Tag: Markets

The IRS prohibits DB plans from paying lump sums to in-pay retirees and beneficiaries,” but many terminated vested participants will view lump sums as attractive.”

The 2017 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Guide to Retirement has been released, offering the firm’s updated take on the capital markets and the latest in personal financial planning. 

Investing in a Roth versus a traditional IRA effectively raises the limit on what one can save, leading to materially greater wealth in retirement in the vast majority...

A new survey report from S&P Global Ratings examining the pension plans of the 15 largest U.S. cities “reveals some common trends and key factors related to net...

The investment firm says that employee stock purchase programs (ESPPs) can significantly boost workers’ savings.

Research from Cerulli Associates warns consumers broadly do not understand liquid alternative investments—what they are made of or how they are supposed to function. 

Analysts suggest infrastructure investments already have been doing fairly well in recent years despite heightened market volatility. 

Investment product providers and consumers face many challenges in today’s dynamic markets—but a surge in equity investment in the last year shows a clear willingness to accept risk...

ETFs have taken on a central role in critical investment functions like risk and liquidity management. 

There is a common notion that workers prefer the safety of defined benefit plans—but research shows the flexibility and control offered by DC accounts are also highly valued. 

“Low growth, low interest rates and fully valued equities make the hope for strong future returns just that—a hope,” new research from Willis Towers Watson warns. 

Predictions vary around market returns and interest rates for 2017, although some have predicted rates solidly above 5% by the end of 2018. 

Some suggest it is little more than a lack of awareness that has prevented a big rush by DC plans towards smart beta investing.

Fiduciaries have a lot of responsibilities, but they are not required to predict the future, and cannot be held liable for deciding to avoid risks that, in hindsight,...

Experts argue bond ladders can work in a rising rate environment and across a variety of unpredictable macroeconomic scenarios—allowing investors to continually readjust their fixed-income exposure. 

Conventional thinking about product packaging and distribution just won’t cut it in tomorrow’s retirement advisory industry. 

Medium- and long-term return assumptions that had already been fairly muted heading into 2017 should be adjusted downward even further, a new analysis from Cerulli Associates contends. 

Exchange-traded funds have struggled for years to enter the defined contribution market; they could see more success under a tighter fee and regulatory environment. 

Looking to 2017 and beyond, investors must accept that expectations for market returns over the next 10 to 15 years have declined for most asset classes. 

The year that concluded in December started with one of the worst opening months for the equity markets on record, followed by a strong rally in Q4 that...