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Research & Reports

Soleares Research, LLC is a market research and consulting firm servicing the annuity and life insurance businesses. We provide, through our website, periodic articles that cover important industry trends; we also offer clients phone or on-site consultations, executive briefings and presentations. We pride ourselves on first-class customer service and responsiveness to our clients. We aim to be an indispensable resource to the marketplace.
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Seeing the Connection Between Complexity and Regulation in the VA Business

This week we’re going to step away momentarily from our customary labors – sorting through contract and rider filings, categorizing them and summarizing them – to consider how the unique complexities of variable annuities have...

Keeping Up With the Continuous Stream of New VA Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits

At The Soleares Report we’re resolved to remain on top of the latest variable annuity features and benefits, but the task certainly isn’t easy. Indeed, if we were to focus only on tracking lifetime withdrawal...

Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from May, 2007

After reviewing variable fund filings from the month of May we found, as usual, interesting new registrations plus numerous changes and adjustments to fees and expenses, sub-advisors and other matters. Of particular note were some...

Implications to the VA Business of Consolidation Within Major Distribution Firms

Distribution is, by its nature, the linchpin to the variable insurance space: if you know the channels an insurer sells in, you can get a good idea as to what products and riders it offers...

VA Contract Notebook: Tendencies Within New Designs Filed This Year

With this report we’re going to take a little time to consider what’s currently popular in variable annuity contract designs, based on our understanding of sales trends and our evaluations of new products filed this...

Following Up on Recent Revisions to VA Guaranteed Living Benefits

As the May prospectus update season is now in full swing, we anticipate that a fresh stream of new variable annuity living benefit concepts will be coming out due to competitive pressure. It’s always challenging...

The Latest News on Variable Annuities in Defined Contribution Plans

In this commentary we’re going to quickly give our perspective on news and developments related to variable annuities and defined contribution (DC) plans, especially 401(k)s, since many insurers perceive these programs to be a possible...

More of a Bargain: Movements in VA Contract Design and Structure

If there’s any one trend in variable annuity design we see building momentum, it’s that of insurers offering contracts with lower-than-average costs, usually combined with a relatively modest number of sub-accounts and optional benefits. Since...

Continuing the Discussion: VA Industry Issues Informing Product Designs

With this commentary we’ll follow up on our previous report by reflecting on some important themes in the variable annuity industry and how they are intimately connected to the products, features and funds being marketed...