Investment Instruments

Smart Foundation Variable Annuities and optional benefits offer consumers guaranteed retirement income and greater flexibility.

Morningstars 2012 Industry Survey examines growth in target-date funds and the fact that they incurred steep losses in 2008. In early 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission reopened the comment period on its recommendations for improved disclosure requirements for target-date funds, which were first proposed in 2010.

More investors are turning to options they can fully control themselves, like self-directed IRAs and solo 401(k)s.

Many Americans have turned to tax-free accumulation tools as a means of protecting their retirement assets from the impact of rising taxes.

The program's organizers hope to roll it out to an additional seven states and the District of Columbia.

The new PIMCO Total Return ETF charges annual expenses of just 0.55 percent vs. the PIMCO Total Return Fund, which charges 0.90 percent for the waive-load shares.