A strong dollar is holding back expansion of the US economy, according to the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book. Manufacturing, tourism, farm exports, petroleum and petrochemicals have been hit particularly hard. Nine of 12 Fed districts say their economies are experiencing moderate or modest growth, while two are seeing a slowdown…
Mutual funds have been instrumental in providing access to alternative investments, Jennifer Woods writes. “This is a positive development, as it has allowed more investors to reap benefits previously reserved for institutions and high-net-worth investors, such as increased diversification and better risk-adjusted returns,” Woods writes. CNBC
More companies are looking to jettison long-term-care insurance, meaning the industry is likely to see more mergers and acquisitions “if things could just fall into place,” Goldman Sachs Group’s Patrick Fels says. Bloomberg
“Let’s face it, life is crazy,” Toni Harris writes. “Life throws many problems at us. When your personal life is in turmoil, so is your business life. It is nearly impossible to keep your personal life separate from your business life; however, it is possible to manage them separately. This…
Given low inflation over the past year, Social Security benefits will likely not increase next year, notes Mary Beth Franklin. However, while most people will not see an increase in Medicare Part B premiums, some could be hit with an increase of up to 52%. InvestmentNews (10/13)
Retirees’ use of income annuities is similar to people’s use of sharing services such as Uber and Airbnb because they are built on trust, use pooled resources and lead to satisfaction among consumers, writes Ross Goldstein of New York Life. National Underwriter Life & Health (10/13)
Brokers must be armed with data when talking about disability insurance, but they also need to put statistics into the context of the beneficiary’s life, says Carol Harnett, president of the Council for Disability Awareness. Contrary to what consumers tend to think, illness accounts for a far larger proportion of…
Four out of 10 members of Generation X, people aged 35 to 50, doubt they have saved enough money for a comfortable retirement, according to research by the Insured Retirement Institute. Only two-thirds have saved for retirement at all, IRI found. USA Today/NerdWallet
Financial-services reform on Capitol Hill and the role insurance agents and financial advisers play in helping consumers secure long-range financial security were among the topics discussed at NAIFA’s 2015 Career Conference & Annual Meeting. Look for coverage of sessions on the Advisor Today Blog.
Scott Kahan, founder of Financial Asset Management, discusses why and how he transitioned his firm to a retainer fee model. While advisers who relied on asset-based fees experienced large drops in revenue during the financial crisis, his revenue actually increased a bit, he notes. InvestmentNews
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