Cyril Tuohy is a writer based in Pennsylvania. He has covered the financial services industry for more than 15 years. He can be reached at [email protected].
Advisors traditionally approach a financial relationship by proposing to manage assets, mapping out a plan to let those assets grow. But these days, Americans are concerned about other things — like debt and health care expenses.
Contracting sales of fixed indexed annuities in the third quarter weren’t enough to deter Lincoln Financial from expanding its FIA product line.
Agents and advisors need accurate and reputable tools to project performance for certain annuity products in the new fiduciary landscape. CANNEX is responding with a pair of new analytical tools dedicated to variable annuities (VA) and fixed indexed annuities (FIA).
Revenue from managed or fee-based accounts were responsible for 51 percent of financial advisor revenue last year, new research has found.
Some explanations for why billions of dollars drained out of the annuity pond.
Insurers are getting caught up in class-action complaints stemming from independent agents who make unsolicited cold calls. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 shields consumers from unsolicited calls, texts and faxes made without their consent.
While overall life insurance sales sputter in a low-interest environment, indexed universal life sales rose 8 percent in the third quarter, LIMRA reported. The roaring stock market is the biggest reason for strong IUL sales, analysts say.
Third-quarter sales of indexed universal life (IUL) fell 1 percent as insurers grapple with new actuarial risk assessment guidelines. Still, IUL sales were up 6 percent compared to the year-ago period, Wink’s Sales & Market Report reported.
Fixed and indexed annuity sales drop below $50 million for the first time since 2002.
Millennials have ratcheted up customer service expectations in every industry, and that means faster service and adapting to the cyber world. Insurers that do not rise to the challenge are going to be left behind, analysts say.
A new survey found that 58 percent of people view health care costs as the No. 1 obstacle to financial security, a rise of 13 points in one year. What Congress will do with the Affordable Care Act is just one reason for the angst.
“The war for talent starts at the undergraduate level,” said Kate Healy, managing director, Generation Next, at TD Ameritrade Institutional.
A survey revealed many insurers gave themselves failing or barely passing grades on their portal capabilities. But carriers have plans to turn that situation around.
There was good news and not-so-good news for insurers in the third quarter. Our Cyril Tuohy breaks it down.
Wirehouse Morgan Stanley is leaving the broker protocol, an agreement to prevent lawsuits in the wake of advisors departing for other firms. Will other wirehouses follow suit and clamp down on advisor movement?
Allianz reported that third quarter sales of buffered variable annuities rose 62 percent over the year-ago period in the U.S. This is a sign that advisors have warmed to a small but growing product line within the struggling variable annuity market.
American Equity Investment Life focused more on marketing accumulation products, which fueled strong third-quarter gains that beat market forecasts. The strategy is driven by strong market gains, company execs say.
Merger and acquisitions among registered investment advisors fell sharply in the third quarter as advisors see less reason to merge in the wake of an 18-month delay of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule.
Lincoln’s third-quarter fee-based annuity sales nearly matched the total sales for all of 2016, CEO Dennis R. Glass said. Are advisors and consumers warming up to fee-based products, or are sales figures just a reaction to tighter regulations?
An 18-month delay in implementing key parts of the Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary rule has eased its vise-like grip on insurers and annuity distributors, insurance company executives told analysts.
