The Federal Reserve will speed up tapering of its bond-buying program and is planning up to three rate hikes in 2022, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said last week. Several additional rate hikes are expected to follow.

Joe Manchin likely doomed President Joe Biden’s roughly $2 trillion social spending and climate legislation known as Build Back Better on Sunday, telling Fox News in an interview that he cannot support it.

More than one-third (39%) of Americans under the age of 65 are receiving their financial advice online or from social media, according to a survey by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Friday a decision to delay the start of a mandatory payroll tax to fund Washington state’s new long-term care program.

The pace of mergers and acquisitions in the independent brokerage sector has quickened, a panel at the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies said.

With inflation surging and unemployment falling, the Federal Reserve said this week that it will shrink its support for the economy more quickly and expects to raise interest rates three times next year.

A government report out Wednesday said national health spending jumped by 9.7% in 2020, more than double the usual growth rate, with health care accounting for nearly $1 of every $5 in the economy.

Prudential Financial in summer 2022 will stop contributing to medical savings accounts for current retirees, according to a letter sent this month. In addition, Prudential retirees must now use all the money accrued in the accounts over 20 years, rather than over their lifetime.

Alfredo Casas, 62, allegedly underreported payroll for his farm labor contracting business by over $1 million, resulting in a substantial loss to two insurance companies.

Women with children under 18 expressed the highest levels of financial stress at 50%, followed by non-retirees who were not working (44%), those under age 50 (42%), and those with household incomes under $50,000 (42%).

More women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income in the 21st century than at any other time in our nation’s history.

Small and medium-sized businesses are showing stronger current financial health and an increase in hiring despite the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.

For years Armando Valdes has owned a couple of lucrative medical clinics in the Westchester area of Miami-Dade County, collecting millions of dollars from major private insurers for supposedly treating patients ailing from arthritis, ulcers and inflammations.

Deeper still into the bill is a part called “Drug-Impaired Driving Data Collection.” It establishes a deadline for federal agencies to identify ways to improve reporting of toxicology testing in cases of motor vehicle crashes.

Artificial intelligence can investigate low-value suspicious claims.

Changes in the U.S. Tax Code affecting everything from retirement savings, income surtaxes and qualified deductions are definitely coming soon, according to tax planning experts. But what they’ll look like and how much it might cost or benefit you is anyone’s guess right now as proposals in the President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act are mired in Congressional machinations and negotiations.

Employers and consumers are struggling with health care costs. A panel of experts discussed some ways the Build Back Better Act would address those concerns.

With the holiday season upon us, it’s likely that many of us will spend an extended amount of time with family. This can sometimes lead to families coming to terms with the uncomfortable reality of a loved one in decline who is not receiving the help they need.

When we think of diversity, we usually think of people who are of a different racial or ethnic background from us. But diversity comes in many forms, a multicultural marketing expert said, defining it as “any way you are different from me.”

There are always moves you can make to reduce your client’s taxable income. Some of these tax-saving moves, however, must be completed by Dec. 31.

Insurers’ growing comfort with remote work could lead to a more diverse workforce, agreed a panel hosted by the Insurance Information Institute.

Programs to help fill the widening retirement savings gap – particularly among small-business employees, minorities and women – seem to be slowly catching on. But it’s still early to tell whether they will gain significant monetary and acceptance traction across the country, an industry panel said.

The decades-old “4% rule” is a guideline for determining an annual withdrawal rate that in theory will provide sustainable income over a 30-year retirement period without depleting assets.

Insurance experts presented a gloomy forecast for anyone hoping that the cost to insure homes and businesses in Florida might stabilize or even fall anytime soon. In 2019, Florida generated 8% of all property insurance claims and 76% of lawsuits in the U.S., according to an analysis by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation cited by Wilson.

More than 50% of small firms said they aim to offer a better benefits package than their competitors to attract and retain talent in the future.

Nevada will be the first state to charge state workers enrolled in public employee health insurance plans a surcharge if they aren’t vaccinated.

An early halt to the Fed’s bond-buying program, which has helped keep long-term interest rates low and thereby supports the economy, would open the door for the central bank to make the more impactful decision to start raising short-term interest rates.

A Louisiana man was sentenced to 30 months in prison in the Southern District of Mississippi for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies.

With all things new and unfamiliar, it’s hard to know what to say or do in support of those who need our understanding, support and encouragement.

