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Americans’ 4 Biggest Retirement Investing Worries Now: Survey

Americans are feeling downbeat these days, worried about a possible recession and how their retirement income will fare if taxes should increase in the future, according to the third-quarter market perceptions study from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. The good news: Advisors can do much to lessen their clients’ worries. The bad news: They are likely to get fired if they don’t. Specifically, nearly three-fourths of respondents said they would look for another advisor if theirs did not help them manage taxes in retirement. “A change in taxes can significantly affect a portfolio if the investor has not incorporated tax strategies into a financial plan and diversified across tax categories, according to Kelly LaVigne, vice president of consumer insights at Allianz Life.  “For a goal like retirement, you want to diversify your assets across a spectrum of long-term capital gains, regular income and non-taxable income,” LaVigne said in a statement. “This strategy, along with incorporating strategic tax deferral will help achieve some control over the amount or timing of taxes you will pay.” For its study, Allianz Life conducted an online survey in August 2023 with a nationally representative sample of 1,005 adult respondents. 

Coalition Announces HDI Global Specialty SE as a Global Capacity Partner 0

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Coalition Announces HDI Global Specialty SE as a Global Capacity Partner

HDI Global Specialty SE will join Coalition’s Canadian Cyber and Tech E&O Panel Beginning in 2024 San Francisco, CA (Sept. 28, 2023) — Coalition, the world’s first Active Insurance provider designed to prevent digital risk before it strikes, is pleased to announce a new long-term partnership with HDI Global Specialty SE, the specialty insurance carrier of HDI Global SE, an A.M. Best A+ rated insurer with over 120 years of experience in offering international insurance. Beginning in 2024, HDI Global Specialty will join Coalition’s Cyber and Technology E&O panel in Canada to provide insurance capacity. The insurer will assume a quota share on all cyber insurance products that Coalition provides in Canada, incepting on or after January 1, 2024. “HDI Global has headquarters in Germany and foreign branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates in more than 175 countries, making them an excellent global partner as Coalition continues to expand our offerings worldwide,” commented Shawn Ram, Coalition’s Head of Insurance. “HDI is a well-established global player, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner as we continue to scale our mission to democratize cyber coverage and protect the unprotected.” HDI Global Specialty joins a well-respected group of global (re)insurers that have...

Louisiana’s Drinking Water Supply Under Threat as Gulf Saltwater Invades Mississippi River 0

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Louisiana’s Drinking Water Supply Under Threat as Gulf Saltwater Invades Mississippi River

Article 0 Comments BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – A mass inflow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River is threatening drinking water supplies in Louisiana, prompting Gov. John Bel Edwards to ask President Joe Biden for federal help. If Biden approves the request to declare an emergency, it would help Louisiana secure federal money and logistical assistance from partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For the second year in a row, salt water from the Gulf of Mexico has moved further up the Mississippi to threaten drinking water in communities that rely on the river for fresh water, including New Orleans. Typically, the river`s mighty flow keeps mass amounts of salt water from reaching too far inland, but hot and dry conditions across the country this summer triggered drought that slowed the Mississippi’s flow and lowered its water levels. For months, drinking water advisories have been issued for some communities in southeastern Louisiana, warning people the water is unsafe to drink, especially for people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, those on a low-sodium diet, infants and pregnant women. In parts of Plaquemines Parish, residents have relied on bottled water for...

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Smaller 401(k), IRA Contribution Limit Increases Expected in 2024

What You Need to Know Each year in mid-October, the IRS publishes its annual inflation adjustments for the next year’s retirement account contribution limits. Retirement savers enjoyed big increases for 2023, but despite persistent inflation, smaller limit increases are expected for 2024. With a smaller Social Security COLA also projected for next year, retirement savers are feeling the sting of inflation. Unless a federal government shutdown derails the normal course of business, the Internal Revenue Service will announce 2024’s 401(k) plan and individual retirement account contribution limits in less than a month’s time. Despite the persistence of high inflation, tax experts anticipate that 2024’s increase will fall significantly below the sizable limit hike of $2,000 enjoyed by retirement savers for 2023. That increase pushed the 2023 contribution limit to $22,500 for 401(k), 4013(b) and 457 plans, although savers over 50 can use catch-up contributions to sock away up to $30,000 this year. According to projections from Bloomberg Tax and Milliman, the defined contribution plan deferral increase for 2024 is likely to be in the range of $500, or only about one quarter of the 2023 increase. A similar boost is projected for contributions going to both traditional and Roth individual...

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Delayed Passage of Farm Bill Stirs Concern for Texas Agriculture

Article 1 Comment WASHINGTON — Key federal legislation to support farmers and consumers could get delayed due to the looming government shutdown, causing uncertainty for agriculture and nutrition programs in Texas. The must-pass package of legislation known as the farm bill, which is reauthorized every five years, is critical to funding a wide range of programs that include providing crop insurance and loans to farmers and food access to low-income families. Traditionally a testament to bipartisanship in Congress, meeting the Sept. 30 deadline to pass the bill is seemingly impossible as lawmakers are preoccupied with averting a government shutdown. In lieu of passing a new version of the farm bill, Congress is expected to extend the deadline, keeping in place the current version of the law for as long as a few weeks to several months. But that temporary fix delays critical updates for the agriculture industry. “What the farm bill is trying to do is to provide a sense of security to our farmers in an increasingly uncertain space, with rising temperatures, more droughts,” said Chloe Kessock, spokesperson for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee. “The farm bill is meant to kind of make...

