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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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Early Signs Point to Headwinds for the Variable Annuity Marketplace in 2012

Based on recently released industry sales figures, as well as the kinds of signals we’ve been getting from leading insurers, we are of the opinion there will be strong downward pressure on variable annuity sales...

VA Insurers Are Taking Measured Steps in Adjusting Their Products

It seems to us that most variable annuity insurers lately have been exercising great care in making changes to their contracts and benefits in response to competitive conditions. In recent weeks we have seen more...

Departures, De-Risking Dampened Variable Annuity Sales in 1Q12

As we usually do on each quarter, we compiled variable annuity sales results for 10 stock-traded insurers we watch on a regular basis, because performance of this group has proven to be a good early...

Product Revisions are Becoming Nuanced Given the Current Environment

Around the variable annuity space we’d have to characterize this time period as one in which insurers are attempting to make careful adjustments to their contracts and features so as to address risk and competitive...

VA Insurers are Looking to Calibrate Their Sales – Using a Variety of Means

Around the variable annuity industry some insurers are attempting to regulate their rate of business through focused initiatives, whether related to product, distribution, or both. Some are trying to deliberately slow their sales; others are...

Robust Rollups – Are Still Being Offered on Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits

Judging by some Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs) being introduced to the variable annuity space lately, we’d have to say that a few insurers are bucking the general trend towards product de-risking. Instead of pulling...

On Finding Capacity – During a Stressful Time for the Annuity Business

In this report we’ll share what we thought were key takeaways from the Insured Retirement Institute’s 2012 Marketing Summit held last week in New York City, and try to put those thoughts in perspective with...

Early Thoughts on 1Q12 – and Directions, Pressures in the VA Industry

Last Friday the first quarter ended and we must confess to thinking that it will be hard to forecast how the variable annuity industry performed during that time (not that it’s been all that easy...

“Bowing Out” – Hartford’s Departure from the VA Space and What it May Portend

Hartford’s decision to discontinue sales of individual annuities has triggered a number of related events in recent days, and we get the feeling that more interesting developments are yet to come. Moreover we believe that...