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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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More Reconnaissance on the VA Arms Race – What’s Happening with GLWBs

We think most of our readers would agree that the competition in the variable annuity business within Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs) constitutes the largest portion of the living benefits arms race, and this year...

Benefit Outlook – Disparate Notes on VA Guarantees and the Current Climate

A significant number of variable annuity contracts and benefits will be rolling out over the next few months, and as we monitor the goings on, we’ll be watching to see whether new product ideas will...

“New Wave” Annuities – Offer Living Benefits to Funds, Managed Accounts

Now that the appeal of variable annuity guaranteed living benefits has been firmly established – and has grown steadily over the past several years, greatly helping insurers sustain growth – it seems only natural that...

Further Musings on the Competitive Elements of Variable Annuity Features

Due to the variable annuity living benefit arms race we’re seeing commoditization setting in among Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs), with numerous variations emerging not just due to the heat of competition but because insurers...

Spring VA Product Fashions: Designs and Rollups Meant to Outdo the Rest

We’re just entering the season where new variable annuity product filings really begin to pick up, and there’s ample evidence that the guaranteed living benefit arms race is still being waged with great gusto. To...

Market Volatility Persists, Impacting Public Insurers’ VA Results in 4Q07

Usually at the end of each year variable annuity sales rebound from the slow period of the summer, however the fourth quarter of 2007 contained a mixture of good and bad for the public insurers...

Remarking on Sundry VA-Related Moves, Amendments, Launches

Based on what we’re seeing in regulatory filings and our discussions with industry contacts, the variable annuity business is steadily getting busier, and the heightened activity will surely continue straight through the May 1 prospectus...

New VA Contract Notes: Wrapping up 2007 and Getting Into the New Year

In this commentary we’re going to catch up on our monitoring of new variable annuity contract registrations, both from last year and for the start of 2008, and give some highlights on what’s happening in...

The 7% Solution – Leading VA Players Vying Over GLWB Base Increases

This year is shaping up as one that will be marked by heated competition among variable annuity issuers over the generosity of their Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs), and we will be watching to see...