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.

An Entrepreneur Tackles Decumulation, with TIPS

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Nov 24, 2010

Manish Malhotra’s FIAP platform, set to launch next year, will enable advisors to build retirement income streams out of laddered TIPS, immediate annuities, and withdrawals from balanced portfolios.

Published November 24, 2010

The $1.1 Trillion Tax Hike

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Nov 17, 2010

The "Zero Plan" proposed by the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform last week calls for the end of $1.1 trillion in tax breaks. The...

Published November 17, 2010

Singing from the Fee-Only Song Book

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Nov 10, 2010

Given their focus on planning rather than sales, fee-only advisors seem well-suited to the labor-intensive process of creating customized retirement income solutions for their clients.

Published November 11, 2010

Good Day at BlackRock

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Nov 2, 2010

BlackRock will use the SPARK Institute's new IT standards to deliver the LifePath in-plan income solution--a deferred income annuity in a target-date fund of funds. “That’s a very important...

Published November 3, 2010

A New Brand of VA Conference

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Oct 27, 2010

Under Cathy Weatherford’s command, the IRI annual conference has become smaller, more strategic, less tactical, and more Washington-oriented.

Published October 27, 2010

Plan Experts Like Annuities

By Kerry Pechter Thu, Oct 21, 2010

In a workshop at this week's ASPPA annual meeting in Washington, D.C., few third-party administrators believed that the average couple will be able to afford the retirement they dream...

Published October 20, 2010

Retirement Income ‘Smackdown’

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Oct 12, 2010

In a three-way competition at the CFDD conference, the winning income plan was one that maximized Social Security, converted a 401(k) to a Roth IRA, and rebalanced the remaining...

Published October 13, 2010

A Fortune in Reversals

By Kerry Pechter Mon, Oct 4, 2010

New federal reverse mortgage rules make it cheaper for seniors to tap their home equity for a line of credit.

Published October 6, 2010

Making a Case for the 401(k) Annuity

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Sep 14, 2010

Executives from major plan providers, including Christine Marcks, president of Prudential Retirement, along with trade group officials and ERISA experts, pitched ideas about in-plan income options at DoL/Treasury Department...

Published September 15, 2010

“What Investors Really Want”

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Sep 7, 2010

That’s the name of behavioral economist Meir Statman’s new book. We all yearn for upside potential and downside protection—and maybe a weekly Lotto ticket, he says.

Published September 8, 2010

Imperfect Harmony

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Aug 31, 2010

Hundreds of riled-up advisors and brokers, including Harold Evensky, have responded to the SEC's RFI on "harmonizing" their standards of conduct. Here's some of what they wrote.

Published September 1, 2010

Financial Engines’ Secret Income Plan

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Aug 24, 2010

Financial Engines CEO Jeff Maggioncalda expects his firm to roll out an in-plan income option to DC participants in late 2010 or early 2011. He won't reveal details, but...

Published August 25, 2010

Which Are the Hottest VA Brands?

By Kerry Pechter Fri, Aug 13, 2010

Who do advisors think of first when asked to name a variable annuity provider? The just-published 2010 Advisor Brandscape from Cogent Research reveals that and much more.

Published August 18, 2010

The Downside of Upping the Retirement Age

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Aug 10, 2010

Social Security turns 75 on Saturday, and pressure to raise the claiming age for full benefits is rising. But that would hurt the least well-off most, said experts at...

Published August 11, 2010

The Gospel of Matthew Hutcheson

By Kerry Pechter Mon, Aug 2, 2010

The 40-year-old leader of the “independent fiduciary movement” is passionate about making retirement plans more responsive to the needs of participants.

Published August 4, 2010

They’re Relatively Well-Off

By Kerry Pechter Sun, Jul 18, 2010

The median annual income for people over age 65 in the United States is only $18,000, including public assistance and financial help from friends and family. The average—skewed upward...

Published July 21, 2010

On Second Thought, Make That a Single-Dip

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Jul 14, 2010

Vanguard analysts put the chance of a double-dip recession at about 20%. The bond yield curve suggests only a 6% risk, but the yield curve isn't as reliably predictive...

Published July 15, 2010

How Many VA Owners Will Bail Out?

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Issuers of variable annuities with income benefits could face lower-than-expected lapse rates and higher reserve requirements over the next 18 months, says Oliver Wyman.

Published June 30, 2010

Plugging Leaks in VA Guarantees

By Kerry Pechter Tue, Jun 22, 2010

VA issuers can’t keep bearing so many of the contract risks. Milliman's Ken Mungan (above) and Deep Patel suggest three ways to make VA manufacturing more sustainable.

Published June 23, 2010

For VAs, Roll-Ups Rule

By Kerry Pechter Wed, Jun 16, 2010

Perhaps unintentionally, "roll-ups," aka deferral bonuses, have arguably become the key feature of variable annuities with GLWBs. But can they save VAs from becoming a niche business?

Published June 17, 2010

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