Retirement Confidence Falls Sharply Among Older Workers
Market losses and continuing volatility have badly shaken US workers’—particularly older workers’—confidence in the prospects of a comfortable retirement, according to our recent survey of US defined contribution (DC) plan participants.
read moreHow to Diversify When Markets Are Highly Correlated
With economic and political developments driving big gyrations in equity markets, at first blush it seems that all stocks are moving together and diversification benefits have diminished. But as my colleague Andrew Chin explained in a recent article, spreading exposures across the spectrum of equity risk and return factors is now more important than ever.
read moreOur View on the Final Participant Advice Rules
In a reversal, the US Department of Labor’s final regulation requires computer-generated investment advice to include target-date funds when comparing the investment offerings provided by a defined contribution plan. But the hurdles to being compliant are high.
read moreKnowing Your Account Value Isn’t Enough
A retirement account lump sum may look like a lot, but how much should one withdraw each year to have a good chance of sustaining income through retirement? Surprisingly few people know.
read moreRisk Revisited
Institutional investors ready to give up on stocks should first consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they impose on their equity managers, as my colleague Patrick Rudden recently explained in an article for our European newsletter, Pension KnowlEDGE.
read moreLooking for a Haven from Stormy Markets?
It’s easy to understand why investors are seeking a safe haven now. The 2008 financial crisis is still a fresh memory, and the global economic recovery appears to be losing steam. Meanwhile, politicians in both Europe and the US cannot decide how to address their pressing problems. Every bad piece of news seems to push [...]
read moreHave Target-Date Funds Lost Their Allure?
A recent article in Pensions & Investments discussed a fund company survey that suggested defined contribution (DC) plan participants aren’t happy with their target-date funds. The survey found that only 22% of participants were “very satisfied” with their target-date investment. The fund company—which isn’t a target-date fund provider—called that “pretty darn low.” But the survey also found [...]
read moreIs the 2011 Crisis a Rerun of the 2008 Crash?
The equity market meltdown of the past two weeks has raised widespread fears that we’re headed for a repeat of the wealth destruction seen in 2008. There are certainly some close parallels, but I also see some very big differences in the root causes of the two crises.
read moreArchives by Month:
- December 2012 (16)
- December 2011 (12)
- November 2012 (8)
- November 2011 (14)
- October 2012 (20)
- October 2011 (17)
- September 2012 (10)
- August 2012 (17)
- July 2012 (15)
- June 2012 (16)
- May 2013 (2)
- May 2012 (13)
- April 2013 (10)
- April 2012 (8)
- March 2013 (23)
- March 2012 (12)
- February 2013 (19)
- February 2012 (10)
- January 2013 (20)
- January 2012 (11)