Proponents of health savings accounts and their mandatory high-deductible health insurance plans have come out swinging against a study concluding that the plans cost women about $1,000 more per year than men.
Most financial advisers wouldn’t expect to find health insurance in the same store where they buy lumber and fertilizer, but it turns out that the folks in orange aprons really can help with just about anything.
Including annuities in 401(k) plans could represent a prime opportunity for advisers — if a new model for compensation can be devised and if advisers are allowed on-site to explain their product to employees, according to industry experts.
Fee income from variable and fixed annuities, and mutual funds, sold by banks declined by 0.6% last year to $19.33 billion, from $19.46 billion in 2005, according to a recent study.
Many Americans are paying high fees in their 401(k) plans for insurance they don’t need, and their employers often are unaware, some observers say.
CHICAGO — A bill that would extend to domes- tic partners the preferred tax treatment enjoyed by married couples in employer-sponsored health-care plans is attracting attention from financial advisers.
NEW YORK — Financial advisers can safely increase their clients’ retirement income by 50% or more by structuring withdrawals differently, according to a certified public accountant who specializes in retirement income planning.
NEW YORK — As long as the stock market keeps rising, and baby boomers keep getting older, variable annuity sales should continue to be robust, industry observers say.
By now, the merits of asset and stock diversification in a retirement portfolio are well established, but what about tax diversification?
Congressional members on both sides of the aisle are looking at using the alternative minimum tax debate to lead the way to a plan for tax simplification.
LOS ANGELES — Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox is on a mission to wipe out the legalese in corporate-disclosure documents.
The financial planning world has been focusing too heavily on the act of accumulating assets, according to an academic speaking at the InvestmentNews Retirement Summit in New York this afternoon.
Initial reactions to the proposed changes to the ethical standards for certified financial planners have been favorable, but the other shoe could drop this week.
Advisers who start their own practices after leaving larger firms often find that their biggest obstacle is obtaining affordable health insurance for themselves and their families, observers say.
This is the time of the year that most individual retirement account contributions are being made, but they may or may not be deductible. If you are active in a company plan, and your income exceeds certain amounts, then you cannot deduct your IRA contribution. If you are not an active participant, then you can deduct your IRA contribution regardless of your income.
Nobody ever accused companies that push annuities on older Americans of being subtle.
NEW YORK — IBM Corp.’s announcement that it will offer financial planning services to all 127,000 of its U.S. employees is the biggest sign yet that companies are increasingly interested in providing workers with more individual — and effective — counseling on financial topics.
Some insurers are taking away their advisers’ group health insurance and other employment benefits if proprietary-product quotas aren’t met, advisers say.
The growth of the financial planning profession overseas is in the fast lane, though there are some speed bumps, observers say.
A life insurer known mainly for its fixed annuities has thrown its hat into the variable annuity ring.
