The Benefits of Lifetime Income |
June 1, 2012 |
Annuity Basics, Cal Burgess, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Your Retirement
Written By: Cal Burgess, Retirement Servicing Group Today the traditional pension plan, or defined benefit plan, is a dream from the past. Outside of state or federal government jobs the pension is pretty much nonexistent. According to Forbes a 2010 survey by consulting firm, Towers Watson, found that between 1998 and 2010, the proportion of Fortune 100 companies offering pension plans fell from 67 percent to 17 percent. Instead, employees today count on their deferred compensation plan for retirement, which is causing their retirement age...
View Article
Top 50 Annuities |
June 1, 2012 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Variable Annuities
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
How Policy Owners Were Able to Survive The Fall of AIG |
May 30, 2012 |
Cal Burgess, Index Annuities, Life Insurance, Member Posts
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
Individual Life Insurance Sales Increase in the First Quarter of 2012 |
May 30, 2012 |
Life Insurance
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
A Reflection of our Federal Stimulus |
May 29, 2012 |
Cal Burgess, Member Posts, The United States Economy
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
Top 50 Annuities |
May 29, 2012 |
Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Variable Annuities
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
Adaptation to an Evolving Market |
May 25, 2012 |
Cal Burgess, Member Posts, Retirement Planning, The Global Economy, The United States Economy
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
Sales of Fixed Indexed Annuities Rose 13% Y/Y in the First Quarter of 2012 |
May 24, 2012 |
Index Annuities
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
Fear and Greed on Wall Street |
May 24, 2012 |
Annuity123, Cal Burgess, Member Posts, Retirement Planning, Your Retirement
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
