Helicopter Money Is in the Air
Helicopter money comes in two forms: The government could issue each voter or citizen with a smart card worth, say, $1,000. Or helicopter money could be used to finance...
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Anecdotal Evidence
In this week's opinion piece: The possibility that the DOL rule will extend to taxable accounts; Vanguard's formula for calculating a safe withdrawal rate; thoughts on recent news coverage...
The Cost of Retirement Age Uncertainty
At age 23, Americans would give up as much as $1 out of every $25 of future personal spending to know exactly what year they would retire, a new...
Positive Words about Negative Rates
If Fed chair Janet Yellen had to choose between setting a higher inflation target and forcing short-term interest rates into negative territory in order to lower real rates during...
Chile’s Pension Crunch
The author, a former presidential candidate and finance minister of Chile, teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.
Demand for retail “institutional” funds to accelerate: Strategic Insight
Distributors are likely to apply the standards of the DOL fiduciary (or "conflict of interest") rule to all client money, not just qualified assets, said Dennis Bowden (pictured), lead...
Vanguard continues to dominate mutual fund flows: Morningstar
“Cost definitely plays an important part , but it’s not the only reason,” Morningstar’s Alina Lamy (pictured) told RIJ. “A lot of it has to do with...
Great American Offers No-Commission Indexed Annuity
'The DOL gave it some impetus, but the real issue is that the markets are pretty much topping out,' said Great American senior vice president Malott Nyhart.
Inside the Flight from Active Management
Nine-tenths of new fund flows are going to passive strategies, helped by a desire for low costs, the DOL fiduciary rule, and robo-advice. There's still a ton of money...
The Great Woodstock Festival in the Sky
Sure, there will be stresses to federal and state budgets as the Boomers—with their titanium hips, Van Morrison CDs and organic green tea supplements—push the envelope of human longevity....
The ‘Save Our Social Security Act of 2016’: A Major Step Toward Reform
These changes in the proposed bi-partisan proposal would bring the Social Security system close to long-term solvency, writes this Urban Institute economist and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the...
Summer Issue of the Journal of Retirement Appears
Of the eight new articles, the one called “Strategies for Managing Retirement Risks” might be the most relevant for financial planners and advisors.
The Least Bad Choice for President
At a time when the country needs a smart young technocrat without baggage, we must choose between two oldsters who together carry more baggage than all the major airlines...
Incomes, Cost-of-Living Higher in Blue States: LendingTree
In LendingTree's survey, Hillary Clinton supporters were almost twice as likely to say they were financially very happy as were Donald Trump supporters (18.3% vs. 9.3%).
A new topic for Brits to argue about: Decumulation
Two UK small-plan providers, The People's Pension and Now Pensions, don't want NEST, the public DC option for small companies, to offer a retirement income strategy in competition with...
A Hydrologist’s View of Cash Flows in Retirement
John Walton, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, has combined his knowledge of water with his personal curiosity about retirement income to create a "framework"...
PwC to Wealth Managers: Go Digital or Drown
'Digital has the potential to completely transform every stage of the wealth management journey, from how existing clients are advised and serviced to how prospective clients are identified and...
Brexit: A Long Goodbye, Not a Clean Break
Britain's unemployment rate was low in the run-up to its referendum on EU membership, and the UK needs its 2.1 million European workers, writes The Conference Board's senior economist...
A Maserati for the Mo-ped market
Having purchased GE Capital and Honest Dollar, Goldman Sachs is poised to go down-market with retail banking, lending and retirement account services. Look out below!
A Quiet Winter for Variable Annuities: Morningstar
'A quiet quarter is not a bad thing,' writes Morningstar's Senior Product Manager in his quarterly report on VA product updates. 'It gives advisors a chance to focus their...
