Articles
Reference articles and commentary on annuities, lifetime income, and retirement finance. Updated over time.
eRollover CEO Tim Harrington on Filling a Void in the Retirement Planning Market
Tim Harrington is the Chairman and CEO of start-up eRollover.
Financial Advisor Views on Annuities Appear Tightly Related to Business Models
A recent study from Cerulli Associates indicates that registered investment advisors (RIA) are more than hesitant to recommend annuities to their clients.
Equity-Indexed Annuities Can be a Shell Game for Consumers
The first time I visited New York I was taken in a sidewalk shell-game within 45 minutes of being in the city—no kidding. Shell games involve trying to guess where a card or any other item might reside after being shuffled among various covers by a dealer.
DTCC Uses Technology to Drive Cost Savings and Efficiency in the Retirement Income Industry
Adam J.
Does Buy and Hold Now Require a Floor?
The reality for most investors is that market volatility makes buy and hold investing very difficult.
Doctor Walter M. Bortz on the Challenge of Financing Human Longevity
Walter M.
Doctor Brandon Colby on Predictive Medicine, the Power of Prevention and Planning for a Long Retirement
Brandon Colby, MD, is a world leader in the field of predictive medicine , a medical specialty that combines comprehensive genetic testing with personalized prevention based upon your genes.
Demography and Deflation
Demographics and deflation are highly relevant to what is currently playing-out in the United States. A debt fueled asset bubble is followed by a severe crash in asset values and this crash happens to coincide with the onset of 70 million retirees.
Demand for Annuities is Strong Despite Low Consumer Awareness
It is challenging to think of another sector of the U.S. economy that has the same puzzling mix of characteristics as the annuity industry.
The Debate on Equity Indexed Annuity Returns Continues
Two recent articles continue the often contentious debate on equity indexed annuity returns.
David Stipp on Anti-Aging Science and the Need to Hedge Longevity Risk in Retirement
David Stipp has written about science, medicine, the environment and biotech since 1982 for The Wall Street Journal , Fortune , Salon , Science and other publications.
The Dangers of Buying an Annuity When Interest Rates are Low
Interest rates are the raw material used in manufacturing annuities. Rates are currently very low--the 10 year treasury note is hovering around 3.4 percent and 30 year mortgage rates are now less than 5 percent. The financial crisis has led to an upsurge in the sale of fixed annuities. Fed-up…