Insurance & Annuities

It’s big news that Envestnet is moving into the RIA custodial space and will soon be competing head-to-head with its biggest integration partners: an expanded Schwab platform, Fidelity and Pershing. I suspect that this is just the first of many so-called software “platforms” that will jump into the custody competition.

Market watchers on Wall Street attribute this week’s stock selloff to the insidious threat of recession.

The greatest financial risk for depleting retirement resources is an unexpected and lengthy stay in a long-term healthcare facility.

For the past few years, regardless of price, there's been a buyer for every RIA seller. But that won’t continue.

Southwest Airlines cancelled 16,000 holiday flights. It will cost the airline dearly in reputational rage and lawsuits. Will massive Reg BI compliance failures cost BDs?

Let me share a story of an RIA who will be forced to mount a legal defense because of a lawsuit that is likely to be filed by two of his retired clients.

Morningstar’s latest research showed higher safe spending rates across all asset allocations over all time horizons. I don’t agree with those results.

Markets provided investors with a dozen lessons in 2022 (and a bonus one in the postscript).

The omnibus spending bill puts our retirement system on an even less sustainable basis.

One of the most lucrative money-making machines in the world of finance is all clogged up, threatening a year of pain for Wall Street banks and private-equity barons as a decade-long deal boom goes bust.

Big global banks are eying some of the world’s most fragile countries for a new experiment in financial engineering: debt relief in exchange for environmental protections.

US inflation continued to slow in December, adding to evidence price pressures have peaked and putting the Federal Reserve on track to again slow the pace of interest-rate hikes.

The six biggest Wall Street banks are expected to slash their corporate bond issuance in 2023 for a second year in a row, offering a bright spot for investors nursing record losses from the debt last year.

The market volatility and interest-rate hikes that gave US banks their biggest windfall last year may prove to be their biggest headache in 2023.

My firm’s leader had a major unexpected undiagnosed medical issue. He walked out of the office one day and I haven’t seen him for four weeks.

Can you believe these grifters hawking indexed universal life (IUL) insurance on TikTok? Here’s the actions I’m taking to put an end to this predatory nonsense.

For the past few years, regardless of price, there's been a buyer for every RIA seller. But that won’t continue.

Probability-based retirement income strategies are highly sensitive to the capital market assumptions used in Monte Carlo analysis. Seemingly small changes in those assumptions can mean the difference between projecting a comfortable lifestyle and financial ruin.

Tight monetary policy and rising government debt will drive a regime of high interest rates, depressing stock prices and destroying the wealth of clients, most severely those at or near retirement.

Build your ladder with multiple target-maturity ETFs representing different segments of the bond market, with different target years.

Federal Reserve officials Friday stressed further interest-rate hikes are needed to tame inflation even though there are emerging signs that price pressures are cooling.

Here are my five golden rules of marketing for advisors from Warren Buffett.

In the first few days of 2023, at least 500 US workers will likely have already paid their Social Security taxes for the year.

In some ways, the 2023 economic outlook for the US is locked in. The Federal Reserve’s goal is to push the rate of inflation back down to 2% over the next few years.

Relative to the accumulation phase, strategies that mitigate the unique risks faced by retirees in decumulation are less understood and researched. By identifying and illustrating those risks, planners can better prepare clients for retirement.

Billionaire philanthropist Chuck Feeney is credited with saying, “I want the last check I write to bounce.” While that is ideal, it’s unrealistic. Or is it?

Contrary to what financial theory predicts, new research from Europe shows that the elderly accumulate assets later in life than expected, likely because they want to leave bequests, are receiving pensions, or are reluctant to part with assets such as their homes.

Wealthy retirees seem to have scored big in Congress’ sweeping year-end spending package.

As is our custom, we conclude the year by reflecting on the 10 most-read investment and planning articles over the past 12 months. Tomorrow, we will highlight the 10 most-read practice management articles.

Private credit can be an attractive asset that has provided high yield and protection against the risks of rising inflation. In addition, the asset class has a strong credit history – specifically senior, secured, sponsored debt.

