May 15, 2012
By Alan Lavine
A new program shorts futures contracts to hedge ETF holdings inside annuity contracts. It’s not cheap, but some say it’s worth it. ...
Mar 20, 2012
By Alan Lavine
Called contingent annuities, these securities are less expensive than variable annuities and offer better tax treatment for wealthy investors. But availability is limited and some worry the risks will be difficult to cover. ...
Feb 21, 2012
By Alan Lavine
There is a lot of survey noise out there. Before you believe what you read, take a look at this list. ...
Jan 17, 2012
By Alan Lavine
Age expectancies are rising. Are your clients prepared?...
Jan 1, 2012
By Alan Lavine
Insurance firms face some major market risks, and financial advisors should look carefully at the financial strength of a firm before selling its products to clients....
Dec 19, 2011
By Alan Lavine
Financial advisors are increasingly concerned about the financial strength of the insurance companies whose products they sell. They cite low interest rates and exposure to the stock market via product principal guarantees as grounds for their concern, according to a fall study by LIMRA....
Nov 15, 2011
By Alan Lavine
What do you get when you splice together a life insurance policy and an immediate annuity?
A reversionary annuity. Yes, that’s a mouthful, but it carries some of the advantages of each and is ideal for certain kinds of clients.
...
Nov 1, 2011
By Alan Lavine
Clients seeking investment guarantees are increasingly turning to insurance products....
Oct 17, 2011
By Alan Lavine
You might be surprised what you find if you review your clients’ insurance needs.
Many universal and variable universal life insurance policies underperformed over the past 10 to 15 years due to falling interest rates and huge stock market losses in 2002 and 2008.
...
Aug 15, 2011
By Alan Lavine
Retiring baby boomers are pouring their money into variable annuities with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. The problem is, these products have a number of hidden drawbacks. Financial advisors need to keep clients informed....
Jul 18, 2011
By Alan Lavine
Might some of your single clients unknowingly need life insurance? “One typical reason young people (in their 20s and 30s) buy life insurance is to protect their insurability,” says Ronald Klein, assistant vice president at Sun Life, Wellesley, Mass. “It is also a good tax-free way to save for the long term.”...
Jun 21, 2011
By Alan Lavine
Combining a managed payout mutual fund with a deferred immediate annuity may be a simple way to help clients plan for retirement...
