Steven A. Morelli, Author at Insurance News

Steven A. Morelli

Steven A. Morelli is a contributing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. He has more than 25 years of experience as a reporter and editor for newspapers and magazines. He was also vice president of communications for an insurance agents’ association. Steve can be reached at [email protected].

July 1, 2023

Image of a young couple looking concerned while studying documents. Young people buying insurance worry about wrong risk, survey finds.

Study: Young people buying insurance worry about wrong risk

A survey conducted by Greenwald Research for the Society of Actuaries finds the Gen Z and millennials worry about early death but not as much about the real risks.

June 2, 2023

How insurance professionals can get into trouble with AI

We have all learned that AI can be wrong, but individuals assume liability if they propagate that information.

June 1, 2023

Image of an older couple reviewing documents.

Product bundling, information key to annuity, LTCi purchases, studies show

Older people are going into their retirement years with few resources and little insurance coverage – better packaging and clearer longevity information can make a difference, according to two studies.

May 24, 2023

Illustration of a upward fever graph line with flowers growing out of it being watered by a figure holding a watering can. I the word "Income" labels the graph line. Annuity buyers look for income, not accumulation or low fees, survey shows.

Income tops annuity buyers’ reasons for purchase, study says

Annuity buyers wanted access to their funds and ways to withdraw more than they cited interest rates or low fees, according to a buyer study conducted by LIMRA.

May 17, 2023

FINRA boots SW Financial in first Reg BI expulsion

New York-based Salomon Whitney Financial did not disclose fees and failed to monitor churning despite a long history of violations, according to a FINRA order.

May 11, 2023

Image of piggy bank with the word "Apollo" on it, while tiny figures are being pulled toward an adjacent light. Apollo expects to pull wealthy investors into alternatives with new annuity, investment vehicle.

Apollo expects to pull wealthy investors into alternatives with new annuity, investment vehicle

Apollo Global Management has high hopes for two new products that it expects will interest high-net-worth investors in alternative investments.

May 1, 2023

Will AG 49-B be a May Day or meh day for IUL illustrations?

As the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Actuarial Guideline 49-B goes into effect on May 1, some predict a hit on indexed universal sales while others don’t see much of a change in illustrated rates.

April 27, 2023

‘Third rail’ heats up as Social Security reform talk increases

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the real reason Social Security would be the deadly third rail of politics is not doing something about the trust fund’s impending insolvency.

April 26, 2023

Image of form with Blue Cross Blue Shield form.Blue Cross reorganization in N.C., N.J. prompts fears on premiums, service.

Blue Cross reorganizations in N.C., N.J. prompt fears on premiums, service

The insurance commissioner of North Carolina raises a red flag over Blue Cross changing to a not-for-profit mutual, while activists in New Jersey sue to stop their Blue Cross from converting.

April 25, 2023

Accounting standard dampens life insurers’ interest in high-interest bonds

Life carriers would love to trade their low-interest bond for new higher-rate ones, but an NAIC accounting standard dissuades them from taking the short-term hit, according to Conning.

April 19, 2023

Life insurance companies would love higher-rate bonds, but accounting standard would not, Conning reports

Life carriers would love to trade their low-interest bond for new higher-rate ones, but an NAIC accounting standard dissuades them from taking the short-term hit, according to Conning.

April 14, 2023

Image of a small figure looking up at a huge hand holding a sign with an "x" on it.

How an agent can effectively counter life insurance objections

Prospects and clients come to the process with a set of prejudices and objections quite often fed by consumer media. Insurance professionals can use the LAER method to work through those preconceptions.

April 12, 2023

Image of professionally dressed man and woman talking while standing in front of several paintings.

Is investing in the art market a sound strategy?

Art investment can beat bonds and other fixed income returns, according to a study, but it takes time and patience.

April 5, 2023

Image showing a calculator sitting atop high-denomination cash bills and prescription pills. Medicare Advantage carriers’ profit was double that of other markets, according to Kaiser Family Foundation.

Medicare Advantage shows large profit advantage that new CMS rules look to cut

Medicare Advantage carriers’ profit was double that of other markets, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, new rules seek to trim that advantage.

April 3, 2023

Illustration of a futuristic figure with goggles peering into a cloud of data. Colorado rule bars data discirimination.

Colorado rule bars AI, data discrimination in life insurance

Colorado’s insurance department proposes its first rule to implement the state’s anti-discrimination by data law.

April 1, 2023

Portrait of a man with a pessimistic, unimpressed expression.

Does pessimism really suppress annuity sales?

A recent study from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research suggests that pessimism has less of an effect on annuity sales than might be expected.

March 29, 2023