One of the biggest decisions that a person or investor has to make when trying to invest in an annuity is whether to invest in an immediate annuity or in a deferred annuity. The difference between these two types of annuities may seem slight, but it can make a big difference in the actual...
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After a two-month wait, MetLife has announced they will release their new reverse mortgage policy later this week. For MetLife, the new changes to the policy are designed to insure only borrowers who can afford the program will be eligible, taking into account other issues. The main criteria include having insurance on the investment,...
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As the economy of the world as led by the United States and Europe continues down its path of increased volatility, people are trying to find a way to organize their finances and their investments in a way that helps their security in later life. Also, the rise of China as a viable world...
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An annuity is an allocation of an investment that is given to an individual on a set schedule, such as monthly or annually. This type of investment is normally used so that a person can live financially secure once they retire. The most popular type of annuity is a retirement pension. The person put...
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Deferred annuities have two phases: the savings phase and the income phase. During the savings phase, investors deposit money into their account. When the income phase begins, payments are made to the investor at regular intervals. Money earned by a deferred annuity is taxed when it is withdrawn, making it an attractive to those...
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MetLife reached an agreement to sell the majority of its retail banking business to GE Capital, the finance division of General Electric, for approximately $100 million. The deal,...
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The stock market has been bouncing up and down with prices fluctuating like crazy, but have we seen the peak price for gold? If you told someone ten...
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Diversification of investment assets, it seems, is not only a prudent strategy for individuals but also for those of governmental central banks. In particular, many central banks are...
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ING recognized that more people conduct their personal business through their personal tablet PC and smart phone. The company has introduced a program called iEnroll that allows employees...
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More than $8 billion were paid in long-term disability claims in 2010, a figure that seems to indicate a correlation between a weak economy and the rising number...
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The total number of assets placed into variable annuities met their all time high during the year of 2010, accounting for $1.5 trillion. The fourth quarter of 2010 showed an improvement of sales in the industry, growing by a total of 18 percent in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2009. This means that...
Genworth Financial Inc has announced that it will no longer be selling either retail or group variable annuities. Genworth variable annuities will not be available for purchase. Genworth, Richmond, Va, will also suspend its sale of combination annuities which are currently linked with insurance for long term care. The company said that the suspension...
Annuities sold by banks had slow but steady growth throughout November, largely due to sales of variable annuities rather than any of the other types. Despite this, the value of fixed annuities continued to drop. Regardless, the total value of annuities increased for the month. Throughout November, a total of 2.6 billion dollars of...
The 8.8 earthquake, and the ensuing tsunami, drove gold prices lower early Friday morning....
Alabama’s Republican-led legislature is ready to vote on a controversial proposal to cut a...
As the dollar continues to struggle in the international market, gold prices remain on...
Our writers are dedicated to provide all types of news, big and small, political news, investing news, current headline news, financial and personal finance news, and news bulletins of all types. We here at the Annuity News Journal respect our readers and we will only present news that is fair and balanced from all points of view.
To be clear, we are an organization that will be presenting current news, in a bipartisan fashion that will not represent any one particular political group, conservative or liberal, left or right, or any other self-proclaimed organization. We also will not discriminate any minority, age group, sexuality, race, religion or country.
How Our Headline News Content Gets Selected
Estate Planning and Taxes
The Federal Estate Tax Exemption has been changing regularly, The estate tax hit a maximum of $3.5 Million in 2009, and under George Bush was phased out completely, but only for a year. In 2011 unless congress passes new legislation will be reinstated on estates valued at more than $1 million. We will present relevant Estate Planning news and how this will effect you.
Pensions/Social Security News
The Social Security Administration has provided a variety of benefits to countless Americans over the years. However, the Social Security System has long been under Government review and restructuring. The difference between a Pension and Social Security is quite a bit different. Pensions are funded in a multiple ways. Employees can contribute to a pension play as they work for employers and business owners can create a pension plan with different contributing factors.
The biggest difference between a Pension and Social Security, is that Social Security is a government run program with a pension being privately run. Social Security is more of an insurance system with taxes being paid and then Social Security providing benefits later in life. Pensions are an investment system that allow for payouts in your retirement on its accrued value or interest.
Investing News - Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds
Investing in a retirement plan can be filled with different investment strategies. Stocks, also called equities, are usually the foundation to most retirement portfolios. Over the years stocks have provided the higher return over other investments. Between the years 1925 and 2006, stocks have increased an average of 10.4 percent per year.
Bonds are considered a safer alternative to stock investments. Bonds are essentially where you become a lender, allowing a corporate or government to issue an IOU for your investment. US Government bonds are guaranteed by the US Government, so they have traditionally been the safest bond investment. Treasury bill usually mature in 3 months while Treasury Notes mature within a year. Treasury bonds however mature over a greater period of time. Historically, long-term bonds have returned an average of 5.4 percent annually.
Annuity News - Fixed, Variable, Immediate, Indexed and Other Annuities
Despite the recent turmoil in the US market, confidence in annuities have remained strong in retirement planners. Almost 8 out of 10 annuity owners stated that owning an annuity has provided a secure and safe investment portfolio. The majority of annuity owners (86%) stated that their annuity purchase was a safe and rewarding investment. More than 3 out of 4 said that they intended to use annuities for their retirement income, to avoid being a financial burden to their children.
Life Insurance and Health Care News
The United States health care system is based heavily on the private health care industry. According to the CDC almost 58% of all Americans have some sort of private health coverage. Public Health care provides the primary source of insurance for senior citizens and low-income households. Other relevant public programs are Veterans Health Services, Indian Health Services, Medicare, Medicaid and State run services.
In just three short years, Medicaid and Medicare will account for half of all US health spending. This massive increase of expense has led to a national outcry for a complete overhaul of the health care system. The insurance industry has lobbied heavily to push their opinions into the national debate. Since the passing of Obama's Health Care bill, the debate has continued and will be a significant debate in the upcoming elections.
Legislation and Governments Changing Role in Investments
Governments involvement in the economy increased drastically after one of the most severe economic downturns in US History, the Great Depression. President Roosevelt passed legislation that he called the "New Deal" to rescue the economy.
Many of the current laws and institutions are a modern version of what emerged from the New Deal legislation. Minimum Wage, Securities and Exchange Commission, FDIC, and Social Security are all from Roosevelt's New Deal.
Even with all of these regulations the United States was ranked number 3, worldwide, in 2007 by the World Bank in ease of doing business. The current US political landscape has made for some rapid changes in the Financial markets. Wall Street bailouts, new laws, current legislation and new Government organizations have changed how US citizens are investing throughout their portfolios.
