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.
Guest Column
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...
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...
The Case Against Helicopter Money
'Distributing largesse financed by the central bank would have dangerous systemic consequences in the long run,' writes the chief economist of Allianz SE.
What’s Wrong with Negative Rates
'If central banks continue to use the wrong models, they will continue to do the wrong thing,' writes the Nobel Prize-winning economist.
The Future of Robo-Advice
'I’d love to see several of the start-up robo-advisors thrive in the coming years. But most face serious economic headwinds,' writes the founder and CEO of Morningstar, Inc.
Boundless Life Expectancy?
A senior economist at the World Bank believes that medical technology will keep finding ways to keep us going--and going strong--for much longer than nature intended.
Confronting the Fiscal Bogeyman
'The solution... is to fix the problem of deficient demand not by attempting to further loosen monetary conditions, but by boosting public spending,' says our guest columnist, an economist...
What’s Holding Back the World Economy?
Neither monetary policy nor the financial sector is doing what it’s supposed to do. The flood of liquidity has gone toward creating financial wealth and inflating asset bubbles, rather...
Comment: Oracle and Others Sued by Schlichter
'There has been an uptick in the number of ERISA fiduciary breach lawsuits filed in the last few months,' writes Clark at the FRAplantools blog. He comments on four...
Advisors Provide Icing, But Retirees Need Cake
'I thought that, if given the right software, the retirement industry would use it to address the non-investment needs of the mass market. I was wrong,' writes our guest...
Global Economy ‘Frustratingly Fragile’
'There is a high likelihood of an extended pause in interest rates at, say, 1%, that opens the door for balance-sheet normalization and leaves the inflation-adjusted federal funds rate...
Opportunity Knocks on the 2016 Door
Ron Surz, the target date fund authority, is back with his annual market retrospective and forecast. He apologizes for missing the mark last year (he predicted a 19% drop...
The Perils of Fed Gradualism
Our guest columnist wants interest rates to rise faster. 'A steeper normalization path would produce an outcry,' he writes. 'But that would be far preferable to another devastating crisis.'
Social Security Spousal Benefits Still Unfair
The recent closure of the "file and suspend" loophole as a Social Security claiming strategy doesn't make spousal and survivor benefits under the program any less unfair, writes this...
Stock Market Volatility and Investors’ Trust
Households mistrust discount brokers the most, followed by full-service brokers and banks, writes our guest columnist, a director at Consumer Financial Decisions - Strategic Business Insights. Financial-planning and mutual...
The Bezzle Years
John Kay, a visiting professor of economics at the London School of Economics, describes the happy feeling that precedes our realization that we've bought a pig in a poke.
The Chinese Economy and Fed Policy
"Unless there are surprising changes in the US economy, we can expect the Fed to start raising interest rates later this year, as Janet Yellen has proposed, and to...
Managed-Payout Funds vs. Annuities: Who Wins?
Managed payout funds may fail if the client lives too long. Life annuities overcome that problem, but lack sufficient flexibility. 'The best results can be obtained by combining SPIAs...
In the Fiduciary Fight, Key Players are Biting Off as Much as They Can Chew
In reviewing a new bulletin from the DoL, a wealth management analyst at Celent sees “a heightened jockeying for position among regulators and other industry actors with an interest...
