Insurance protects against losses – fires, floods or a wrecked car. Because of the life-altering consequences of such as loss, clients rarely question the cost of the insurance. When viewed through an analogous framework, the cost of lifetime-income insurance, such as a GLWB, is fairly priced.

Relying on only historical U.S. returns creates an unrealistic picture of retirement outcomes. Our analysis shows that U.S. data are an anomaly among the broader global universe, and that our low-yield environment forebodes lower-than-average equity returns.

We compare fixed annuities to other safe investments, such as CDs and Treasury securities, to better understand whether they provide attractive risk-adjusted performance and are a reasonable alternative for risk-averse investors.

Variable annuities were created to give retirees access to lifetime income with the potential for growth. Today’s products offer a range of features such as liquidity, investment risk hedging, access to a risk premium, tax deferral, and longevity protection. This panel address the tradeoff of these product features and when they provide the greatest value to retirees. The best variable annuities offer reasonable-cost options that provide income, investment flexibility and downside protection when clients need them most. CFP and IWI CE credits pending.

Market crashes, such as we experienced in March at the onset of the pandemic, drive assets to the safe haven of government bonds. But our research shows this flight to safety mindset did not translate to an increase in demand for annuities.