Guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit riders have been the dominant star of indexed annuity features, but they will soon share billing with several other product features, according to insurance and annuity executives…
Jackson National Life has once again put a year-end lid on certain types of variable annuity business that it will accept…
Allianz Life has announced the launch of the Allianz Core Income 7 Annuity with a Core Income Benefit rider as the company takes advantage of surging interest in indexed annuities…
Financial advisors were in for some harsh scrutiny in two recent reports…
Financial advisors who want to boost yields on bond portfolios may consider a range of alternative investment strategies. These strategies can improve the performance of fixed-income portfolios…
Transamerica Retirement Solutions (TRS) has announced the hiring of two industry veterans, one with expertise in the defined contribution retirement plan business, and the other with deep knowledge of defined benefit retirement plan structure…
Assets in alternative or “alt” mutual fund investments could double in the next five years to $490 billion by 2018, particularly if advisors and investors become more comfortable with such funds, according to an analysis by a mutual fund analytics firm…
With many of the nation’s largest life insurers preparing to announce third quarter results over the next two to three weeks, analysts are looking for the industry to deliver earnings growth in the “low single-digit range,” according to Moody’s Investors Services…
Financial and benefits advisors in the midst of the fall renewal reason for self-funded health plans beginning Jan. 1, 2014, take note: Stop-loss insurance has entered a new era, courtesy of the Affordable Care Act…
Great-West Financial has announced its entry into the small and midsize nonprofit retirement market with the launch of its Premier and Custom Key 403(b) products…
“The term ‘simplified annuities’ normally means ‘watered down guarantees,’” according to a securities executive during a wide-ranging and unscripted panel discussion at LIMRA’s annual meeting. For that reason, many advisors aren’t interested…
The 56th Annual Profit Sharing and 401(k) Survey reveals that companies are contributing more to their sponsored retirement plans and adding more features, and that participants are saving at higher rates compared to the previous year…
All parties involved in the life insurance process — carriers, producers and customers — will benefit from using “predictive analytics,” said Robert A. Kerzner at the opening session of LIMRA’s annual meeting…
A new report finds that specialist advisors manage twice as many assets per advisor compared to their generalist peers. The study also finds that while specialization narrows an advisor’s market, it improves that advisor’s success in developing business by articulating a tailored service…
What consumers do when shopping for life insurance and what the life insurance industry does to engage those consumers are not always aligned, according to Eric Sondergeld. That can derail sales…
For annuity carriers, the era of electronic signatures is at hand. Agents and carriers have come around to the advantages of signing on the dotted line in electronic form, particularly when it comes to new business…
When it comes to their financial advisor, small business owners seem to be of two minds. They say that over the next two years they are going to need every bit of help they can get from their advisors. But for the moment, they also aren’t all that impressed with the help they can get or the cost of it…
More than one in four potential investors – 26 percent – do not have a financial plan, and of those who don’t have a plan – about 38 percent – say they have no intention of ever creating one, according to an investor sentiment survey…
Although financial services companies have done much to address conflict-of-interest issues since the financial crisis, companies can do more to strengthen their internal watchdog frameworks, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc (FINRA)…