Life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in 2022, helping to make life more affordable: CLHIA 0

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Life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in 2022, helping to make life more affordable: CLHIA

Toronto, ON (Sept. 26, 2023) – Canada’s life and health insurers paid out more than $312 million a day in benefits last year to help make life more affordable for Canadian families. Canadians received a record $114 billion in benefits from life and health insurance products last year – up 10 per cent from 2019. This included payments for health insurance claims, life insurance and insurance-based retirement products. Among the other findings in the 2023 edition of Canadian Life & Health Insurance Facts are that last year, life and health insurers: provided coverage for over 29 million people – or 74 per cent of Canadians, up nearly 2 million in the past decade paid a record $43.9 billion in claims for supplementary health, disability and accident coverage – up 8 per cent paid out $14.3 billion in prescription drug claims – up 8 per cent paid $650 million in mental health support claims – up 10 per cent and nearly double since 2019 employed over 170,000 Canadians – up more than 3,000 provided insurance products to over 100 million people worldwide The number of Canadians covered by health insurance surpassed 27 million for the first time. Driven by increased employment...

Manulife Partners with Leading Health Tech Provider to Deliver Next-Generation Health-Care Experience 0

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Manulife Partners with Leading Health Tech Provider to Deliver Next-Generation Health-Care Experience

Manulife’s data-driven insights, backed by League’s innovative CX platform, will help Group Benefits Members take control of their health and wellness Toronto, ON (Sept. 26, 2023) – Manulife is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with League, a leading health care technology provider that will provide members with a personalized and digital health care experience that is fully integrated with Manulife’s group benefits ecosystem. This announcement marks a significant milestone in Manulife’s commitment to providing innovative, data-driven experiences, and our promise to help customers live longer, healthier, better lives by taking preventive measures to improve health outcomes. “We are expanding our care-oriented digital health experiences for Group Benefits customers,” says Ashesh Desai, Head of Group Benefits, Manulife Canada. “This technology will help accelerate our journey to offer intuitive and personalized digital health care experiences that help our customers understand their health, focus on prevention, and access the care they need. Our partnership with League will make it easier for members to navigate their health journeys and in turn, help employers foster healthier workforces and manage costs associated with employee illness, such as absenteeism and lower productivity.” League is a leading Canadian-based health care consumer experience (CX) platform recognized across North...

Five Sigma and Socotra Forge Strategic Partnership to Bring Modern Technology into a Full Suite Solution 0

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Five Sigma and Socotra Forge Strategic Partnership to Bring Modern Technology into a Full Suite Solution

Empowering Insurers with a Modern, Integrated SaaS Technology Suite: Five Sigma and Socotra Join Forces to Redefine the Future of Insurance Rocky Hill, CT (Sept. 20, 2023) – Leading the charge in innovation and modernization, Five Sigma and Socotra are proud to announce their strategic partnership designed to revolutionize the insurance landscape. This collaboration will herald a new era of seamless experiences throughout the entire policy lifecycle. In a transformative move, Five Sigma, a trailblazer in the insurance sector, has joined forces with Socotra, a renowned core platform provider known for its modern, flexible SaaS insurance system. This partnership is set to bring forth a “Full Suite” platform solution that redefines policy management, billing, claims handling, and communication within the insurance ecosystem. By merging Five Sigma’s’ cutting-edge claims management software with Socotra’s flexible and innovative core policy and billing solutions, insurers can look forward to unparalleled efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, and an accelerated digital transformation journey. Key Highlights of the Partnership Five Sigma’s modern claim technology, integrated with Socotra’s policy solution, enables real-time data-driven decision-making across policy management and claims handling processes. The result is a seamless and intuitive interface for insurers, policyholders, and claims professionals, delivering modern experiences and...

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SEC Charges Firm With Inflating AUM on Form ADV

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Vista Financial Advisors LLC and the firm’s co-owner and chief compliance officer, Ruben Cedrick Williams, with inflating the firm’s assets under management on Form ADV. Why it matters: Firms cannot misrepresent their AUM to the SEC or to the public. The case: According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Vista and Williams made material misrepresentations in Vista’s Forms ADV for 2022 and 2023. The firm falsely claimed in its 2022 Form ADV filing that Vista had $10 billion in regulatory assets under management, or RAUM. While Vista represented in its Form ADV filed on April 14, 2022, that it had $10 billion in RAUM, “it subsequently failed to provide the Commission with evidence to corroborate this statement,” the order states. Vista has also “ignored repeated requests from the Commission staff to substantiate, correct, and/or withdraw the statement,” the order says, adding that “to the extent that Vista had any RAUM, such assets did not remotely approach the $10 billion in RAUM represented in the Form ADV.” Rather than undertaking any corrective measures in response to the Commission’s inquiries, on April 5, 2023, Vista filed...

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FTC Sues Amazon.com for Breaking Antitrust Law and Harming Consumers

Article 0 Comments The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a long awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.com on Tuesday, and asked the court to consider forcing the online retailer to sell assets as the government pressed on with its fight to rein in Big Tech’s domination of the internet. The FTC said that Amazon restricts retailers on its marketplace from discounting, which stifled competition, and forced sellers to use its ‘fulfillment service,’ a reference to its nationwide network of delivery vans and warehouses, which some critics say should be hived off from Amazon’s web business. The lawsuit had been expected after years of complaints that Amazon.com and other tech giants abused their dominance of search, social media and online retailing to become gate keepers on the most lucrative aspects of the internet. The lawsuit, which was joined by 17 state attorneys general, follows a four-year investigation and federal lawsuits filed against Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms’ Facebook. The FTC said that it was asking the court to issue a permanent injunction ordering Amazon.com to stop its unlawful conduct. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Seattle, where Amazon is based. “Left unchecked, Amazon will continue its illegal course of conduct...