities. The company said it has simply narrowed distribution to its career channel and has sold $675 million worth of VAs so far in 2011.
Thoughts on DoL's "Re-Proposal"
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
Noticeably absent from the DOL’s September 19th release, and statements by DOL officials, is any suggestion of a broad revision of the regulation, writes Fred Reish, the well-known ERISA attorney at Drinker, Biddle & Reath.
Rolls-Royce agrees to £3bn longevity swap with Deutsche Bank
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
The British automaker's defined benefit plan assets stood at £7.8bn ($12.3bn) last December, with a surplus of around £700m ($1.1bn).
Big Danish pension plan switches to DC from DB
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
The new regime would be one with no investment choices for plan participants to make. "Our members... are blue-collar workers and typically don't want to make investment decisions themselves," said the plan's chief investment officer.
Dollar’s woes could boost global and emerging market debt: BNY Mellon
Wed, Nov 30, 2011
The dollar's share of global currency reserves has declined over the last 10 years as emerging markets rely less on external debt and move from fixed to floating exchange rates, a new report says.
“Carriers Settle In”
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
Variable annuity product development slowed in Q3 2011, according to the quarterly report from a vice president in Morningstar’s Insurance Solutions group.
MetLife reorganizes in wake of Alico acquisition
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
MetLife's three new business regions, each of which will have its own president, are the Americas, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), and Asia.
Five tasks that retirement plan advisors now face
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
What are advisors to small and mid-sized retirement plans doing these days? On a recent "listening tour," Transamerica tried to find out.
