The economy will keep growing, albeit at a slower pace; corporate earnings will increase as well, if not as briskly as before. Making money in stocks won’t be a walk in the park. You’ll need some protective armor to shine in a market facing a thicket of risks.

Under this new guidance, states are empowered to innovate new health care programs aimed at strengthening their health insurance markets, expanding choices of coverage, and targeting public resources to those most in need.

Market conditions continue to be favorable for IUL products, which are up 12 percent so far in 2018. IUL premium has increased for the past eight consecutive quarters, LIMRA reports. Overall, life insurance new premium was up 3 percent in the third quarter.

The RAND study of over 400,000 people concluded that those who wore an Apple Watch and participated in the Vitality Active Rewards benefit program averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity. The John Hancock Vitality program offers life insurance customers the chance to earn rewards by hitting exercise, nutrition and other targets.

Traders found new reasons for optimism on Thursday after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell commented that the Fed’s policy rate is now “just below” estimates of a neutral economy. U.S. stock markets soared higher on Wednesday after Powell’s comments.

Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell said Wednesday he regards current interest rates at nearly a neutral level. He addressed the Economic Club of New York in his first major presentation since he indicated last month the Fed is planning on more interest rate increases.

Prosecutors say Leslie Chance, 51, killed Todd Chance, 45, to collect on life insurance policies. Investigators believe Leslie Chance learned about criminal investigative techniques and tried to cover her tracks through information she gained after attending a “CSI” exhibit in Las Vegas, according to court documents.

A federal judge is expected to rule any day now on 20 Republican-led states’ request for a preliminary injunction to stop Obamacare in its tracks. Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters that the administration wants to make sure Americans have access to coverage.

In addition to explosive growth in the range of available voluntary benefits in recent years, their popularity among employees is reaching new heights as well. The evolution of benefits is expected to continue in 2019 and several trends are expected to pick up momentum.

Having a medical marijuana card could make buying car, life and health insurance more expensive, although research shows it could actually lower societal health care costs. When Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2014, the state saw a spike in drug screening failures by truckers, with as many as 60 percent flunking tests.

U.S. House Republicans on Monday unveiled a tax bill they plan to seek passage during the lame-duck session of Congress this week. The Democrats will take over the House when the 116th Congress convenes in January. “The policy proposals in this package have support of Republicans and Democrats in both chambers.

Third-quarter fixed indexed annuity sales were $18 billion, 38 percent higher than 3Q 2017 and 2 percent higher than second-quarter sales results.

CVS Health Corp. has agreed to spend $40 million for health insurance education and other conditions to win approval from New York regulators, clearing the way for its acquisition of Aetna Inc., state officials announced Monday. Aetna shares rose 2.3 percent, to $210.14.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors’ New York chapter filed a lawsuit to stop the state’s controversial best-interest rule. The rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and was crafted outside of the New York Legislature, the lawsuit claims, which has the proper authority.

If your clients are more focused on getting back in the form of a tax break come April, they may want to think twice about how many year-end checks they write to charity. The tax rules for 2018 will be vastly different than they were last tax season, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

There’s an old saying that Wall Street economists have predicted eight of the last two recessions. Most of Wall Street’s top economic gurus thought Trump would crash the stock market and the world economy, and here we are with near 4 percent growth over the past six months.

Given that the current economic expansion in the United States is pushing 10 years and showing its age, a lot of folks are predicting a downturn sometime soon. So it was surprising to see how upbeat the annual economic forecasts were recently when University of Michigan economists delivered their outlook for Michigan and the nation.

Ohio National has no plans to reverse its controversial decision to end trail commissions for select variable annuity contracts, a company spokesman said today. The company announced the surprise departure Tuesday of president and chief operations officer Christopher Carlson after just three months.

Ohio National named a new president/COO Tuesday and announced the surprise departure of Christopher Carlson just three months after he ascended to the top post. The company has had a turbulent fall after announcing in September that it would end trail commissions on certain variable annuities.

