Annuities

A study by the Congressional Budget Office counteracts longstanding conventional wisdom that retirees should hold at least some of their portfolio in annuities

Those popular annuities and their guarantees became too expensive for the so-called manufacturers to offer. Some got out of the game and those that remain have cut back on features. What can an advisor do?

The FPA's president says advisors of all ages should be thinking about the next chapter of their careers.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. agreed to sell its U.K. variable-annuity business to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for about $285 million in cash.

For a majority of financial advisors, life insurance planning isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Lets just admit it. The words "indexed annuity" make advisors cringe. But is it time to give these products another look?

Sessions at the 25th annual Morningstar Investment Conference covered a range of topics from actively managed ETFs, closed-end funds and alternatives to strategies to boost retirement income and solutions to the “yield conundrum.” Here is a baker's dozen of the smartest things we heard at the conference.

A week after investors pulled out of low-grade bond funds at record levels, ING’s chief investment officer Christine Hurtsellers said that the selloff is “overdone.”

The annual FP50 finds growth moderating, as well as firms strategizing to retain and build market share

Annuity providers generated $51.7 billion in sales in the first quarter, down 6% from a year earlier.

Immediate annuities, also known as income annuities and payout annuities, can replace disappearing corporate pensions, but sales have been tepid. Insurers have responded with some significant bells and whistles.

Principal Life Insurance Co. plans to roll out a variable annuity called Principal Lifetime Income SolutionsSM on Aug. 1.

For years, Lincoln Financial has effectively been raising prices on its variable annuities, yet consumers keep buying. The company’s VA business exceeds desired levels now, so further price increases have been announced: cutbacks in benefits offered to consumers. The expected result is a boost in second-quarter business but a slowdown in the second half of 2013.

From the ball field to Sunday service, BNA's Mike Alef is an Everyman figure in the world of financial planning.

New product focuses on those approaching or already in retirement and is designed for maximized guaranteed lifetime income.

The programs generated a generous $521.6 million in income for the banks in 2012, the most they have ever produced in the five years that such data has been collected.

Asset managers have taken notice of the the proliferation of alternative mutual funds in the retail and institutional channels and have changed their game plan accordingly.

Are planners better off working in states with fewer competitors? Not everyone agrees on the answer.

Since taking over as CEO of 115-year-old Bartlett & Co., Kelley Downing has overseen an ownership buyback and steady growth.

A smart human capital strategy is key to a successful wealth management company.