Pentegra Retirement Services is making available to clients a new
lifetime retirement income product in conjunction with Hueler Income Solutions.
The
addition of the Hueler Income Solutions product provides Pentegra with the
ability to expand access to institutionally priced lifetime income for
thousands of retirement plan participants.
“Hueler
shares our vision and commitment to improving retirement outcomes for
participants. Through this out-of-plan annuity solution, individual investors
will have the opportunity to objectively consider guaranteed lifetime income as
part of their broader retirement income plan,” says Richard W. Rausser, senior vice president,
Pentegra.
Hueler’s
Income Solutions product is designed to facilitate efficient, transparent,
low-cost delivery of lifetime income to “Transitioning Investors”—both active
employees and retirees. The platform provides a service for assisting
participants with the process of converting portions of their retirement assets
into a reliable income stream, or paycheck for life.
The
company claims it is the only institutionally priced, fully automated,
multi-issuer platform available in the market today. Individuals benefit from
higher monthly income payouts and can choose from a variety of pre-screened insurance
companies. All quotes are standardized to improve transparency and the platform
offers easy-to-use educational tools.
In
anticipation of the new qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) regulations, the Income Solutions platform was expanded in 2013 to include deferred
income annuities and longevity insurance. A QLAC is a deferred income annuity
that pays the annuitant later in life. The advantage of a longevity annuity is
only a small initial deposit of premium dollars are needed to guarantee bigger
income payments later in retirement years. Hueler is among the first to offer
QLACs in this fashion to sponsors and participants. The expanded product
offering also addresses a growing demand from individuals for the ability to
control when their monthly income payments begin.
“Hueler’s
Income Solutions provides a lifetime income option on a credible, cost
effective basis, using Hueler’s proprietary search and selection criteria. We
are excited to offer this solution to our plan sponsors and participants,”
Rausser adds.
I
was pleasantly surprised to see that electronics did not dominate the list of
best gifts this year. As a matter of fact, less than a handful of responding
readers mentioned an electronic item. The theme around this year’s best gifts
was family—time with family, family news, trips, handmade gifts or gifts that represent
family or family memories. Other items on the “best” list included watches,
gift certificates, socks, electric blankets, a coffee thermos and a customized
t-shirt, among others.
Some
of these “best” gifts were also listed by some responding readers as “worst”
gifts, such as socks and gift certificates. Many respondents said none of their
gifts were bad, and several listed being sick as their worst gift.
In
verbatim comments there was also a theme—that the holidays should be less about
gifts and more about spending time with family and friends. Some offered
suggestions for choosing the right, thoughtful gift. Editor’s Choice goes to the
reader who said: “Can we stop between adults? It’s not fun ’cause it’s tons of
work and no one wants to do it! I’d rather my friends spend time with me, which
they never seem to have available! Let’s go out for a nice dinner &
conversation instead!”
Thank
you to everyone who participated in our survey!
Best
Gifts
My
son was so sweet -- he designed a case for my new mobile phone on Shutterfly
with a photo of him and his sister on the back.
Uninterrupted
time with the love of my life!
A
watch - that was on my wish list - already sized for me!
Trip
to Texas to visit relatives.
An
ultrasound & blood test showing that by all measures, my 3rd child is
healthy as can be.
Two
handmade holiday thank you cards and handmade tree ornaments from a group of
school children who visited our office. The ornaments went on my tree that
night!
The
best gift was not receiving gifts at all, but being together with family on a
week-long vacation in Europe.
Gift
card to Ruth's Chris. A steak there for free is a double gift.
The
best holiday gift I received were the smiles on the faces of friends and
family. The one benefit of being older is finally learning the important stuff.
Like that it really is better to give than to receive.
a
Clay Pumpkin my 10-year old daughter made me in art class. she filled it with
Hershey Kisses
This
may end of being the worst, but my new sister-in-law gave me a 4 pack of
work-outs at the new Orange Fitness Theory. Tonight is the first one...we shall
see! She is going with me at least.
GPS
I
received a number of gift certificates to stores that I frequent. My mom gave
me a gift certificate for a one-way flight on Southwest Airlines.
