Featured Archives - Page 2 of 43 - Retirement Income Journal

Anecdotal Evidence: Voya, Northwestern Mutual and Fake DOL Comments

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Jan 4, 2018

New Year's reflections on: Voya's departure from the annuity business, Northwestern Mutual's new live-for-today television ads, and the Wall Street Journal's exposure of counterfeit postings on the DOL fiduciary...

Published January 4, 2018

A Simple Idea for Increasing Annuity Sales

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Dec 21, 2017

'Annuitization decisions can be improved by getting people to think about how annuities help people avoid running out of wealth in old age,' said the Wharton School's Olivia Mitchell,...

Published December 21, 2017

Rothification Wouldn’t Have Hurt Lower-Income Taxpayers

By Meir Statman

'There is evidence that employees are pretty oblivious to tax considerations when they save, whether in traditional accounts or Roth accounts,' writes our guest columnist, an expert in behavioral...

Published December 21, 2017

Surveying the Damage of Low Interest Rates

By Anders Aslund Thu, Dec 14, 2017

'Insurers seem to be doing fine, but that is because they have been cutting benefits to the point that their customers will soon wonder why they bothered to take...

Published December 14, 2017

Tontines: A New Threat to Annuities?

By Kerry Pechter

Life insurers like to say that they have a monopoly on longevity risk mediation. Digital tontines could prove them wrong.

Published December 14, 2017

Bitcoin is a Bubble. Blockchain is a Breakthrough

By Stephen Slifer Thu, Dec 7, 2017

'Bitcoins are only useful to speculators, but the blockchain technology on which it is based will both enhance cyber-security and make the current payment mechanism far more efficient,' writes...

Published December 7, 2017

Where Defined Contribution Falls Short

By Kerry Pechter

The defined contribution system, despite its standardized designs, regulations and contribution limits, reproduces (and may amplify) the economic disparities in the workforce it covers (or fails to cover).

Published December 7, 2017

Department of Labor Declares 18-Month ‘Transition Period’ for BICE

By Wagner Law Group Thu, Nov 30, 2017

Though the DOL has said it will focus its enforcement policy on compliance assistance, 'private litigants' won't be so gentle, the benefits law firm warned, adding that even the...

Published November 30, 2017

A Bitter Sandwich on Thanksgiving

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Nov 29, 2017

An elderly widow recently suffered a bad fall. Her children, one of whom is still paying college tuition for one of the grandchildren, face the prospect of paying $12,000...

Published November 30, 2017

The Word of the Week Is: Thanks

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Nov 23, 2017

A short note from RIJ... It focuses on gratitude but also includes a hint of changes we plan for 2018.

Published November 23, 2017

A Debt Straitjacket? Or a Misdiagnosed Disease?

By Eugene Steuerle Wed, Nov 22, 2017

With public and private debt so high across the developed world, International Economy magazine asked a group of economists, including this RIJ guest columnist: “Has the world been fitted...

Published November 23, 2017

The Turmoil inside TIAA

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Nov 17, 2017

Articles criticizing TIAA appeared in the NY Times recently. In response, two former TIAA executives, speaking anonymously, described the competitive, cultural and financial pressures facing the financial services firm....

Published November 16, 2017

The Real Risk to the Global Economy

By "Smart_Christopher" Thu, Nov 16, 2017

'The risk stems less from unpredictable shocks than from the slow erosion of institutions that investors trust to make an uncertain world more predictable,' writes the...

Published November 16, 2017

Legal Limbo: Attorneys Await DOL Resolution

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Nov 9, 2017

At the ALI-CLE's recent conference on securities and insurance law, Tim Pfeifer described new developments in the annuity world. Todd Solash and Merry Mosbacher spoke for and against...

Published November 9, 2017

Lessons from Tax Reform School

By Eugene Steuerle

Our guest columnist, a veteran of the 1986 federal tax overhaul, reveals the kind of chain reaction that can occur when you change the tax code.

Published November 9, 2017

America’s Tax-Cut Peronists

By Simon Johnson Thu, Nov 2, 2017

'Facts used to matter in Washington, at least a little bit. But this is no longer the case in the age of Trump, at least not when it comes...

Published November 2, 2017

DC Plans: Can Everyone Win?

By Jack Towarnicky

'If we have a retirement crisis, it may well be one of funding entitlements, maintaining existing tax preferences, and a lack of personal prioritization when it comes to saving,'...

Published November 2, 2017

With “Ascend,” Voya Enters the Structured Variable Annuity Race

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Oct 26, 2017

'It’s a new and improved version of a product that we previously offered called Potential Plus,' said Chad Tope (pictured), president of Annuities and Individual Life Distribution for Voya...

Published October 26, 2017

Taxes Will Be Cut But Not Reformed

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Oct 25, 2017

'The odds of tax reform coming out of this conference are zero percent,' said former Treasury official Mark Iwry at the academic forum of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investments...

Published October 26, 2017

Icon: An IRA for ‘Gig’ Workers

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Oct 20, 2017

Icon will offer a portable IRA to workers at small companies as well as to independent contractors. State Street Global Advisors and Dimensional Fund Advisors will provide low-cost investments....

Published October 19, 2017

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