Research & Reports
Current Directions in Variable Annuity Contract Sales and Designs
In this report we’ll discuss which kinds of variable annuities are selling best so far this year, and we’ll cover a few new registrations that were filed recently which we think reflect the kinds of...
Thoughts on VA and Structured Annuity Filings – And Related Topics
Activity has been a bit slow along the variable annuity product pipeline of late – which is typical of this time of year – however we do have a few notable filings to report on,...
DOL Rule-Related Takeaways from the Retirement Industry Conference
Last week we attended the annual LIMRA/LOMA/SOA Retirement Industry Conference, held in Orlando, Florida, and in this report we’ll share some thoughts on a topic that was much discussed throughout the event – the Department...
Thinking About the Variable Annuity Business in 2016 – and Beyond
Not long ago industry research firms released full-year 2016 variable annuity sales data, thus in this report we’ll give our thoughts on what the numbers revealed, and discuss some themes from last year might remain...
Variable Annuity Sales Were Again Depressed in Q4 and Full Year 2016
After reviewing the results of selected publicly-traded insurers from their fourth quarter earnings calls and financial statements, we expect that the variable annuity industry as a whole reflected the experience of these companies, namely lower...
Early 2017 Thoughts – So Far, a Slow Start for the VA Product Pipeline
Now that we are well into the second week of the New Year, we must say we haven’t seen any particularly notable variable annuity product concepts get introduced yet, and we think the lack of...
Our Variable Annuity Industry Year In Review: 2016 Was a Trying Time
As we have done since first publishing The Soleares Report, we are devoting this last issue of December to a quick look back on the year that was in the variable annuity industry. Our view...
Variable Annuity Sales in Q3 Were Down Again, In All Likelihood
In this commentary we’ll offer up our usual thoughts from insurers’ quarterly earnings calls. This time we came away with the a feeling we’ve had for some time now: that companies are more or less...
VA Industry Sales Remained Weak in Q2 – And May Drop Further
Leading industry research firms released second-quarter 2016 annuity sales data not long ago, and results for variable annuities were down substantially over last year, while some fixed annuity product types did fairly well…