My Reading List
#378 | Whole Life as a Fixed Income Alternative – Part 1
Full Article For the past 35 years or so, Whole Life has often been positioned against traditional fixed income in a very particular – and peculiar – way. We all know the narrative. Falling interest rates created a long-term phenomenon…
#377 | Mid-Year Engineered Index Observations – Part 3
Quick Take What separates the performance of one engineered index from another? So far, we've tackled the two biggest structural elements - the volatility target and the return type. Those two factors constitute the lion's share of long-term performance differentials.…
#376 | Mid-Year Engineered Index Observations – Part 2
Quick Take Of the 165 engineered indices available in Indexed UL and Fixed Index Annuity products, the vast majority - 148, to be exact - are Excess Return. There is no way to understand a modern engineered index without understanding…
#375 | Engineered Indices & FIA
Quick Take The worlds of Indexed UL and Fixed Indexed Annuities are increasingly converging and with profound potential implications for IUL. All of the tactics that have been used in Indexed UL to massively increase illustrated performance and subsequently curtailed…
#374 | The Missed UL Opportunity
Full Article If there is one overarching trend that has dominated the life insurance and annuity landscape since interest rates started rising in 2022, then it is the seemingly insatiable appetite for fixed rate annuities. Basic fixed annuities that pay…
#373 | 2023 Mid-Year Engineered Index Observations – Part 1
Quick Take Despite the slick marketing material and splashy names, the reality is that the vast majority of engineered indices have followed the same basic structure - low volatility targets, high reliance on long-duration fixed income, Excess Return architecture and…
#372 | Hybrid Product Design Elements
Steve Cox is the Head of Life and Hybrid Product at Life Innovators. There is no doubt that hybrid Life/LTC products can offer a compelling value proposition for clients looking for Care coverage, particularly given the limited slate of true…
#371 | Hybrid Life/LTC – The Sand Wedge of Insurance Products
This article is authored by Steve Cox, Head of Life and Hybrid Products at Life Innovators. Special thanks to Ramona Neal of The Living Benefit Review for her assistance. Even for someone steeped in knowledge of traditional life insurance, the…
#370 | Securian’s Great Delinking
Full Article Yesterday, Securian dropped a bombshell announcement that, I think, will rank as one of the more surprising and shocking moves in the history of Indexed UL – a history that is inextricably intertwined with Securian itself. Securian has…
#369 | Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus
Quick Take There is no doubt that Brighthouse SmartGuard Plus is one of the most innovative new products to hit the market in a long time, blending the competitive guaranteed income of an annuity with the income tax advantages of…
