January 10, 2020
That statement is, to an extent, a confession. The 401(k) structure is deeply unpopular with most investment writers, who regard it as a patchwork scheme that permits companies to foist their retirement-income risks onto employees.
January 3, 2020
A sweeping piece of legislation affecting how individuals save and invest for their retirement, known as the “SECURE Act,” has recently been signed into law. Our investment professionals talk about the implications of the Act, and how it can enhance the retirement security of millions of Americans.
January 3, 2020
Signed into legislation in late 2019, the SECURE Act offers individuals and business owners an opportunity to reassess their college, personal retirement and employer retirement plans heading into 2020. Retirement and wealth strategies expert Matt Sommer outlines some of the Act’s key provisions and their implications for retirement plan sponsors and plan participants.
December 27, 2019
The IRS has proposed new actuarial tables for calculating required minimum distributions. Here’s the timeline and the key takeaways. Good news–the IRS is giving us all a little more life expectancy. The IRS has just issued revised life expectancy tables for use in calculating required minimum distributions.
December 26, 2019
December 19, 2019
How can a planning mindset help investors approach retirement saving? The second and final podcast in our overview of the 2019 Wells Fargo Retirement Study explains.
December 13, 2019
the U.S. investment business needs a roll-up. That process has already begun. Following is a brief synopsis, starting with the segment that has advanced the furthest and concluding with that which has moved the least.
December 12, 2019
When Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) announced the suspension of lending foreign shares this past week, people who dislike short selling rejoiced. None more so than Elon Musk, which is not hard to imagine; Tesla has been the target of short sellers for almost as long as it’s been public.
December 12, 2019
The 2019 Wells Fargo Retirement Study highlights the challenges facing investors as the retirement landscape changes. Part one of our two-part podcast series digs into that, as well as the mismatch between savings and safety for today’s workers and retirees.
November 29, 2019
Josh covers some of those potential traps and errors that can arise when building a lineup. Although we think about how investors will be using them in a more institutional context, often within a retirement plan, many of these points are equally relevant if you are building your own individual portfolio.
October 21, 2019
One of the best aspects of full-time employment is being eligible for employer-provided benefits: health insurance, participation in a 401(k) plan, and so on. But as grateful as you may be to have access to those benefits, registering for them can be a bit unnerving, too.
October 11, 2019
Parents are looking for guidance on how to talk to their children about money. Retirement Director Ben Rizzuto explains how advisors can address this need while establishing themselves as the family’s primary wealth manager – all without putting their other client relationships at risk.
September 26, 2019
September 20, 2019
September 10, 2019
How can you argue with an act of Congress named “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement” (SECURE)? Who wouldn’t want an enhanced retirement?The SECURE act, which recently passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 417-3, is now being debated in the Senate. And at first glance, it looks great. If passed, Americans over the age of 70 ½ would still be able to contribute to traditional IRAs. And the dreaded required minimum distributions (RMD) wouldn’t start until age 72.
September 6, 2019
If you religiously max out your 401(k) plan every year (currently $19,000 per year or $25,000 for those 50 or older), it will likely grow to become your single largest financial asset. There’s just one big, glaring problem with the 401(k): The investment options are often terrible.
September 4, 2019
August 14, 2019
August 8, 2019
Global market volatility and low interest rates have greatly impacted the funded status of corporate defined benefit plans over the past decade. Particularly in the last year, wide swings in equity markets have become less predictable, making funded status volatility a greater cause for concern. As such, many plan sponsors are seeking solutions that hedge against risk and volatility while protecting any improvements in funded status.
August 8, 2019
July 23, 2019
On May 14, 2019, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing titled “Challenges in the Retirement System.” The hearing focused on a variety of issues relating to retirement security, such as increasing workplace retirement plan coverage and participation and increasing participant savings.
July 5, 2019
Save for the future or pay off debt? Deciding how to effectively use your extra income isn’t as simple as you think.We all have bills and expenses like rent and groceries that we must cover each month. That’s just a part of life. But what do you do with your next dollar after taking care of the necessities?
June 25, 2019
Age has a way of sneaking up on all of us, including our clients. Life experiences may make us wiser, but they don’t protect us from the natural decline of cognitive capabilities as we age. A proactive contingency plan can help protect clients from potential financial risks associated with a decline in cognitive health.
June 20, 2019
Shareholder activism can take many shapes. The concept is mostly associated with go-getter investors like Carl Icahn, storming into a company’s board demanding change or ousting ineffective CEOs.
June 11, 2019
Sometimes, against all expectations, the US Congress can actually pass big and important legislation. That’s certainly true of a sweeping new retirement savings bill that has passed the House with bipartisan backing. It stands a good chance of rolling through the Senate, then getting signed into law by President Trump.
May 23, 2019
The IRS recently altered course and announced that it will no longer stop employers from offering retirees a lump sum payment in exchange for their pensions. Initial reactions have been that this is very bad — comparing lump sum cash-outs to cigarettes — legal, liked and bad for you.
May 10, 2019
The rising cost of health care has been a political hot button issue for years, and Franklin Templeton’s 2019 “Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE)” survey revealed it remains a top concern today. Franklin Templeton Defined Contribution Head of Strategic Accounts Kevin Murphy and Michael Doshier, vice president, Retirement Marketing, offer some highlights from the survey and stress the importance of saving enough to meet future health care needs in retirement.
May 9, 2019
Women want more teach, less tell when it comes to retirement planning. Anne explains. Understanding how women think about investing is critical for the future of retirement. Women are on their way to holding the majority of wealth: they are likely to inherit most of the wealth transfer in the coming decades 1, they’re the breadwinner (or co-breadwinner) in 60% of households 2, they’re starting businesses at twice the rate of men 3–the list goes on.
