ACLI appoints 2013 board of directors

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) announced that it will increase the annual roll up from 5 percent to 6 percent on the optional Income Protector rider for its Allianz Vision Variable Annuity contracts issued on or after Oct. 15, 2012.

The Income Protector rider offers a lifetime income benefit to help consumers build a protected source of income with a guaranteed growth rate and the potential for annual payment increases based on positive contract value performance. 

In addition to the 6 percent annual increase, the Income Protector rider will continue to offer:

• The 1.50 percent simple interest, known as the 6 percent Annual Increase, will automatically reset to equal the contract value, if higher;
• Lifetime income with opportunities for increasing income in any market;
• Up to 30 years of guaranteed quarterly growth.

Securian Financial Services Inc. (SFS) is now offering Securian Freedom, a turnkey asset management program for investing for the long term.

Securian Freedom combines the investment expertise of the professionals in SFS' Investment Resource Group (IRG) and the convenience of the Pershing platform, and is available for investments of $50,000 or more.

Client accounts are managed by the IRG on a discretionary basis in accordance with the model portfolios selected by clients, allowing advisors to focus on client investment objectives while building their businesses.

Each of the five model portfolios combines 13 – 17 sub-asset classes to maximize risk-adjusted returns. They range from an aggressive growth option whose objective is the highest possible long-term growth of capital, to an income option for investors whose primary objective is current income. The target market is individuals who:

• Seek a long term, strategic approach to investing;
• Understand the importance of rebalancing their portfolios;
• Want to maximize risk-adjusted returns across market cycles.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is helping AXA streamline its finance function across its European operations.

Under the multi-year technology and management consulting agreement, which began in 2009, Accenture is helping AXA develop and implement a common finance and reporting information technology (IT) system based on SAP solutions. Accenture is also providing management consulting services to help AXA design and implement centralized finance and accounting (F&A) processes, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations.

"This program is helping us increase consistency in our accounting principles, optimize costs and allows our finance teams to focus on analyzing information rather than on gathering and reconciling data" said Virginie Babinet, AXA Finance and Procurement solutions managing director within AXA Group Solutions.

The program has been implemented in France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the UK, and is expected to be implemented in Germany and Switzerland by early 2013 and in Belgium by early 2014.