Speaking last month at the American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education 2021 Conference, Commissioner Allison Herron Lee told life insurance company lawyers that variable annuity issuers will have to comply with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest.

Third-quarter sales for all deferred annuities totaled $59.8 billion, a decrease of 7.1% compared to 2Q and an increase of 10.4% when compared to 3Q 2020, Wink reports.

One in five (21%) of Americans said that they are currently providing care for someone, and among them, nearly six in ten (59%) said that they have had to take on new or expanded caregiving responsibilities during the pandemic.

Virtually across the board— but most noticeably in pricing, underwriting and claims— insurers reported that their use of and plans for advanced analytics have been reignited over the past two years.

A new survey reports that a full 52% of American workers say their retirement savings are not where they need to be. A further 16% are not sure whether they’re on track.

An advisor didn’t let a bout of COVID-19 stop him from doing business while hospitalized. Here is his story.

Seniors and Medicare patients have a lot of things to look forward to in 2022, including added benefits, but costs are definitely increasing as well.

Texas police say a man went to “great lengths” to cover up the murder of his wife just days after she signed a six-figure life insurance policy.

It’s Thanksgiving weekend and everyone is spending Black Friday shopping or visiting. No one wants to talk about insurance or investing – right? But maybe you can be the advisor who bucks what everyone else is doing. Here’s how.

A new survey finds that among those who report having ever combined finances in a relationship, two in five (43%) confess to committing an act of financial deception.

The footwear company, in its suit, said HDI Global Insurance Co. did not pay for its defense in a federal lawsuit about whether Skechers, with its Commute Time shoes, copied the design and name of a competitor’s shoes.

A new study, “Black Women, Trust, and Financial Services,” surveyed 3,500 middle-income Black women and found three in five expressed difficulty finding financial professionals or advisors they trust.

Health Insurance costs have remained mostly steady – with just a 0.67% ($48/year) increase in average premiums from 2021, but analysts found significant variations across states, and health insurance plan type.

Officially, the Employee Benefits Security Administration plans to issue the new fiduciary rule by next month, according to DOL’s regulatory agenda. But nobody expects that to happen.

South Carolina insurance regulators again vowed last week to not participate in a court-sanctioned plan to rehabilitate the financially struggling Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania.

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he's nominating Jerome Powell for a second four-year term as Federal Reserve chair, endorsing Powell's stewardship of the economy through a brutal pandemic recession.

Workers and families with private health insurance would reap savings on prescription drugs from a little-noticed provision in President Joe Biden’s sweeping social agenda bill.

Insights from MDRT survey find prime opportunity for financial advisors to help consumers build their financial knowledge.

Some economists – and some Fed officials – want the Fed to move faster to rein in its ultra-low-rate policies. Other policymakers favor a more patient approach to interest rates. The result is a split within the Fed that Powell will likely have to settle, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the economy.

Total U.S. annuity sales were $62.3 billion in the third quarter, up 12% from third quarter 2020. Year-to-date, annuity sales increased 19% to $191.4 billion, according to results from the Secure Retirement Institute.

The American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year is providing enhanced subsidies for those who make up to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level to the point where their premiums may be $0 per month, according to the Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Policies have generally remained the same, but there are some key differences worth discussing.

There is a growing employee appreciation for non-medical benefits such as paid family medical leave, life insurance, disability insurance and wellness programs.

John Hancock Life, a subsidiary of Manulife, will reinsure with Corporate Solutions Life, a subsidiary of Venerable, a significant portion of its U.S. variable annuity block.

The financial services industry is overlooking or underserving a potentially huge and growing market according to a new study from the Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality, part of The American College of Financial Services.

The cost of employer-sponsored insurance plans continues to rise at a relatively steady rate even as a global pandemic has caused dramatic disruptions in how and when people get health care.

Many employers reported that since the pandemic started they’ve made changes to their mental health and substance use benefits.

As advisors and agents set goals for themselves, they should keep three things in mind if they want to increase their chances of success, experts say.

Salespeople think seniors aren’t good with technology or don’t use technology and this way of thinking is the reason they haven’t embraced virtual selling.

The WA Cares Fund requires workers in Washington state to pay a premium of 0.58% of their total pay per paycheck, meaning an employee with a salary of $50,000 will pay $290 a year into the fund.