You can buy stock with a few mouse clicks and an $8 commission. Why not an annuity? The possibility of online annuity sales should be intriguing to any cost-conscious saver-and terrifying to any traditional insurance seller. The established way for insurance companies to move investment products is to send agents out for long, thoughtful discussions over the kitchen table. The Web is a threat to that system. For now the door to electronic sales of retirement policies is open just a crack. Abaris, a Philadelphia business started in March by two young Wharton graduates and a fellow University of Pennsylvania alum, wants to open it wider. Through its site you can get quotes from competing annuity vendors.
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