- Should We Be Worried About Inflation?
Reconsidering its sources, consequences and appropriate policy remedies
Several very good primers were recently written on how to think about inflation in the coming months. But as the reaction to monthly price inflation numbers that ever tick above a 2% annualized rate continues to be disproportionately angst-ridden, another one may be useful.
read more - Inflation Impact On Sovereigns Depends On Real Interest Rates
How will inflation affect debt/GDP ratios?
Inflation trends and associated risks around interest rates and exchange rates may have direct sovereign credit implications, says Fitch Ratings.
read more - 2 In 5 Americans Say Online Shopping Has Busted Their Budget
Americans say spontaneous spending makes them feel good, though they fail to realize the total amount they have spent on their credit or debit card until they see their monthly statement
Shopping online from the comfort of your home can be easy and convenient, but it also leads to increased spending if you’re not careful.
read more - Individual Annuity Providers Still Challenged By Low Interest Rates
Limiting the levers insurers can pull without worsening their company risk profiles
Limiting the levers insurers can pull without worsening their company risk profiles Report on the outlook for the U.S. individual annuity industry provided by AM Best. OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Despite COVID-19’s operational and sales impacts on the U.S. individual annuity industry, the bigger issue for writers remains the low interest rate environment, according to a new…
read more - Don’t Look Now, But We Are Surrounded By Scams
Thoughts on what’s real, what’s not and how we can learn to tell the difference
Marketers and scam artists manufacture lies to get you to part company with your hard-earned cash.
read more - Share of Wallet & Household “Reach” Grows At Leading Financial Firms; Key Trust Metric Declines
COVID-19 customer outreach yields higher intent to recommend
Leading financial services firms increased reach[1] into U.S. households and grew share of wallet, reversing a 2019 dip. This growth occurred even as trust and other key success metrics dropped at the national level, driven by steep declines among the most affluent customers, in a new research report by Hearts & Wallets.
read more - Business Executives’ Optimism About U.S. Economy Hits Three-Year High
Economic optimism up 47% from last quarter
Business executives are predicting the economy will roar back in the coming year, with revenue and profit growth expectations not seen since 2018, according to the second-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey.
read more - Reimagining Work In The New Digital-First Workplace
Companies work to win the war for talent in the post-pandemic world
The Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack Technologies, Inc., to help companies reimagine work in the new digital-first workplace, is releasing a new global study that unpacks how 15 months of pandemic work has shifted employee expectations.
read more - Hedge Funds Remain An Option For Some Insurers
Attractive for risk diversification and low correlation to other asset classes
In 2020, the life/annuity and property/casualty insurance segments increased their exposures to hedge funds, leading to an overall 6% increase in insurance industry investments, according to the latest AM Best report.
read more - Changing Concept Of Retirement
Americans feel that retirement now looks different for everyone
Retirement today feels “less cookie cutter than it used to be”, according to 82% of those polled in Franklin Templeton’s Voice of the American Worker Survey.
read more - Advisors, Firms Break Through The Noise To Respond To Clients
Optimizing content to capture ’shifting client needs’
COVID-19 abruptly and forcefully shifted the social selling landscape. Digital marketers, compliance teams, advisors, and agents quickly pivoted from tried-and-true approaches to test new strategies for the new normal—whether it was an expanded online presence through individual websites, or targeted campaigns based on audience segments.
read more - Is Hacking Acceptable?
Nearly 4 in 10 Americans think so, but only if it helps others for no monetary gain, or exposes the truth
A new hacking advocacy survey from NordVPN asked 1,007 consumers whether they thought hacking was an acceptable practice, and who they would hack if they could.
read more - Understanding The New Consumer Money Mindset
How are financial brands transforming their outreach to respond to emerging consumer needs
People’s financial lives are undergoing massive change in light of global disruptions—and financial brands must transform to meet their audiences’ critical needs.
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