Bridge to Somewhere
"Liability-driven investing for individuals" is how J. Brent Burns, MBA, (left), and Stephen J. Huxley, Ph.D., describe Asset
Dedication, which is the name of their bond-laddering methodology, their book and their company.
Luck of the Draw
In this second installment of our series on retirement risks, we examine sequence-of-returns risk: what it is, what it can cost, and how best to deal with it.
Holiday Cheer
Forget doom-and-gloom. Recent research suggests that the Crash of 2008 will not prevent most Boomers from retiring as planned.
Ally, Ally, InFRE
The International Foundation for Retirement Education, directed by Kevin S. Seibert, CFP, has been certifying retirement advisors since 1997. Now the certifier itself is certified.
Featured
Thoughts on the Future of Retirement Income Products
This fly-fisherman, financial advisor and former insurance company executive surveys the retirement income product landscape from his lake house in central Maine.
‘Here There Be Dragons’
There is no actuarial roadmap through what could be a completely restructured health insurance marketplace. "It's terra incognita," says this consultant and author.
News
Financial Industry Wants Fed As Its Watchdog
The Federal Reserve "is the financial fire department... to which financial institutions and markets naturally turn in time of crisis," say the leaders of MetLife, Goldman Sachs and other large financial services companies.
The House Passes Financial Regulation Without Republicans
The bill consolidates several existing federal agencies into a single Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would set rules on credit cards, mortgages and loans.
Big Money Gravitates to Wirehouse Stars
About 80% of wirehouse assets, or $3 trillion, is managed by advisor teams that manage over $200 million each, Cerulli Associates reported.
JPMorgan Dials Down Its Return Expectations
Expected returns for both domestic and international large-cap stocks were lowered to 7.5% a year for the S&P 500 and to 7.75% for MSCI EAFE.
Goldman Sachs Announces Compensation Changes
The 30 members of the firm's management committee will receive all of their discretionary compensation in shares whose sales are restricted for five years.
An Announcement From Chairman Scrooge
Less than a quarter (24%) of 300 companies surveyed by Hewitt Associates are offering holiday bonuses this year, down from 42% in 2008.
Another Departure from MassMutual Retirement Income
Gary F. Baker, vice president in the retirement income business division of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., has left the company.
