Surveying the Damage of Low Interest Rates
'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...
Guest Column
Bitcoin is a Bubble. Blockchain is a Breakthrough
'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...
A Debt Straitjacket? Or a Misdiagnosed Disease?
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...
The Real Risk to the Global Economy
'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...
Lessons from Tax Reform School
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.
America’s Tax-Cut Peronists
'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...
DC Plans: Can Everyone Win?
'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,'...
Another Nobel Surprise for Economics
The Nobel committee just honored Richard Thaler, one of the founders of behavioral economics. Our guest columnist calls the choice controversial but appropriate.
Deja´ Voodoo
'The key lesson of Ronald Reagan’s “voodoo” supply-side economics has not changed: tax cuts like the ones proposed by President Trump do not lead to faster growth, but only...
The Normalization Delusion
'The psychological bias to expect a return to “normality” will remain strong. But the drivers of post-crisis economic performance are so deep that no return to normality is likely...
Smoother Income, with ‘iTDFs’
Our guest columnist, a former chief actuary of Denmark, adds new details about his design for a target date fund on how to smooth income - and stay fully...
Is Trump Killing the Dollar?
'In the administration’s first 200 days, the dollar has lost almost 10% of its value,' writes our guest columnist. 'Investors have been looking for alternative safe havens in other...
Why Not Medicare for All?
The debate over 'repeal and replace' has made it clear that if we are serious about providing universal healthcare to Americans, the only sensible option is single payer, writes...
Why We Need Randomized Modeling for Retiree Income Strategies
It’s hard to imagine modern retirement income planning without powerful computers and the Monte Carlo simulations they make possible. Our guest columnist explains why.
The Pleasant Inflation Surprise — Will It Last?
'The core inflation rate is likely to exceed the Fed’s 2.0% inflation target by the end of next year, which should keep the Fed on its path of gradual...
When Growth is Not Enough
'It may be that the most rhetorically populist president since Andrew Jackson will, in practice, not be populist enough,' writes the former Fed chairman in this excerpt from an...
What Keeps Equities Aloft: Grantham
Low rates, high leverage, monopoly power, global brands and a friendly Supreme Court have all helped sustain corporate profits and keep P/E ratios high, writes the famous value investor.
Deregulators Must Follow the Law, So Regulators Will Too
'The Labor Department has concluded that it is necessary to seek additional public input on the entire Fiduciary Rule,' wrote the Labor Secretary this week,' but added that he...
Ready for Take-Off? Or a Crash Landing?
'The Trump effect that carried the market through the end of April now shows some evidence of running out of steam,' writes our guest columnist, of Chao & Co.,...
Trump’s Tax Reform Dilemma
Tax reform will require more than the mere elimination of waste, fraud and abuse in government, warns our guest columnist, a former Treasury official. Popular subsidies, like the tax...
