07.26.2010

Advanced Sales & Marketing today released a report on product trend updates within the U.S. variable annuity market for the second quarter. The report found that while the vast majority of changes to contracts were minor, carrier filings during this period reflect a swing toward more generous benefits. Among those filings, benefit withdrawal percentages were enhanced anywhere from .25 percent to .50 percent.

06.07.2010

Advanced Sales & Marketing Corporation (ASMC) is pleased to announce an enhancement to its one-of-a-kind investment research tool for variable annuities. The Annuity Intelligence Report now has a search and sorting tool for VA living benefits. This new “benefit selector” feature allows users to filter VA riders based on key criteria. Registered reps can find a product solution from among hundreds of active riders in the system. The tool allows users to save time, eliminate clutter, and efficiently drill down to find the benefits that fit a client’s needs.

06.06.2010

Advanced Sales & Marketing Corporation today released a report on sales flow data within the U.S. variable annuity market for the first quarter. The report found that consumers who buy annuities overwhelmingly show interest in living benefit guarantees. More than 81% of variable annuity purchasers chose to protect themselves with a lifetime guarantee of income in the first quarter, the report shows.

05.20.2010

Advanced Sales & Marketing today released a report on product trend updates within the U.S. variable annuity market for the first quarter 2010. The report found that carriers filed more than 140 changes in the first quarter, compared to just 37 in the previous quarter. In addition, year-to-year quarterly product changes rose by 4%, increasing from 135 changes in the first quarter in 2009.

Senior Market Advisor

08.01.2010

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all variable annuity, so for the sake of suitability, it’s wise to offer products from multiple carriers. “Some products are good at some things, some are good at others,” says Kevin Loffredi, senior vice president at Advanced Sales & Marketing Corp., an Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., firm that provides annuity research data and wholesaler productivity tools. “You want to be able to match client situations with the right products.”

Investment News

06.22.2010

Boosting of VA benefits to gain market share recalls go-go days of 2007; 2008 not so hot. Now, that seems to be changing. Indeed, this new round of benefit-boosting is a “cautious” about-face from the industry's attitude since the 2008 market decline, noted John McCarthy, vice president of Advanced Sales and Marketing Corp., an annuity research firm. “There are a few early examples of the pendulum's swinging in the other direction,” he said of the changes. “It doesn't seem widespread, but there are bits and pieces being tweaked.”

CBS: moneywatch.com

06.04.2010

One warning comes from Kevin Loffredi, co-founder of Annuity Intelligence Report, which helps salespeople understand how all the contracts work. How you title these annuities — who’s the owner, who’s the beneficiary, who gets the income after a death — is complex. If you make a mistake, your spouse might be cut out or extra taxes might be due. Be sure that the salesperson checks his or her work with the company’s legal eagles.

Senior Market Advisor

04.01.2010

Companies such as The Hartford and AXA have recently rolled out VAs with a fixed deferred investment option designed specifically to generate an income stream. The Hartford dubs it a “personal pension account.” The contract holder decides how much to dedicate to that fixed account, based on desired income level and the targeted term of income payments, then the annuity company “tells you how much you need to put into that fixed bucket right now” to hit those targets,” says Kevin Loffredi, senior vice president at Advanced Sales & Marketing Corp., a firm based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., that provides variable annuity research data and wholesaler productivity tools.

Research Magazine

03.18.2009

Investors and advisors weren’t the only ones affected by events in the financial markets last year. Insurers that sell variable annuities (VAs) also were forced to contend with the volatile equity and credit markets. Kevin Loffredi, senior vice president with Advanced Sales Corporation, publishers of the “Annuity Intelligence Report,” points to several recent and ongoing changes in VAs.

Registered Rep

10.21.2008

Are your clients’ variable annuity contracts properly titled? There is reason for concern. A whopping 38 percent of variable annuities are improperly titled, according to research released last summer by Annuity Intelligence, an Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., variable annuity research company.