Twin-size
electric blanket. With only half the bed extra warm, we have a happy wife and a
happy husband. All is good!
Having
my whole family together for the holidays was my best gift
Electric
shaver...no more razor burn!
Neat
Receipt Scanner
A
necklace from my step daughters with each of the blended families' birthstone
and charms that read "many hearts" "one family". Our
families are very blessed!
handmade
ornaments from kids
bose
cd player
Angel's
Envy bourbon
My
brother in law sent me a bracelet that belonged to my sister.
Pressure
Cooker and sweatshirts
The
British television series "Fawlty Towers" on DVD
My
three kids being home for the holidays!
Fuzzy
slippers
The
golf pro at a course we played over Christmas while traveling in Florida picked
up our lunch tab in their restaurant because according to our waitress,
"he hadn't yet used up his 2014 budget for the holiday." It was a
great, unexpected surprise.
Having
the entire family together
Having
my daughter and her fiancée spend Christmas with us.
A
personalized photo coffee mug summarizing my family in 2014
My
husband surprised me with an 11-day guided tour of the country of Portugal! We
leave in September!!
Time
with my daughters.
News
of my daughter's new baby!
A
package of brand new socks without holes and that stay up!
The
best gift I received is the time spent with my loved ones.
A
visit from my two 20-something daughters
Photo
album of my son and daughter-in-laws wedding pictures. They hand-picked the
pictures so most of them were my side of the family.
Coffee
thermos that actually keeps coffee hot all day.
Donation
in my name to an organization that works to stop killing of elephants in Africa
for their ivory. Second best wind up Kermit the Frog that hops backwards.
A
t-shirt custom made for me that said, "Dainty Hippie Biker Chick."
Can't wear it to work because it will blow my professional image. LOL
A
custom calendar with pictures of my husband and me each month at various
locations throughout 2014.
New
Watch
Worst
Gifts
Nothing
was bad -- I liked everything although I did need to return some gloves because
they were too small.
I
can't really categorize anything I received as "worst"...unless I can
count not having all my family with me as worst. Skype...however...is a
wonderful thing!
Coasters
- in a box that looked like they had been 're-gifted' at least a couple of
times...
all
my gifts were good
A
monogrammed door mat.
There
are no bad gifts when they come from the heart.
A
child's book on football - we have no children. I guess it was a gag gift but
it didn't even work from that point of view. We still tried to be gracious.
I
generally do not get bad gifts. But when I was 23 my boyfriend at the time
(mama's boy) gave me a shovel since I had just moved into my first apartment
and I needed one. Needless to say I did break up with him and he still lives
with his parents at 41 years old.
Our
house was "skunked" on late Christmas Eve,early Christmas morning
when we noticed an acrid burning smell that was worse in the basement!
Apparently a skunk had burrowed under the slab of an old porch on the side of
the house and "let go".
I
received a short decorative stool (the one you sit on, not the one that comes
out of your body). The seat of the stool was in the shape of a curled up cat.
The
weather. We traveled in rain going and coming.
I
can't say I got anything I don't like...
Box
of dried fruit
A
cold...
Subway
gift card
holiday
serving plate
they
were all good
I
received a battery operated hand radio, Not even sure where they purchased it.
( The kind we had in the 60's and 70's.)
None
- it's the thought that counts - all good thoughts were/are appreciated!!
Socks
I'll probably never wear
Scented
candle that smells like pinesol
Kiddie
Crud
There
are no bad gifts. Receiving a gift means that someone was thinking of you.
Gift
card
Nothing
yucky this year!
Cough
and cold that have lasted two weeks!
My
husband gave me a stun gun - this was after giving me a .22 pistol for target
shooting (which I don't do) for Christmas last year! Couldn't I have a toaster,
please?
The
gift of ageing
A
pair of ugly Christmas ornaments with our first initial on them.
I
did not receive a bad gift. They were all given with love.
A
seat cushion for my office chair, which I can't use because it makes me sit up
too high and adjusting the seat height and arm rest height doesn't work.
