Many California Democrats say they support single-payer health care, but none introduced a new version of the state’s landmark single-payer bill before a key deadline. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed other ways to increase health care coverage, such as expanding eligibility for the state’s health care coverage to young adults living in the state illegally.

The stock market shook off an early slump and was mixed in morning trading as investors weighed conflicting reports on the U.S. economy. Indexes slipped shortly after the opening bell after the government reported that number of homes being built last month plunged to the lowest level in more than two years, the latest sign that the housing market is cooling.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell did not want to go anywhere near critical comments his predecessor Janet Yellen made about President Donald Trump. Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell declined comment on Yellen’s claim that she did not believe Trump had a good grasp of economic policy.

Consumers covered under single-payer plans frequently experience long wait times to access care. In addition, the governments of most single-payer countries are heavily involved in setting the price of care, especially prescription drugs.

Setting smart, achievable goals is important if you want to take charge of your financial life. But many of us are surprisingly bad at choosing the goals that actually matter most to us. People don’t really know what they want, says a Morningstar researcher.

The House Financial Services Committee announced today that a subcommittee hearing will be held on the SEC’s best interest rule on March 14.

Polls show that an estimated 35 percent of voters “will vote for Trump no matter what,” Charlie Cook said, 45 percent “will never vote for him in a million years” and 20 percent are in the middle. The votes of that 20 percent group are up for grabs in 2020 but Trump is not going after this group.

Among baby boomers, 80 percent carry some form of debt in retirement and 47 percent are still paying on their homes, according to a 2015 Pew Charitable Trusts report. And a recent Government Accounting Office report said the government took $171 million out of Social Security paychecks from those over the age of 50 to cover unpaid student debt.

Roughly half the nation’s business economists say they think the U.S. economy will slip into recession by the end of next year, and three-fourths envision such a downturn beginning by the end of 2021. The finding comes from the National Association for Business Economics’ latest survey of its member economists.

Arizona is the latest state to consider its own regulation of annuity sales with a Senate bill that is moving quickly through the Legislature. The Arizona version would ban the use of indices that have not been in existence for more than 10 years in all fixed indexed annuity illustrations.

Nearly 700 health insurance and benefits advisors from across the nation will travel to Washington to meet with members of Congress. In addition, NAHU members will hear from industry experts, members of Congress and members of the Trump administration as they look at the future for health care reform.

According to a recent study, U.S. boomers are ill-prepared to maintain their current lifestyle in the U.S. in their retirement years. An estimated one-half of U.S. boomer retirees will be solely dependent upon their Social Security income. And that’s where a good advisor can help.

Health care and energy companies led U.S. stocks lower Thursday, ending a three-day winning streak for the S&P 500 and giving the benchmark index only its fourth loss this month. The modest sell-off came as investors weighed mixed economic data and earnings reports while keeping an eye on Washington, where U.S. and Chinese negotiators resumed talks.

The OPTIS database logged a record 626 mergers and acquisitions of insurance agencies in the United States and Canada in 2018, including 330 transactions in the second half of the year and 148 transactions during the fourth quarter. There were 611 M&A deals in 2017, previously the most active year.

Existing-home sales experienced a minor drop for the third consecutive month in January, according to the National Association of Realtors. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says last month’s home sales of 4.94 million were the lowest since November 2015, but that he does not expect the numbers to decline further going forward.

The government growth is driven by traditional Medicare, which is experiencing a surge in enrollment as aging baby boomers shift out of private coverage, according to the analysis from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The report projected that U.S. health care spending will surpass $5.9 trillion by 2027.

Feb. 20– Democratic presidential hopefuls continue to move leftward on health care– and will have to figure out how to fend off GOP attempts to brand them as “socialism” if they want to get anywhere with it. “We’ve gone from Obamacare to Che Guevara- care,” GOP strategist Patrick Griffin said, referring to the Latin American Marxist revolutionary.

Total 2018 annuity sales increased 14 percent to $232.1 billion, compared with 2017 results, according to LIMRA. Rising interest rates and the elimination of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule are seen as factor boosting annuity sales, which are the best LIMRA has seen since it began tracking sales.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ working group debated its annuity sales model throughout 2018 — mostly without success due to a few thorny issues. Finally, they put out a draft rule that skipped over many of those issues and accepted comments through Feb. 15. Those comments were released today.

