Annuities

Sales rose 18% in the fourth quarter to $37.6 billion.

Advisor sales productivity reached $228,684 in 2010, up from $216,738 in 2009, according to Kehrer-LIMRA’s founder Ken Kehrer and chief operating officer Scott Stathis, at the 2011 Bank Insurance and Secruities conference in Hollywood, Fla. Hiring also is up.

LIMRA released a list of its top 20 writers of overall total annuities, variable annuities and fixed annuities for 2010.

While the middle class is usually cited as the prime beneficiary whenever Congress ratchets up tax reform rhetoric, talk of possibly eliminating the deferral of taxes on income generated from annuities has financial advisors and their middle-class clients on edge.

Annuities sold through banks hit a rough patch last year, but 2011 looks brighter, as interest rates begin to rise and the Dow Jones Industrial Average continues to improve.

Worried about high fees and complicated features? Here's a better approach to talking with clients about variable annuities.

Vanilla as they may be, annuities still represent the lifeblood of many investors' portfolios because they deliver a steady, predictable income throughout retirement.

Financial advisors at U.S. banks raked in an average of $27,809 in commission and fees in December, up modestly from an average of $27,418 in November thanks mainly to widening spreads between fixed annuities and certificate of deposit rates.

The platform, which offers products from Axa, Allianz, Lincoln Financial, Prudential and Sun Life, enables discretionary management of variable annuity assets.

Annuities sold through banks hit a rough patch last year, but 2011 looks brighter as interest rates begin to rise and the Dow Jones Industrial Average continues to improve.

In December, fixed annuity production was relatively stable but variable sales continued on their upward trajectory, recording increases each month in the fourth quarter, according to the Kehrer-Jackson Monthly Bank Annuity Sales Survey.

According to a new study, for many women, retirement means living single and that requires more preparation, and more advisor aid.

Low interest rates and a market skepticism keep annuities down in 2010, but 2011 looks brighter.

Company says it will exit market to allocate resources elsewhere.

IRI study finds room for growth as consumers remain unfamiliar with benefits of annuities.

Fixed annuities sales were steady at $1.1 billion, whereas variable annuities gained $100 million from a month earlier ending November at $1.5 billion, according to data from Kehrer-LIMRA.

Strong sales over the past year prove that Americans are looking for guaranteed income.

Genworth discontinues retail and group variable annuities, while Western & Southern and Allianz put faith in new variable annuities.

Variable annuities outsell fixed, but overall sales figures are uninspiring.

The North Carolina-based company becomes the third bank to sell a guaranteed income option as part of its institutional plan offering.