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#418 | The Future of Engineered Indices

Chat GPT Summary Engineered indices, now numbering over 200 in indexed annuities and life insurance products, have evolved through three key phases: the "Brand Name Era" (2009-2015), the "Illustration War Era" (2016-2021), and the "Great Pivot" (2022-2024). Initially, these indices were marketed based on high-profile bank and asset manager names,…

Product Analytics

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#410 | The Challenge of Final Expense

Credit: Warner Bros The more I’ve come to understand Final Expense insurance, the more I’ve come to see it as…

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#408 | Reliastar Raises Base Charges

8/27/24 Update - I just received an email from a subscriber about another Reliastar policy with charge increases, this time…

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#407 | Beyond Term

If you were to put any random person in our industry up on stage and ask them to start explaining…

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#406 | American National Signature Protection IUL

What happens after a private equity firm buys a life insurer? The first order of business almost always seems to…

Product Reviews

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#417 | EquiTrust Wealth Max Bonus Life

EquiTrust isn’t a household name in life insurance, but it is fast becoming one in annuities. EquiTrust was originally a…

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#416 | The Continuing Evolution of Transamerica

In the life insurance industry, Transamerica is everything and nothing all at once. LIMRA sales statistics place Transamerica as the…

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#415 | Penn Mutual Plays for Keeps

Summarized by ChatGPT Penn Mutual ranks as a mid-sized player in the Whole Life market, positioned 10th in sales, significantly…

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#412 | Prudential Momentum IUL

When Prudential released the first iteration of Index Advantage UL (IAUL) in mid-2012, it was a massive validation of the…

News and Editorials

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#399 | The Simple Case for Permanent Life Insurance

I’ve noticed that some things have changed since I’ve gotten older. A few rogue gray hairs are sprouting up over…

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#388 | 2023 in Review

Looking back over a year’s worth of articles is always fun and gratifying. There were 44 articles published on The…

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#345 | 2022 in Review

With 2022 in the rearview mirror, I thought I’d go back through the full list of articles and give a…

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Survey Responses & TLPR Update

Thanks to those of you who generously took the time to fill out the survey that I sent out earlier…

Industry Commentary

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#409 | Who Killed Columbian?

About 3 weeks ago, the New York Department of Financial Services moved to place Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company into…

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#405 | Lincoln VULone and the End of an Era

In the pre-dawn hours of October 31st, 2018, you would have found me sitting in my chair with my computer…

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#404 | Who Killed PHL Variable?

Introduction I have to start this article with an admission. When I first saw the news about PHL Variable Insurance…

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#403 | The Double Edged Sword – Assets

Writing insurance is a double-edged sword. One side of the blade are the risks covered by the insurance policies themselves…

Episode 21
December 14, 2020

Episode 21

Interview with Mike Pepe and Kris Beck of Proformex about the…

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Episode 20
September 21, 2020

Episode 20

Interview with Jon Mendelsohn, CEO and Founder of Ashar Group,…

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Episode 19
September 7, 2020

Episode 19

Interview with Jim Benson, former CEO of John Hancock, CEO…

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Episode 18
August 24, 2020

Episode 18

Interview with Dick Weber of Ethical Edge Consulting on what…

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