The Retirement Income Industry Association is building on its webinar series to develop a virtual learning center for advisors and home office personnel, the organization announced earlier this month.

Exchange-traded fund flows reached $191 billion in 2012, surpassing the previous record of $169 billion in 2008 - with $38 billion in inflows in December alone.

The time is right for guaranteed income products such as variable annuities, explains Guardian's Doug Dubitsky - provided you can explain them to clients.

The new PlanSuccess tool provides a behavioral audit of DC plans for clients, but advisors must complete a training program to get access to the system.

Putnam Investments suggests that deferral rates have a greater impact on a portfolio than fund selection, asset allocation or rebalancing.

Twenty percent of advisors surveyed say they have been using blogs, LinkedIn and other social media to build their brands. Compliance is not a big concern.

Annuity sales were up 4 percent in the second quarter, to $57 billion, but are down from the same period last year, with 2012 total sales of $112 billion.

Guardian annuities head describes trends and challenges in the market - and how to make the concept of annuities less confusing to clients