John Cole Scott believes that sometimes it would be easier to squeeze blood from a stone than provide his clients with the retirement income they demand from their assets
Fed's low-interest-rate policy making tax-exempt debt very attractive, say portfolio managers; 'renewed confidence'
States, cities face rate cuts as financial pressures mount, credit rater warns; defaults, while rare, could increase
Supply to rise next year, likely driving down returns; 20% hike in issuance seen
Timing is everything, and the high-profile analyst blew hers with that celebrated muni meltdown prediction for 2011; she still may end up being right, though
Dire prediction by high-profile analyst fails to pan out; tax-exempt debt sees 10.5% gain this year
Unsecured debt for company maintenance facility now trading at 16 cents on the dollar
President Barack Obama's plan to cut the budget deficit repeats his call for curbing the tax exemption on municipal bonds and would give states a break on unemployment debts owed the federal government
Bipartisan support is growing in the U.S. Congress for new rules banning insider trading by lawmakers amid concerns about waning trust among the public.
Environmentally friendly portfolios will attract more investors, experts say
The biggest bond gains in almost a decade have pushed the 30-year returns on long-term Treasuries above those of stocks — the first time that's happened since before the Civil War
ING Groep NV will close its registered indexed annuity to new sales Oct. 31 after a little more than a year.
The government is hoping that its upcoming support for lifetime-income solutions such as annuities will encourage companies to add these options to their retirement plans for employees, but some worry that Uncle Sam isn't giving a big-enough push
History is on the side of a Santa Claus rally by the stock market at the end of the year, but the bigger issue is what it means for stocks next year if that year-end rally doesn't pan out.
Investing in equities these days should come with a warning for those who suffer from motion sickness
Carriers that have been stalwarts in the variable annuity industry are trying their hand at manufacturing and selling fixed indexed annuities.
For those with a long horizon, I am sure well-managed forestry and farmland will outperform the average of all global assets.
State regulators continue to investigate claims that life insurance carriers may be failing to pay out death benefits or submit the money to the state in a timely fashion. Not surprisingly, this has attracted the attention of tort lawyers.
Critics say it's smart for carriers to deny life insurance claims for allegedly spurious reasons. Why? Because they make money off the float.
Financial advisers are calling on insurers to enhance their suite of variable annuities, saying that clients are turned off by falling accrual rates on living benefits and insufficient investment choices
