The change in leadership comes as the institution gets ready to relocate to larger space.

After 17 consecutive quarters of declines, second-quarter sales of variable annuities rose – if ever so slightly – 2 percent to $25.8 billion compared with the year-ago period, according to new data. But analysts say a shift to index annuities is likely to preclude a strong rebound in VA sales.

The positive and negative aspects of the Trump presidency on insurance and financial planning.

The stock market began the current bull market run on March 9, 2009 and will set a record Wednesday. Still, some analysts are concerned about the potential for a downturn amid several economic disruptions.

Fixed index annuity sales topped the record set in the fourth quarter 2015 by 12 percent, according to LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute data. Growth was widespread with all of the top 10 manufacturers reporting double-digit growth from the first quarter 2018.

Sronger interest rates and fire sales among some insurance companies helped push index annuity sales to their best quarter ever, according to new data. Index annuities, which protect principal and yield limited gains tied to an external index, had been on a steady quarterly climb since the third quarter of last year.

A recent survey from the Employee Benefits Research Institute showed 31 percent think health care is the most critical issue in the country, far outpacing terrorism at 21 percent and nearly double the number who thought so five years ago. Critical illness insurance can alleviate your clients’ concerns on health care.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners working group wants to “enhance consumer understanding” with a proposed two-page summary to accompany life insurance illustrations. The group is making slow progress on the proposal, with a few issues remaining to work out.

The solutions to contacting prospects and keeping current clients happy may be found in the cloud.

Agents who sell Medicare Supplement insurance should be prepared for big variations in policy costs. Among 65-year-old male non-smokers, for example, the difference in price from one policy to the next varied by 143 percent in New York City, but by only 20 percent in Boston, the survey found.

Thirty-four percent of variable annuity owners cannot remember why they bought them, a new survey finds. But at least one analyst says that is merely a sign that VAs are very versatile, with a number of different uses, and that advisors are trusted and doing a good job.

Boosting the numbers of advisors and improving the productivity of those already serving the group retirement market is a big priority for AXA Equitable, the company says.

Allianz will make its annuities available on the Envestnet Insurance Exchange, the second insurer to list its products there. Advisors at banks, broker-dealers, independent insurance agencies and registered investment advisors will be able to research Allianz annuities using the exchange, which is connected to Envestnet’s wealth management platform.

There is no limit to the number of agencies, bureaus, departments, commissioners and deputies standing ready to improve the lives of each person in ways they think they should be improved. Where does that leave annuities and the promise of guaranteed income?

Falling unemployment, fatter payrolls, tax reform, rising interest rates and the unsettled future of the Affordable Care Act are boosting benefit lines. More consumers are relying on voluntary benefits to fill in the gaps with medical and retirement needs.

There are a huge number of “unscheduled” loans that go mostly unnoticed until they become a threat to the policy or an unwelcome tax problem for the insured. These present a clear opportunity not only to help clients, but also to create new commissionable sales.

Women represent the ideal client for advisors for many reasons. Women contribute more to retirement plans, are more conservative with investments and prefer to work with an advisor, a MassMutual survey found.

A new NAIC working group will study the need for insurance in the cannabis industry. California Insurance Commissioner David Jones will lead a working group that will study the issues and report findings to the larger body.