The suspect made herself the beneficiary of her aunt’s life insurance and transferred more than $165,000 of her aunt’s money into her account, a police report states. Brandie Woodward, 35, was charged with exploitation of the elderly and was jailed on $5,000 bail.

The hot market for businesses may start to cool, as early as later this year. That’s the finding of a survey of brokers and advisers who help owners and buyers complete sales of companies. The survey conducted by researchers at Pepperdine University and two industry groups questioned business brokers and acquisitions advisers.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Partners Advantage Insurance Services and AMZ Financial Insurance Services on Jan. 28. The move marked the first substantial entry by Gallagher into the independent marketing organization channel of insurance distribution.

An accountant from Baton Rouge stole roughly $2 million that the historically troubled New Orleans Firefighters Pension and Relief Fund gave to him to invest in life insurance policies — and then used the money to gamble, finance home improvements and pay off debts, federal prosecutors allege.

Federal lawmakers have introduced a bill to offer certain tax breaks to people impacted by Hurricane Michael. The Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2018 includes tax relief for those impacted by Hurricane Michael and other recent disasters like Hurricane Florence.

A retirement plan has two major objectives. One is to provide assurance that you will not run out of money at an advanced age. Reflecting this objective, and because only an annuity pays you until you die, with few exceptions every retirement plan should contain an annuity.

Some health professionals say large health insurance networks have edged small businesses out of insurance panels, which draft plans for companies that work together to serve patients. Because health insurance panels are based partly on relationships with other companies, private practitioners are sometimes left to fall by the wayside.

The average American will hold at least eight jobs during their lifetime and the term life insurance benefit provided will most likely also terminate when the decision to part ways is made. Because of this, it is important to separate the employment insurance from personal insurance.

The concept of expanding Medicare coverage to not only seniors and disabled people but just about everyone, has recently shot up in popularity among Democrats and party activists at the national level. Among proponents of so-called Medicare for All, there are varying ideas for how such a government-paid and government-administered health insurance.

Captivated by a handful of liberal superstars, Democrats are venturing where the party has long feared to tread: Steep taxes on the rich. Abolishing an immigration enforcement agency. And proposing a sweeping Green New Deal that calls for an “economic transformation” to combat climate change.

More than one quarter of the 800,000 federal employees who were affected by the federal government shutdown withdrew money from their retirement funds to help make it through the 35 days in which they did not see a paycheck, according to a Prudential study.

Running out of money is the top financial concern of clients planning for retirement, cited by 30 percent of CPA financial planners. This reflects an improvement from the American Institute of CPAs’ 2016 survey, which found 41 percent of clients listing it as a top concern.

Amid the hype over “Medicare for all,” Democrats’ likely health-care path in the new Congress is more akin to “Medicare for more”— allowing people 50 and older to buy into the government’s health insurance program for seniors. Key Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday that would do just that, saying it can be implemented quickly.

As couples celebrate another Valentine’s Day, their financial picture probably looks a little different than last year. For starters, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump signed into law a bit more than a year ago raised the standard deduction for 2018 federal income-tax returns to $24,000 for married couples.

Piles of federal debt have been growing ever higher for years, fueled by accumulating annual deficits, which themselves have been driven by tax cuts, government spending increases and the mounting costs of Medicare and Social Security and interest on the debt itself. So what does it all mean for the economy?

Millennials are a lot more focused on hard statistics, scientific methods, historical trends and technology-focused ways to analyze and invest efficiently. Compared to older generations, they are much more likely to make an investment decision based on the methodology and statistics. Knowing how generations think can help advisors connect with new clients.

With its LTC rider, SmartCare arrives at the intersection of two key retirement trends: rising costs of long-term care and increasing life expectancies. It is estimated that 50 percent of Americans turning 65 today will require some form of long-term care, with average lifetime long-term care expenses of $266,000, Brighthouse noted.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ subgroup had disagreement today during its first conference call today on IUL illustrations. The issue is whether IUL multipliers are fooling consumers into under-funding policies, or an appropriate risk-reward option.

DPL Financial Partners and Jackson National Life Insurance Company have an new agreement to bring the carrier’s advisory annuity products to fee-only advisors. The deal represents Jackson’s first distribution partnership targeting the independent RIA channel.

Gallup reports that 69 percent of Americans expect their financial situation to improve over the next year. That number is only two percentage points below the all-time high of 71 percent, recorded in March 1998 at a time when the nation’s economic boom was producing strong economic growth and low inflation.

