Annuities

Sales of fixed annuities rose in recent months despite a negative spread with CDs.

Rising costs and adjusted benefits don’t put annuity buyers off.

Kehrer-LIMRA’s latest annuity forum finds bankers are optimistic about indexed annuities, too.

Sales turned positive after their worst year in decades, according to LIMRA.

Fixed and variable annuities and mutual funds all rise at the end of the first quarter, but will the run last?

Despite a significant decline in sales in the past years, advisors and industry executives remain upbeat about annuities because the products are expected to protect principal and provide retirement income.

Fixed annuities’ terrible sales figures drag down the total; VA sales remain largely flat.

Wholesaler support and better client-focused materials are vital to annuities’ sales growth.

Sales struggle as dwindling variable annuity riders make 1035 exchanges less likely, compelling insurers to reinvent the wheel, according to a study.

The low interest rate environment is helping keep fixed annuity rates unattractively low, creating interest in income-paying alternatives.

Clear guidance and safe-harbor relief would ease industry concerns, Goldbrum says.

Overall sales of annuities through bank holding companies rose 0.5% to $2.62 billion last year, but the results were somewhat skewed.

More women are buying income annuities to ensure they have sufficient retirement income.

The gap between advisors and clients when it comes to what each thinks are the risks in retirement is vast.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. plans to revamp its annuity lineup and target business owners as part of an initiative to develop its wealth management business.

Fixed and variable annuities sales are very sluggish, while mutual fund sales have taken off.

ING Financial Solutions is launching today a new, simplified variable annuity, called ING Select Opportunities, with much lower fees than its flashier, pre-crash offerings.

The SEC doesn’t yet require insurers to register indexed annuities, but wirehouse reps prefer it, ING CEO Ford said.

While competitors struggled in 2009, Jackson National Life Insurance Co. reported its best year for annuity sales through banks.

Premiums are down 12%, but with the cost of risk rising, life sellers should take the opportunity to prepare for a brighter future.