Annuities
Annuity news and analysis, including coverage of annuity market regulatory, compliance and legislative issues.
Shareholders to profit
By staff WriterMassMutual's Board of directors has approved the largest dividend payout in the company's history for 2007. Approximately $1.25 billion will be distributed to shareholders eligible for dividends, setting a record for the 155-year-old company. The
April 16, 2008
T.V. ads may cause overmedicationThe United States is one of only two countries to allow direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, and that, according to a study, may lead people to request drugs they don't need. The study, "Creating Demand for Prescription Drugs: A
April 16, 2008
Index-linked UL product debutsCalling it a policy that appeals to business owners and those who are looking at various estate planning options, ING introduced its Indexed Strategic Accumulator Universal Life policy. In addition to a fixed component where interest credited to the
April 16, 2008
A challenge to debunked VA mythsPerhaps in response to ("8 variable annuity myths," SMA Feb. 2007) Mr. Huggard's eight VA myths answered with half-truths, I should write my own that will fare better with the NASD. Myth #1: You don't pay a commission for a VA. If you tell a
April 16, 2008
Medicare cuts to affect seniorsThe American Medical Association surveyed nearly 9,000 physicians earlier this year and discovered that seniors are going to find it more difficult to get medical care when Medicare cuts go into effect next year. That's because doctors are going to
April 16, 2008
Product adds return-of-premium riderAs people age, one of the concerns they begin to struggle with is becoming a burden to their family. They look for ways to avoid that possibility, and insurance products offer solid solutions. A new benefit offered by Lincoln Benefit Life Co.
April 16, 2008
IMSA qualification seen as oversight toolMembership in an ethics-based organization is supposed to exhibit a company's commitment to best practices and doing the right thing. To at least one state insurance commissioner, that commitment means something. Susan Voss, insurance commissioner
April 16, 2008
Ethics group renews MassMutualMassachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. has met the standards required to renew its membership in the standards-setting organization Insurance Marketplace Standards Association. Companies that wish to retain their IMSA designation must undergo an