subscriber-login-icon
Subscriber Login
Sign Up

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.
Sort By Type
Reports
All Reports Research
Sort By Topic
Select
All 1035 exchanges Acquisition Asset allocation Benefit buyback programs Benefit exchange programs Benefit Rate Sheets Benefit risk update Commissions Compliance Contingent annuities Contract exchange programs Death benefits Deferred income annuities Defined Outcome Portfolios Distribution DOL fiduciary rule Dual Direction ESG Investing Fee-based annuities Fixed annuities Fixed-indexed annuities Hedging Immediate annuities IOVAs IRAs Living benefits Managed-volatility portfolios Marketing Merger Monthly fund report Net flows Pensions Principal protection Purchase provisions Qualified plans Quarterly earnings report Quarterly reports Registered Index-Linked Annuities Reinsurance Reserving Sales Suitability Taxes Variable annuities Variable funds Variable life Year in review report

The Latest VA Contract Designs – With Pricing, Options as Priorities

This week, we thought it would be a good time to check in on new variable annuity contract filings with the SEC, since we’ve seen a good number come through recently…

GLWB Variations – Latest Designs, Tweaks, Reflect Competitive Realities

Lately there’s been a mixture of activity involving variable annuity Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs). A few insurers have been trimming back on the generosity of their riders, but the industry is not in full...

In Transition – VA Industry Leaders Downshift, Prepare for Fire Sales

Based on the kind of shifts in variable annuity sales that took place during the second quarter, it’s hard for us to guess at how the industry might perform going forward. One thing we can...

Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from July, 2011

We were somewhat surprised to uncover a fairly large batch of new variable insurance portfolios registered during July – because it’s not something we normally see during the summer. In this commentary we’ll touch on...

“Trading Places” – De-Risking Caused Shifts in the VA Market During 2Q11

The second quarter is traditionally one of the best for variable annuity sales, and we are hearing estimates from our contacts that the industry performed well this time around. However we’re also getting the distinct...

Shifting and Moving – Some Thoughts on Competition in the VA Space

It’s our contention that we are in a period of transition within the variable annuity industry, because some leading insurers have hinted their sales have exceeded comfort levels, and these companies will thus be de-risking....

Benefits and Sales – are Intimately Linked in This Variable Annuity Market

It probably no longer bears repeating, but an insurer’s variable annuity deposits nowadays are directly connected to the relative strength of its guaranteed benefits. We are in a period where this rule of thumb is...

Summer Sizzle – VA Product and Benefit Changes Keep Coming

Lately we’ve seen a number of new or revised variable annuity contracts and benefits filed with the SEC, and we find that interesting, since during the summer such activity tends to slow down. We suspect...

Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from June, 2011

In this, our regular commentary about variable insurance funds from the prior month, we’ll start off by saying this June we saw a familiar pattern for the time of year, namely that there were not...