Hand
cream. Since I travel, I have more hand creams than I can be used in this
lifetime.
Slipper
socks made for 8 year old child.
A
white elephant gift of old dish cloths and used nail polish.
Hmm...don't
think I got anything I'd consider bad.
None
Management decided to
lay off about 10% of our local workforce two days before New Year's Day.
Verbatim
I
don't know why we make it so hard on ourselves. If you give from your heart, be
it tangible or intangible...it is a gift. If you can't give from your heart, it
becomes a chore, and chores basically suck.
I
love to give gifts - but I hate to shop.
Gifts
given with love, no matter the type, are priceless.
The
older you get the less getting gifts matters; the joy comes from giving or
having family time and most of all from celebrating the birth of Jesus.
We
put way too much pressure on gifts for the holidays. If you love someone, buy
them a present whenever you want - not because Constantine invented Christmas
because he didn't want to give up his pagan winter celebration when he became a
Christian. I hate seeing how stressed my friends and extended family are about
having to send gifts, or offending people if they don't send gifts. Way too
many people go into debt for a societal obligation that is quite ridiculous.
(Call me a scrooge, but I'm not in debt).
Our
American culture focuses too much on the material and not enough on the
lasting.
I
spoiled my kids a little this year, but they deserve it and I don't spoil them
throughout the year. They were super happy with their gifts!
Realized
more than ever, the gift of family!
I
knitted the gifts for all the girls on my list. It took me 6 months and was
satisfying.
I
wish my wife would buy less stuff for the kids!
When
giving a gift, people should know the person well enough to give them something
they would like to have rather than waste money on junk that will be promptly
delivered to Goodwill. When in doubt, take the time to learn what restaurants
or stores the person prefers and send gift cards that they will enjoy. For work
gift exchanges, it is easy as we spend all year together so it is easy to see
who would like a gift certificate to Starbucks, the local gas station or an
Amazon gift card etc....
we
all say that we can pretty much get whatever we need, so it's tough to select
just the right thing. Always a challenge.
More
people should be comfortable giving cash and gift cards rather than stress
themselves out trying to find the perfect gifts for people.
I've
become severely turned off by the whole emphasis on Christmas gift-giving. I'd
like the season to be more about family time, relaxation, and spiritual
celebration.
Even
if holiday gifts sometimes seemed forced and without true sincerity, letting
someone know you care about them through gift-giving is the best gift of all.
It
isn't the cost of a gift but the meaning in the gift. Gifts should be something
the giver wants to get someone and not off the receiver's list.
My
family and I decided years ago that our presence together is the best present
we can give each other.
At
least for our family, the gifts were thoughtful and not about buying the best
thing but more down to earth. I hope to see that tradition continue into next
year.
I
give each of my children three gifts: the first is some random gift; the second
cash; the third is is a DUnkin' Donuts gift card. Life is good. .
We
reduced our gift exchanging with extended family many years ago. It got to a
point that we felt like we were exchanging $20 bills because no one knew what
to get and it was easier. Now my gift giving is in the form of baked goods
(cookies and breads). I've not had any complaints!
I
prefer to give baskets with small gifts that I know the person would like
(because I pay attention to what they tell me throughout the year). If you
don't have any idea what to give me then just ask me for a list of what I want.
I'd rather get what I want than have to pretend I like what I got.
Wish
more people would say what they want to receive and talk spending limits.
The
best and worst were one in the same. I didn't get anything. Maybe, hopefully,
that was a good thing...
Stressful
trying to purchase the "perfect gift" but fun to watch the receiver
open their presents and fun to open the gifts I have received.
Can
we stop between adults? It's not fun 'cause it's tons of work and no one wants
to do it! I'd rather my friends spend time with me, which they never seem to
have available! Let's go out for a nice dinner & conversation instead!
I
think it's too commercialized and people have lost what the purpose of gift
giving is all about. It's not the money spent it should be the caring that went
into the present.
NOTE: Responses reflect the opinions of
individual readers and not necessarily the stance of Asset International or its
affiliates.