Maria Wood

About the Author

Maria Wood

A journalist and writer for over 20 years, LifeHealthPro.com’s Annuities Channel Editor, Maria Wood, has covered such diverse topics as the nursing profession in the U.S., commercial real estate and local politics in her home state of New Jersey. She has reported extensively on the lodging industry and now covers annuities and the retirement advisory market. Wood can be reached via email at mwood@sbmedia.com or on Twitter@LHPro_Annuities.

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  Medicare plays important role in retirement decision

  By Maria Wood  |  June 4, 2013

  The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College studied the impact of Medicare eligibility on when a worker decides to leave the workforce.

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  Florida Senate extends annuity law to all ages

  By Maria Wood  |  May 14, 2013

  The new law would also impose stricter criteria when recommending an exchange or replacement of an annuity.

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  Workers need to put more dollars in DC plans

  By Maria Wood  |  April 25, 2013

  To use a football analogy, workers must go long and deep in their defined contribution (DC) plans. In other words, they need to throw more dollars into those plans and for longer periods. That was one of the takeaways from a briefing held yesterday in New York City on retirement...

• Compliance oversight lacking at insurance companies

  By Maria Wood  |  April 22, 2013

  Considering the number of regulations insurance companies must obey and how often those regulations are revised, many firms have compliance procedures that are disorganized and insufficient, according to a survey by Compliance Assurance Corp.

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  Are DIAs the perfect annuity for baby boomers?

  By Maria Wood  |  April 15, 2013

  The latest hot product in the annuity world is the deferred income annuity, or DIA. In simplest terms, a baby boomer can buy a DIA at age 55, but not switch on the income spigot until he or she actually retires in, say, 10 years, or whatever start date a...

• Prolonged low interest rates killing retirement savings

  By Maria Wood  |  December 27, 2012

  Living through an ongoing period of low interest rates can cut a participant's retirement savings by as much as half, a new Prudential study reports.

• Low interest rates slam annuity sales in Q3

  By Maria Wood  |  November 19, 2012

  Sales of annuities of every flavor dropped in the third quarter of 2012, except for a record-setting boom in indexed annuities, according to LIMRA

• Should Hartford VA owners accept the buyout offer?

  By Maria Wood  |  November 7, 2012

  Hartford joins Transamerica and AXA Equitable in reacting to ongoing low interest rates by offering annuity owners an early out. But should they take it?

• An upcoming Boom in the retirement market

  By Maria Wood  |  July 27, 2012

  There is some $9.5 trillion sitting in IRAs, DC plans or non-qualified mutual funds that may soon be looking for an investment option like a deferred annuity.

• Broker-dealers weigh in on new securities laws

  By Maria Wood  |  July 3, 2012

  When FINRA Rule 2111 goes into effect July 9, broker-dealers will be on the front lines of complying with new regulations stipulating how suitability reviews are completed on securities purchases.