Oil prices tumbled another 6.6 percent as Wall Street reacted to rising oil supplies and concerns that global economic growth will slow down, a worry that’ s intensified because of the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. U.S. crude has plunged 30 percent since early October.

CVS Health Corp. expects to close on its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna Inc. after Thanksgiving, the pharmacy giant said Monday in a regulatory filing. CVS won conditional approval in October from the U.S. Department of of Justice. The two companies agreed to shed Medicare prescription businesses as a condition of federal backing.

How much is too much to spend on the kids at Christmas? A T. Rowe Price survey found that 60 percent of parents with kids between the ages of 8-14 spent too much, while 7 percent admitted dipping into their retirement fund to pay for the holiday.

While the U.S. economy is in the late stages of what will probably go down as the longest-ever economic expansion, there remain ample opportunities in the market, according to RBC Wealth Management’s Global Insight 2019 Outlook. Reducing credit risk in fixed income portfolios is a good place to start.

There are at least four voices taking part in a person-to-person sales process, and most advisors never notice or address them. Not accounting for those two extra voices, however, is like ignoring a third and fourth person in the room. The results can have a strong impact on the success or failure of the pitch.

The tax cut was supposed to accomplish big things. Republicans thought it would give them a big electoral boost, and they predicted dramatic economic gains. But there’s no sign of the vast investment boom the law’s backers promised.

To improve affordability for those who buy their own coverage, America’s Health Insurance Plans is offering 12 new policies that federal or state leaders can implement to drive down premiums, increase participation in the marketplace, and offer savings to consumers.

Last December’s tax-reform bill upends conventional tax-planning strategies and dramatically changes the landscape for this year’s tax filings. Advisors will want to be aware of tax implications for clients who might be in need of guidance.

Seventy-five percent of Millennials worry that Social Security will be unavailable when they are ready to retire, and 70 percent worry about not having enough money to live off of when they eventually retire.

More than two years after the deal was announced, the proposed acquisition of insurance giant Genworth Financial by a China- based financial conglomerate finally may be nearing completion. As the proposed merger nears a key public hearing, however, a report by one investor has raised questions about the viability of the deal.

The Big I and the Professional Insurance Agents of New York filed a lawsuit today asking a New York court to throw out the best-interest regulation approved by state officials this summer. The new standard is “extremely troubling,” plaintiffs said in a press release.

Nov. 16– Democrats took control of the House last week, creating a divided U.S. Congress. Question: Will divided control of Congress affect the economy? The midterm elections were not a slam dunk or “wave” for either party as Democrats barely managed to flip the House and Republicans slightly added to their already slight majority in the Senate.

With control of Congress divided between Democrats and Republicans, the efforts to reform health care will shift to the states over the next two years, a panel of consultants said.

The vast majority of California homeowners have insurance that covers fire damage. But some policies may require homeowners to report any such damage within 90 days to qualify for coverage. Others may cap coverage at a certain level, frequently $5,000.

Americans on average expect to retire two years sooner than they did five years ago and many more say they intend to retire before age 60, potentially reflecting a spike in 401 balances, according to research from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.

A state insurance commissioners’ task force will consider a Pennsylvania court case involving insolvent LTCi claims. A request to limit those claims could have implications for life insurance and annuities if successful, an industry trade association says.

Recent increases in annuity rates, coupled with incentives being offered by product manufacturers have translated to sales momentum, according to Wink’s Sales and Market Report.

Indexes have increased in choice but with more choice comes greater complexity. Comparisons between indexes too often are made without a firm understanding of the structure behind the index. This causes both financial professionals and their clients frustration with something that should be viewed as a positive.

With the prospect of longer life spans, 38 percent of U.S. workers age 21 and older say it would be a financial “hardship” to live past the age of 85, according to the 2018 Wells Fargo Retirement study, which examines the attitudes and savings of working adults and retirees.

New York finalized its best-interest standard in July for both annuity and life insurance sales. A new report finds that insurers are facing higher compliance costs that come with retraining sales staff and other associates involved in annuity and life insurance transactions.

In unpredictable economic times, many donors may be wary of making large donations of cash, even to charities they would otherwise like to support. Nonprofits are therefore increasingly encouraging donors to make gifts of non-liquid assets, including real estate.

