Kerry Pechter, Author at Retirement Income Journal

Articles by Author: Kerry Pechter

Editor and Publisher of Retirement Income Journal, Kerry Pechter is author of Annuities for Dummies (Wiley, 2008) and former editor of the SourceMedia publication, Annuity Market News/Retirement Income Reporter. He has been an annuity columnist for Senior Market Advisor, and his feature articles have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Men's Health and many other national publications. From 1997 to 2006, he was a writer and editor supporting the Retirement Resource Center at The Vanguard Group. In 2009, he traveled to Taiwan and reported on the retirement industry there as a fellow of the National Press Foundation. A graduate of Kenyon College and recipient of a fellowship in creative writing at Indiana University, Pechter resides in Emmaus, PA, with his wife Lisa, the director of marketing and publicity for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University.

How Annuity Risks Get Passed to the Bermuda Triangle

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Jun 23, 2022

Leading private equity-linked fixed indexed annuity (FIA) issuers ceded the risk (the liability) of 95% of their 2021 sales to the balance sheets of affiliated or co-owned reinsurers located...

Published June 23, 2022

You Can’t Eat Your Own Head

By Kerry Pechter

The US faces an unsustainable fiscal imbalance of about $250 trillion over eternity, says an econometrics think tank. For several reasons, the analysis doesn't worry me.

Published June 23, 2022

The Bear That Ate My Grandfather

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Jun 15, 2022

When I saw on Bloomberg that the stock market had fallen into "bear market territory," I paid a little attention, but not much. I know the worst that a...

Published June 16, 2022

A New Kind of RIJ is on the Way

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Jun 9, 2022

Over the next few months, I plan to redesign the site. My goal will be to make the material that I’ve written and collected since April 2009 more accessible...

Published June 9, 2022

Annuities are Sorely Misunderstood

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Jun 3, 2022

About 97% of all annuities sold are deferred annuities. I think of them more as tax-deferred, principal-protected investments than as personal pensions in retirement. Most people don't know the difference.

Published June 3, 2022

NAIC Reassures Congress on Private Equity-Led Insurers

By Kerry Pechter

Responding to Sen. Sherrod Brown's March inquiry, the association of state insurance commissioners gave high marks to their own oversight of PE-linked life/annuity companies. But the NAIC's 'nothing...

Published June 3, 2022

There’s No National ‘Ponzi’ Scheme

By Kerry Pechter Thu, May 26, 2022

Are our grandchildren doomed to inherit all of our debts, and nothing else? Such pessimism ignores the obvious fact that our grandchildren will inherit our assets along with our...

Published May 26, 2022

Private Equity and Accounting Firms

By Kerry Pechter Thu, May 19, 2022

"I’d like to call this the ‘private equity invasion.’ With rock and roll, it was the British invasion. You know, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This is going...

Published May 19, 2022

Desperately Seeking Alpha (and Getting Caught)

By Kerry Pechter

Low rates, demand for yield, financial alchemy, gaudy incentives and a black swan event provided the ingredients for the cataclysm at AGI US. Pictured: SEC chief Gary Gensler.

Published May 19, 2022

Social Security’s Political Problems

By Kerry Pechter Thu, May 12, 2022

As evidenced by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's objections to a recent Social Security bill, even the moderates in Washington can't agree on reforms.

Published May 12, 2022

Who Has ‘Three Legs at Evening’? (The Elderly)

By Kerry Pechter

The Pension Research Council's Spring Symposium took place (virtually), which meant no semi-formal dinner with the sphinx at the University of Pennsylvania's museum. But the presentations of research papers...

Published May 12, 2022

The ‘Retirement Income Consortium’ is Born

By Kerry Pechter Thu, May 5, 2022

Eight financial giants formed the Retirement Income Consortium to promote income solutions in 401(k) plans and 'develop a vetted due diligence framework' for 'selection and monitoring' of those solutions.

Published May 5, 2022

Why RIJ Obsesses over the ‘Bermuda Triangle’

By Kerry Pechter

Private equity is no longer a sideshow in the annuity industry. Its involvement is now the main event. But we know too little about private equity’s growing role in...

Published May 5, 2022

New York’s ‘shot-across-the-bow’ to PE firms

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Apr 29, 2022

'Given the apparent misconception in the marketplace and the recent increase in insurance company transactions,' one industry analyst said, 'The Department wishes to remind industry participants...

Published April 28, 2022

Private Equity in the Life/Annuity Biz

By Kerry Pechter

Experts Tim Zawacki of S&P Global Market Intelligence, Rosemarie Mirabella of AM Best, and Jason Kehrberg of PolySystems presented data on “Private Equity and the Life Insurance Industry” at...

Published April 28, 2022

It’s Inflation or Recession: Larry Summers

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Apr 21, 2022

In this research roundup, economist Larry Summers predicts a recession next year. We also review new papers on annuitization habits of TIAA participants, 'tontines' for Chile, shortages of...

Published April 21, 2022

Bloomberg’s Ideas for Overhauling 401(k)s

By Kerry Pechter

Bloomberg editors call the existing 401(k) program 'dysfunctional' and a 'morass.' Their critique is valid, but their suggestions are not quite new.

Published April 21, 2022

To Make the Economy Better, Let’s Not Make It Worse

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Apr 14, 2022

Raising interest rates, driving down asset prices, and sparking layoffs can't be the best way to neutralize a petroleum-driven inflation. But higher rates could make real returns on bonds...

Published April 14, 2022

A ‘Cashback’ Pension-Building Card, from Germany

By Kerry Pechter

'The Vantikcard uses the 1% cashback as a kickstart into retirement savings and for customers to then save on top of the cashback,' a Vantik veteran said. Right: Vantik...

Published April 14, 2022

Your Retirement Money Diet

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Apr 5, 2022

Morningstar's investment gurus put four variations of the "safe withdrawal" method through a simulated retirement scenario involving a 65-year-old man, a $1 million portfolio, and a 30-year time horizon....

Published April 7, 2022

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