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- Interest rates may undercut annuities, expert says
It will be devastating for the annuities industry if interest rates continue to hover around record lows, said Robert Kerzner, CEO of LIMRA. With 10-year Treasury yields at 1.72% and the Federal Reserve intent on keeping rates low until mid-2015 or later, annuity sellers may be forced to raise prices or limit offerings, experts said. "For now, there is no relief in sight, and if this is the way it's going to stay, it's a game changer," Kerzner said. Bloomberg Businessweek
(10/29)     
| Industry News | | |
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- Life insurance industry must change its approach, experts say
Life insurance has lost out to other financial priorities for most Americans, a survey found, and the industry must increase consumers' awareness of the product, banish misconceptions about affordability and fundamentally change its sales approach, experts say. "A big part of the problem is that consumers don't know where to go to get life insurance, and no one is calling on them," said Daniel Mulheran of ING U.S. Insurance. National Underwriter Life & Health
(10/29)
- How to identify the clients most likely to purchase LTCI
 With less than 2% of Americans covered by long-term-care insurance, it's important for financial advisers to identify their clients who are most likely to purchase coverage, writes Marvin Feldman of the LIFE Foundation. People who are married and people who own life insurance are among those more likely to carry long-term-care insurance, Feldman writes. National Underwriter Life & Health
(10/29)
- A third of women aren't preparing for retirement, survey finds
More than 1 in 3 women say they have taken no steps to prepare financially for retirement, and 33% said they are knowledgeable about financial products, according to LIMRA. "Engaging and educating women should be a top priority of our industry," LIMRA's Alison Salka said, adding, "Because of their lack of knowledge and understanding of our products and services, [women] are not taking the steps to reduce the risk that they run out of money in retirement." IFAWebNews.com
(10/29)
| Investment Trends | | |
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- Expert: Auto-enrollment in 401(k) plans can overcome worker apathy
Although they have grown more complicated for employers, 401(k) auto-enrollment and auto-escalation plans are gaining popularity, says James McKinney of Retirement Strategies. Auto-enrollment was offered in about half of 401(k) plans in 2011, McKinney says. Such plans can bolster participation by overcoming worker apathy, he says. BenefitsPro.com
(10/29)
- Study: Retirees are grabbing 401(k) funds faster
Retirees aren't waiting as long as in the past to pull their money from 401(k)s, a study from JPMorgan Chase found. The research showed that only 17% of 401(k) investors still had money in the plans three years after retirement, down 2 percentage points from 2008. In 2004, 20% of people who were five years past retirement still had funds in their 401(k) plans. InvestmentNews (free registration)
(10/28)
| Policy Watch | | |
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- "Fiscal cliff" could be much worse than predicted, economists say
Economists at the International Monetary Fund and academic institutions say damage by the "fiscal cliff" to the U.S. economy could be far worse than the Congressional Budget Office predicted. IMF research indicates that when interest rates are low, every $1 of deficit reduction drains as much as $1.70 from the global economy. Reuters
(10/28)
- Panel prefers a state-run health insurance exchange for Idaho
Idaho's health insurance exchange panel voted for a state-run health insurance exchange, with only two members of the 13-member panel dissenting. Gov. Butch Otter holds the final say and must notify the federal government before Nov. 16 to avoid getting a federally run exchange. Although some consultants are saying Idaho has run out of time, Brett Graham of Leavitt Partners says that a state-based exchange is still possible "if you aggressively go after it." The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) (free content)
(10/27)
| Building Your Business | | |
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- Opinion: Owners should admit where they need help
Owners of advisory firms should be up front about what they're not good at, because it paves the way for their staff to offer creative solutions, Angie Herbers writes. Such leaders, she writes, "almost always become more tolerant of the shortcomings of their employees, and better able to find realistic solutions." AdvisorOne
(10/24)
| NAIFA News | | |
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How men and women think of retirement
Although they face the prospect of living more years in retirement than men, women nearing retirement underestimate how much they will need to pay for their future health care costs even more so than men nearing retirement, according to a Nationwide Financial survey. Get the rest on the Advisor Today blog.
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