Notable Retirement Research of 2018

Our selection of ten outstanding retirement-related research papers from 2018 starts off with a summary of Joe Tomlinson's proposal for three new annuity products that have never been issued but should be, in his opinion.

Honorable Mention

By Editorial Staff
In Georgia (Europe), auto-enrollment faces legal challenge; Investors start to sweat over global warming: MSCI.
On the Road

Holy Annuities! RIJ Goes to Israel

By Kerry Pechter
If it’s winter in east-central Pennsylvania, then you can bet that RIJ’s virtual offices will be someplace where the weather is mild and the local retirement financing system promises an interesting case study.
Leaders and laggards

iShares collect $36.1 billion in December: Morningstar

By Editorial Staff
iShares ETFs gathered more than triple the inflows of runner-up Vanguard's $11.4 billion last month. Vanguard still came out ahead for 2018 with nearly $161 billion in inflows to iShares' $136 billion.

COVER STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

January 17, 2019

Annuities, RIAs and ‘Cargo Cult’ Thinking

By Kerry Pechter
Brighthouse Financial's Shield structured annuity joins products from Allianz Life, Jackson National and Global Atlantic on the Envestnet Insurance Exchange, where annuity issuers hope to engage registered investment advisors. An interview with Envestnet president...
January 10, 2018

Two Client-Centric Income Strategies

By Kerry Pechter
We compare two easy-as-pie annuity strategies: Income starting at age 80 versus guaranteed income for the first 10 years of retirement. One hedges longevity risk, the other hedges sequence risk, and neither ties up...
January 3, 2019

Money Myths, Legal Realities

By Kerry Pechter
At a conference at Harvard Law School called "Money as a Democratic Medium," law professors debated the origins, purposes, and rightful ownership of money in the modern era. (Photo: Bil Lewis portraying President James...