The Federal Reserve’s policy makers are going to become incrementally more dovish in 2023, as a new roster of senior officials brings a greater focus on maximum employment to its policy-setting committee.

The remains of Sam Bankman-Fried’s former empire FTX Group are drawing interest from some of the largest names in distressed investing, in a daredevil bet that heavily discounted creditor claims on the bankrupt cryptocurrency conglomerate will ultimately pay off.

Here are nine tips that will help your family members stay healthy and financially secure as they age.

Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of trading in your traditional bank for a virtual banking experience.

I will use an example and an actuarial model to compare the efficiency of three strategies for strengthening a retired or near-retired client’s balance sheet under both a lower and a higher assumed future inflation scenario.

Rising interest rates was the dominant story in 2022. Did fixed income losses cripple insurance companies? Or has the insurance industry shifted the risk to your clients who purchased their products?

If you think high-yield savings accounts offer juicy rates to park some cash, wait until you see what money-market funds are paying.

Global Investment Report's 3Q Update of the 2022 hedge fund survey.

There are two types of tax-advantaged accounts for saving for college expenses: A Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account and a 529 Plan. While both plans have their differences and advantages, consider both as viable options.

One thing to consider when opening a 529 plan is whether it should be a custodial or individual account. While both allow you to save for college costs and enjoy some tax breaks, they differ in terms of who has control of the account and the assets in it.

As the US economy veered toward the biggest inflation shock in four decades, investors flocked to the one corner of Wall Street that seemed a sure-fire refuge: Treasuries that provide extra compensation to keep up with rising consumer prices.

The path of US inflation in 2023 may have more surprises in store after a year in which consumers suffered the biggest cost-of-living hit in 40 years, spurring steep interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and spooking investors.

“Verb sales” in retirement income, or in liability minimization, needs regulatory support immediately. By “verbs,” I mean selling services – such as financial planning – rather than “nouns” – such as investment products like annuities.

More balanced risk strategies in PLIBs are likely to be optimal (e.g., 40-50% equities), although the ability to personalize the risk level is important based on the household situation and preferences.

A near-total ban on imports of Russian crude into the European Union is finally hitting Russia’s oil revenue. Concerns that it would provide the Kremlin with a windfall to fund its war in Ukraine have been confounded — for now.

The Federal Reserve is set to disappoint Wall Street as it keeps rates at their peak throughout 2023, dashing hopes markets have priced in for rate cuts in the second half and making a recession very likely.

From homeowners renting out spare rooms to publicly traded real estate investment trusts, landlords in colder areas of the US are bracing for their heating costs to soar this winter.

Some of the world's biggest investors predict that stocks will see low double-digit gains next year, which would bring relief after global equities suffered their worst loss since 2008.

All the talk lately about the size of the national debt is obscuring the real problem: The US government made the wrong bet on interest rates, and that will cost taxpayers for years to come.

Oil fell the most in more than two weeks as broader equity markets collapsed and risk-averse investors pared crude positions ahead of the end of the year.

I explore some of the factors driving the superiority of PLIBs, in particular lapsation, mortality experience differences, accessing the equity risk premium, and the marginal role of annuities as part of a retirement strategy.

Let’s look at the powerful feature set an advisory firm could put together from a collection of the higher-rated, low-market-share programs and solutions that I’ve collected from past surveys, many of which you may not even be aware of.

Pain is deepening across the US real estate industry. Two of the biggest players — Blackstone Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. — took steps this week to contend with weaker demand as the industry faces a rapidly cooling property market, rising interest rates and waning investor appetite.

After months of planning and negotiations, the biggest tranche of sanctions on Russian oil to date are about to take effect -- how big their impact will remain uncertain.

Like stuck card players trying to win it all back in one hand, equity bulls are dialing up risk appetites at the tail-end of a brutal year.

Considering what General Motors is saying about its electric vehicles, the company seems to view the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in August as a sort of put that protects the big investments it’s making in battery and EV production.