Research & Reports
Product Innovation is Growing on the Qualified Side of the Variable Business
As The Soleares Report evolves, we’ll have plenty to report regarding variable insurance products and features because new things are constantly coming out. This continuous introduction of ideas is important to the health of the...
Rollout Reviews: What’s New in Variable Annuity Product Features
In our quick look at spousal lifetime withdrawal benefit provisions last month, we commented on some features that were still in the filing stage. It turns out that a few of these were formally launched...
Red Flags Flying: Thoughts on Regulatory Issues in the Annuity Space
We’re thinking that 2006 will be a time when many things will happen on the regulatory and compliance front, both positive and negative, for the VA business. If we look on the bright side of...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from February, 2006
In the new variable funds filed in February we noticed some general trends continuing, among them the offering of new types of funds-of-funds (F-of-Fs), which to us is not surprising given their frequent use in...
Brief Thoughts on Tax Issues Affecting the Variable Annuity Business
We are trying to get our arms around a number of tax considerations regarding variable annuities that might end up impacting the business rather sooner than later. At least one reason for concern is that...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from January, 2006
The batch of new variable funds registered with the SEC in January was marked by types that emphasize diversification and risk management, just as we’ve been seeing lately. We continue to see filings of funds-of-funds...
Q4 Roundup: Variable Annuity Results Stay Relatively Strong in 2005
In the second installment in a regular commentary of The Soleares Report, we are going to review variable annuity business fourth quarter reports and consider what happened in 2005 as a whole. In future weeks...
The Latest Thing in Lifetime GMWBs: Spousal Protection Provisions
It’s been well documented that lifetime withdrawal benefits were the primary sales driver in the variable annuity business in 2005, and should figure prominently in companies’ efforts this year. The most commonly added “tweak” of...
A Better Wealth Transfer: Strategies that Move a Deferred Annuity to a VUL
One of the more innovative variable insurance developments we’ve seen in recent years is a multi-faceted strategy whereby assets from a deferred annuity are moved to a variable life policy by using payments from a...