
Research & Reports
An Update on Variable Socially-Responsible (ESG) Portfolios
In this report we’ll get caught up with variable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) portfolios, as we consider them a subset of the industry that bears watching. Their assets have been growing modestly in recent...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from June, 2024
Last month, variable fund filing activity was rather slow but that is typical of the summer months. There were some new registrations but those were of funds that will be used in a reorganization…
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from May, 2024
In May, variable fund filing activity picked up nicely, with some interesting new registrations which we don’t expect to see this time of year. As usual there were various updates to existing offerings: managerial changes,...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from April, 2024
April was a slow month for variable fund filings so in this report, in addition to our coverage of notable developments on that front, we will also touch briefly on new strategies recently introduced by...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from March, 2024
In March we saw some new variable portfolio registrations, however most filing activity had to do with managerial changes and other alterations to existing offerings…
Update: Variable Defined Outcome Portfolios
This spreadsheet updates our coverage of variable defined outcome portfolios through the fourth quarter of 2023; the number of portfolios declined compared to earlier in the year due to Milliman closing out its series. At...
Wrapping Up Coverage of Defined Outcome Portfolios for 2023
Over the last quarter of 2023, the number of variable defined outcome portfolios in the industry declined considerably, as many ceased operations. In this report we will conclude our reporting on these portfolios for that...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from February, 2024
Usually during February we see an increase in new variable portfolio registrations, in preparation for their additions to investment platforms during the May prospectus update season. This time around things were fairly slow compared to...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from January, 2024
The month of January contained some interesting developments on the variable fund front, including a few new registrations, the planned merger of some VIT funds into those offered by an insurer, and several large-scale rebrandings…