Energy stocks led a late-afternoon sell-off on Wall Street after the price of U.S. crude oil plunged 7.1 percent to $55.69 a barrel, the lowest level since December 2017. “You have fears associated with the drop in the price of oil probably moving into the equity market,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird.

If companies keep buying back debt to offset expected interest-rate hikes, the trend is likely to slow U.S. economic growth, capping years of higher profits and the impact of this year’s Trump tax cuts. The Fed’s benchmark rate has risen from less than 0.5 percent in 2015, to over 2 percent today, with another hike expected next month.

Millennials with life insurance have a self-reported life insurance gap of $352,000 in 2018, with enough life insurance protection in place to cover only 22 percent of their self-reported coverage needs. The Millennial generation’ s gap is sharply higher — 60 percent greater — than the gap for the general population, which is 49 percent.

President Trump signed an executive order making it easier for small employers to band together to provide insurance to employees via association health plans. Democrats derided the plans as “junk” coverage, but early returns show those plans working in some places.

John Hancock is teaming up with several NFL rookies, including Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley and Sony Michel, on a new retirement planning campaign. In it, the players will share their own experiences making a good salary in a career that lasts only a few years.

The Oregon Retirement Savings Board and State Treasurer Tobias Read today announced that the OregonSaves retirement program now allows individual Oregonians, such as self-employed or gig economy workers, to join and start saving for a better retirement.

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.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., appears a lock to become the next chairman of the powerful Financial Services Committee. Waters is pledging to be a diligent watchdog for mom and pop investors, and recently told a crowd that when it comes to the big banks, investment houses and insurance companies, “we are going to do to them, what they did to us.”

Veritas Independent Partners, an independent broker-dealer based in Conway, Ark., filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Ohio court asking the court to require Ohio National to continue paying trail commissions per their contracts.

Use a combination of high tech and high touch to drive strong benefits participation from millennial employees, who already comprise the largest share of the U.S. labor force at 56 million strong. And in many organizations, millennials are not just the worker bees, they’re already the decision-makers.

Some 44 percent of Americans say they don’t make enough income, but that high costs of living and tuition are weighing them down financially. The average American owes $52,048 in overall debt, and a third of them believe they will never escape it.

Hope springs eternal that a divided government could result in some real progress in Washington. The president and Democrats, who will now control the House of Representatives, have consistently proclaimed that the nation needs to repair its roads, bridges, and airports.

The Federal Reserve voted Thursday to keep rates where they are, for now. In September, the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points, the largest rate hike since 2008. The Fed said then interest rates could move closer to “neutral,” which could support full employment and inflation running at its 2 percent goal.

Companies across industries are in the midst of reporting another quarter of gargantuan profit growth, driven by lower tax bills and a growing economy. Yet stock prices are not getting the boost they traditionally do when companies report better-than-expected earnings.

US stocks are slightly lower Thursday as technology companies and homebuilders slide following the market’s big rally the day before. Chipmaker Qualcomm is falling after a weak sales forecast. US stocks soared on Wednesday after the US midterm elections turned out the way investors expected they would.

President Obama’s health insurance overhaul has emerged as a winner in midterms eight years after opposition to it helped the GOP take over the House. A Democratic majority in the House could block efforts to dismantle the program. Meanwhile, voters in three predominantly Republican states agreed to expand Medicaid, which also was a major issue in races for governor.

The Federal Reserve appears on track to raise interest rates once more this year but will likely hold off on any action when its latest policy meeting ends Thursday. Still, investors will be parsing the statement the Fed will issue after its meeting for any sign that it might be rethinking its probable pace of credit tightening.

Expect “repeal and replace” to be a thing of the past now that Democrats will control the House. The advantage for agents and brokers is that they can tell their clients with certainty that no major changes to the law are expected any time soon, one analyst says.

The first lawsuit against Ohio National was filed this week by a Texas broker. Ohio National stunned the annuity sales industry with its September announcement that it will stop paying trail commissions on certain variable annuity contracts.