In many ways, annuities are under siege. If those who sell annuities or who market or produce them aren't under fire by regulators, pushing for securitization of the product, then we see another battle brewing: the field getting even more competitive as banks and broker-dealers, among others, join the traditional players like carriers and marketing organizations.
Speaking at the NAFA 2011 IMO Summit, held Oct. 19-21 in Boca Raton, Fla., annuity guru Sheryl Moore, president of Annuity Specs.com, offered the kind of passionate proselytizing the industry needs.
Moore told me after her talk"The Changing World of Fixed Annuities"that the audio-visual equipment had blinked out a few times. I hadn't noticed. She soldiered on as she educated the audience on trends to watch.