Author Archives for alexhouse
June 1, 2012 11:39 pm
Published by alexhouse
Barron’s distributes an annual ranking of the top annuities after their detailed review of hundreds of products. They rank them by category according to their type. The categories are: Immediate Payouts, Deferred Payouts, Fixed Index Annuity with Income Guarantee, and Deferred Variable Annuity. Making their list is a huge honor and most often requires that the carrier be ‘A’ rated. Please refer to the article posted by Karen Hube titled Top 50 Annuities for seeing viewing the top products. Click here for a quick link...
View Article
May 31, 2012 11:49 pm
Published by alexhouse
Written By: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group PLLC Prior to 1980, there had not been a major financial collapse in the market since the Great Depression. Protective measures had been put in place to help shield investors from heightened periods of volatility. For example, commercial banks who received deposits for basic checking or savings accounts were prohibited from offering risky investments such as mutual funds. These were the days prior to adjustable rate mortgages and predatory lending. All of these measures were put into place...
View Article
May 30, 2012 10:51 pm
Published by alexhouse
Written By: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group The financial correction of 2008 is undoubtedly one of the most memorable events in US history. Several companies fell at that time including financial giants AIG and Lehman Bros. We all know the story of how the credit lines of these companies were extended by the Federal stimulus, which came to over $800 billion up front. Most people think companies like AIG fell because of financial insolvency. This was not the case at all. AIG fell because of...
View Article
May 30, 2012 7:52 am
Published by alexhouse
According to a new report from LIMRA, total individual life insurance premium grew by 3% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011. The report also shows that overall policy count rose by 5% during this same time. This growth was driven by whole life sales which, according to senior analyst Ashley Durham, “remains very attractive to consumers looking for security of premium and cash-value guarantees along with lifetime coverage”. Whole life premiums increased by 10% this quarter with a...
View Article
May 29, 2012 11:59 pm
Published by alexhouse
Written By: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group PLLC Prior to 2008 the Federal Government remained diligent upon separation of private business and fiscal policy. All of that changed in September of 2008. The initial federal stimulus of Wall Street was sparked by plummeting Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs). Yes, we have all heard the news. However, there is still an inherent misunderstanding of the trillions of dollars of stimulus that followed. After the initial bailout of Wall Street that exceeded $800 billion; the Federal Reserve, led...
View Article
May 29, 2012 11:39 pm
Published by alexhouse
Since interest rates remain at a low without an immediate end in sight, Americans are looking under every rock to find the best possible solution to their retirement needs. A recent article on Barron’s written by Karen Hube titled Top 50 Annuities provides some insightful details on annuities. Not only does she describe the various types of annuities, but she also provides a list of top variable annuity, fixed indexed annuity, and longevity insurance products that are currently available for a subset of customers. If...
View Article
May 25, 2012 5:01 pm
Published by alexhouse
Written By: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group PLLC In the latter part of March 2012, despite the growing concerns of a debt-ridden Euro, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was able to creep above the 13,000 mark for the first time in 2012. Even with this market rally, the struggling mortgage industry lowered the 30-year fixed mortgage below 4 percent again (and mortgage interest rates are still falling). With legitimate foreign concerns and a troubled housing sector, the stock market has been able to sustain higher...
View Article
May 24, 2012 10:45 pm
Published by alexhouse
A recent report by Moore Market Intelligence shows a 13% rise in fixed indexed annuity sales in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011. This report covered 99% of indexed annuity production which included forty-four carriers with combined sales of $8 billion in this most recent quarter. The report shows that Allianz Life had the highest market share at 17%. Aviva held the second highest market share while American Equity, Fidelity & Guaranty Life, and Great American rounded-out the top...
View Article
May 24, 2012 9:07 pm
Published by alexhouse
Written by: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group A recent article on www.Money.Cnn.com titled “Fear and Greed Index” illustrates an accurate description of what is happening on Wall Street. Because of the recent volatility stemming around Greece and the Euro, and unemployment domestically, the fear gage for investors is all the way in the red. This means that investors as a whole do not put much faith in the outcome of their investments. Bottom line, volatility is becoming a normal event investors are unwilling to tolerate...
View Article
May 23, 2012 11:58 pm
Published by alexhouse
According to a survey by consulting firm, Towers Watson, the proportion of Fortune 100 companies offering defined benefit plans fell from 67 percent to 17 percent from 1998 to 2010. During that same time, defined contribution plans increased from 10 percent to 58 percent. Companies have been moving towards defined contribution plans such as 401(k)s in order to cut their costs. Unless you have amazing luck investing, the defined contribution plans will deliver less income after you retire compared to the defined benefit plans, which...
View Article
