In “A Chat with Jackson’s Clifford Jack,” Kerry Pechter of the Retirement Income Journal interviewed Jackson National Life’s Executive Vice President, Clifford Jack. Jackson is one the U.S.’s top fixed and variable annuity issuer. With a Moody’s rating of A1 (Good) and $3.4 billion in retail sales and deposits for this year’s second quarter, they are having a record year amidst marketplace turmoil. Jackson was ranked eighth as a variable annuity provider in the first quarter of 2009, jumping ahead of big names Hartford Life, Pacific Life, AIG, and RiverSource Life. They have succeeded with 1035 exchanges, with a 23% yearly increase in annuity net flows from the first half of 2008 to the first half of 2009.
EVP Clifford Jack explains why you should make a 401k annuity transfer or find another way to purchase an annuity from Jackson. He attributes their success to the quality and consistency in both the product and message that Jackson delivers. They did not receive any public or raised private capital during the financial crisis because they already had a strong balance sheet and wise investments. Jack says that variable annuities have provided better security overall in the past year and that because of this, Jackson has seen a large increase in the number of advisers coming to them for their quality products. Their marketing has shifted focus to financial due diligence. Jackson’s main goal for the future is to continue what they have been doing. They don’t want to change their business philosophy when it is working well for the company and its consumers.
