Pacific Life, looking to tweak its annuity offerings to consumers in search of income to fund retirement expenses, has introduced a fixed annuity that features a 6 percent credit for every year the annuitant defers the income…
Even if long-term care insurance is out of reach for most Americans because it is too expensive, advisors can help clients think about how best to organize their lives knowing they may one day have to care for parents, siblings and even children…
A new analysis by the consulting firm Towers Watson has found that big stock market gains and rising interest rates powered Fortune 1,000 aggregate pension plan funding levels to their best levels since 2007…
The long-term care insurance (LTCi) industry, which has suffered recently with carriers leaving, scaling back coverage and raising premiums, is at a “critical crossroad” regarding its role in the future of the nation’s long-term care policy…
Looking back on the contributions of Al Granum, creator of Client Building and the One Card System, to the life insurance industry…
Rising interest rates and the popularity of alternative investment products are causing the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to take a closer look at the suitability of long-duration bonds sold by retail brokers and advisors, the agency said…
A bill authorizing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase the number and frequency of exams administered to investment advisors, and to charge advisors a fee to take the tests, received an important endorsement earlier this month but appears to lack support from one key constituency: House Republicans…
The 403(b) retirement plan will play a leading role in attracting the next generation of talent to run nonprofit institutions, colleges and universities, all of which will see their employee ranks depleted due to a wave of retirements, according to a new survey…
Producers and carriers have to learn to speak digital with younger prospects, but still invest in the face-to-face that closes deals…
Even though 2013 is ending, the buzz around private equity ownership of annuity companies is nowhere near over. In fact, the fireworks around private equity companies buying and operating annuity carriers, so prominent in 2013, might continue well into 2014…
Protective Life, one of the few life insurers with a consistent track record of successful acquisitions, is honing its life product portfolio to attract more of the mass affluent category of customers…
“Deferred annuity riders” have moved onto the radar screen of variable annuity regulators in Washington. At issue is how the features are or will be disclosed. The outcome will have impact on producers — not now, but in the future…
Retirement plan advisors give MassMutual Financial Group above average marks for helping workers with retirement readiness, and appreciate the company’s wholesaler expertise, a study by the Boston Research Group has found…
MetLife has agreed to seek approval for majority and minority stakes in two life insurance subsidiaries of a Malaysia bank holding company as part of an agreement that includes a long-term distribution deal to sell life insurance through hundreds of banks…
Target date funds, mutual funds that are automatically rebalanced to coincide with the approximate date an employee retires from the workforce, were held by 41 percent of 401(k) participants, a 2 percentage point increase from 2011…
Advisors may not be doing enough to sell indexed annuities but for those who are, there are some common best-practices traits these advisors share…
Advisors’ top resolutions for 2014 include increasing referrals from current clients (85 percent), boosting their office efficiency (67 percent), integrating technology (59 percent), meeting influential industry experts (59 percent) and being more selective about taking on new clients (48 percent), according to a poll…
With employers’ attention turned toward the Affordable Care Act and how health reform will affect their employee populations, retirement plan advisors might want to think about defined contribution and defined benefit strategies for 2014, so that their clients don’t have to…
In the C-suites of the nation’s largest wealth managers, chief information officers and their information technology departments are planning the future of what they want their retail financial advisors to see on their tablets and desktops…
