Wealth Management

Indexed annuities are becoming increasingly popular as retirement tools because they blend growth potential with protections not found in traditional fixed annuities. These products allow investors to defer taxes on gains until distributions begin, making them attractive for long-term retirement income strategies. 

 

Equity-indexed annuities (EIAs) and registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) tie returns to market indexes, with EIAs offering a guaranteed minimum return and RILAs providing downside buffers or floors to manage risk. However, features like caps, participation rates, and fees can limit upside potential, so retirees must carefully review contracts to understand how returns will be credited. 

 

Indexed annuities are designed for long-term holding, and early withdrawals can lead to surrender charges and tax penalties that erode principal. 


Finsum: For retirement savers, these products can serve as a middle ground between fixed and variable annuities, offering balance, income potential, and risk management over the long haul.

Private equity leaders are cautioning that while industry assets are likely to keep expanding, the number of firms competing for those dollars could shrink dramatically. KKR’s CFO Robert Lewin and Apollo’s president Jim Zelter both suggested that smaller managers, burdened by high fixed costs and limited fundraising capacity, may not survive the next cycle. 

 

Lewin forecasted a wave of organic consolidation over the next five years, while Zelter warned that many firms may already have raised their last fund without realizing it. Larger players, by contrast, are positioned to thrive, offering a wider array of products and attracting investors eager to simplify their GP relationships. 

 

Consolidation could also accelerate through acquisitions, with bigger firms absorbing weaker rivals. 


Finsum: The same pressures are expected to spread into venture capital, where scale and distribution strength are becoming just as critical.

The target date market surged in the first half of 2025, with combined assets across mutual funds, CITs, and custom solutions rising 10% to more than $4.7 trillion. Vanguard extended its dominance, adding $121 billion to reach $1.6 trillion, far ahead of Fidelity’s $623 billion. 

 

A major development is the rapid rise of income-enabled target date funds, whose assets climbed to $103 billion, led by TIAA’s RetirePlus model and BlackRock’s LifePath Paycheck series. 

 

These products reflect growing demand for pension-like security within modern 401(k) structures, blending glide paths with annuity-based income features. Co-manufacturing partnerships between recordkeepers, insurers, and asset managers are fueling much of this innovation, while CIT-based target date funds have overtaken mutual funds, now holding 53% of assets. 


Finsum: Target date funds are a great way to start a portfolio for clients and then to build customization around the edges. 

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