The Federal Reserve might have slightly got ahead of itself when it raised rates for the fourth time in a year last December. It precipitated the worst month on record since the Great Depression. This served as a wake-up call for business leaders, politicians and central bankers alike.

A National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ subgroup will resume discussions Tuesday on controversial indexed universal life illustrations. The group is expected to discuss how to illustrate products with different attributes, and whether to consider capping the credited rate.

A Wisconsin-based insurance company and a credit union have agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations that they improperly raised insurance premiums associated with 4,461 loans. The proposed settlement, which is scheduled to be considered by a judge later this month, would resolve an eight-year-old class action lawsuit.

Valentine’s Day remains a very popular time for marriage proposals, but have your clients created a financial plan for their possible new life together? According to recent studies, financial problems are frequently cited as a major reason for divorce. Advisors might offer these tips to couples planning a wedding.

The White House is refusing to rule out the possibility that the federal government may shut down again. Negotiators are clashing over whether to limit the number of migrants authorities can detain, creating a new hurdle for a border security compromise that Congress can accept.

Borrowing a word from Democrats, a new White House report says changes made to the Affordable Care Act under President Donald Trump didn’t amount to “sabotage.” Due out Friday, the report from the Council of Economic Advisers says Obama-era subsidies that help low- and middle-income customers pay their premiums will keep HealthCare.gov afloat.

Facing competitive pressure from start-ups and tech giants, traditional insurers are being forced to embrace innovation and change at a rapid pace.

The Alliance for Lifetime Income, formed last year to promote retirement income options, has signed on as the sole sponsor of The Rolling Stones’ 2019 “No Filter” U.S. stadium tour. The tour kicks off April 20 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and continues into late June.

Democrats on the energy and commerce committee on Wednesday announced plans to consider legislation striking down the Trump administration’s changes to the Affordable Care Act. Health subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo announced a hearing to be held next week to reverse what her office described as “sabotage” of the ACA– popularly known as Obamacare.

A Florida woman convicted of helping mastermind the killing of her husband nearly two decades ago has been sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors say Denise Williams plotted the killing of her husband in a scheme to get a $1.75 million life insurance payout.

Since March 2018, there have been more job openings in the U.S. economy than there are people searching for work. The limit on job growth is the availability of potential employees, not job opportunities. The U.S. economy has reached capacity.

After working through some challenges related to regulation, capital flow and underwriting, the life settlements industry is coming off another year of growth in 2018 and seems poised to remain on that steady growth trajectory.

Analytics are crucial to the future of life insurance and every carrier is in an arms race to get a 360-degree view of the people they serve or want to serve. The more data that is collected about a customer base, the better job insurers and agents can do in reaching those customers.

By age 50, baby boomers have held an average of 12 different jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In many cases, they may have several company retirement plans from old employers, as well as an IRA or two, along with at least one Roth IRA. Rounding up all your client’s IRAs and 401(k)s into just one or two accounts can really simplify their financial life.

Ohio National tells a federal judge that “and” is the key word in its selling agreements. If the judge agrees, then the insurer’s controversial decision to end trail commissions on certain variable annuity contracts might stand.

A letter signed by 14 IMO executives was sent last month to the leading trade associations that represent annuity sellers. They say trade groups are too accepting of best-interest ideas put forth by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

A trial date has been set for a woman accused of fatally stabbing her husband, who she said fell on a letter opener, before quickly attempting to receive money from his life insurance policy in 2017. Jennifer Lynn Via, 49, was charged with murder 10 days after she called 911 on Nov. 4, 2017, to report her husband, Thomas Via, had been stabbed in the back.

President Donald Trump will enjoy the backdrop of a mostly solid economy as he delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, though questions about its sustainability linger. Trump will likely tout the latest signs of strength: Friday’s jobs report showed that employers added the most jobs in January in nearly a year.

The debate signals the primary role health care will play in the 2020 presidential race. Almost nine years after President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, Democrats are once again pressing for an overhaul of the U.S. health care system, a high-stakes endeavor that will have sweeping consequences for millions of Americans who rely on private health insurance.

The Federal Reserve decided not to raise interest rates despite declining consumer confidence and a sharply volatile stock market. After nearly a year or so of watching stocks rise and fall on Wall Street with dizzying repetition, the central bank voted, without dissent, to hold its rate between 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent.