Latest Content
#424 | The 4% Rule and Life Insurance
A Refresher on the 4% Rule Fewer things in finance have been more unjustifiably maligned than the “4% Rule.” As interest rates fell in the mid-2010s, much was written about how the 4% Rule was too aggressive for the current…
#423 | Premium Financing at the Precipice
In an article from two years ago, I wrote that “from my vantage point, the worst is almost certainly yet to come for premium financing. The longer the current conditions persist, the more problematic these transactions are going to become.…
#422 | Equitable Exits Third Party Distribution
At the tail end of last year, Equitable announced that it has decided to “focus our life insurance third-party distribution efforts exclusively on our COIL Institutional Series” and “will no longer accept new life insurance applications for all other products…
#421 | Risk and Reward in Protection Sales
Just 20 years ago, the hottest ticket in life insurance was middle-market estate planning. The estate tax exemption was just $2 million – low enough to ensnare more than two million households with a net worth in excess of $4…
#420 | A Question of Value
12/16/24 Update – The South Carolina Department of Insurance has also mandated that A-CAP’s South Carolina entities, Atlantic Coast Life and Southern Atlantic Re, stop writing new business as of 12/31. This decision was inevitable and probably unavoidable because Atlantic…
#419 | The PHL Variable Plot Thickens
After 6 months of near-silence on the state of PHL Variable, the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) released updated financial statements last week – and they’re absolutely jaw-dropping. As of Q3 2024, PHL Variable’s surplus position has deteriorated to negative $2.1…
#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…
#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 part of Farm Bureau Life but was bought by Guggenheim in 2011. Guggenheim was one of the first institutional investors…
#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 3rd largest seller of Indexed UL by premium and the 2nd largest seller by policy count through Q2 of this…
#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 trailing behind competitors like Guardian and OneAmerica. Despite this, it maintains a strong presence in niche markets and among high-end…
