Stable Value Roundtable
What’s happening in the stable value market? Seven experts from diverse sectors of the industry brought participants at the 2013 SVIA Fall Forum up to speed during a lively roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C. Among the highlights: Wrap diversification: A preference for having multiple wrap contract providers for a stable value fund still persists among […]
Building an Optimal Investment Lineup for a Defined Contribution Plan
Are you a plan sponsor or consultant looking to create a great investment lineup for a defined contribution plan? David Blanchett, head of retirement research for Morningstar Investment Management, offers this advice: Don’t start with a goal of building the best lineup possible. Instead, start with your end point in mind: building the lineup that […]
Columnist Sees “Crescendo of Errors” in Washington
The political divisiveness that has characterized Washington, D.C. over the past few years reached new highs in October 2013, first when Congress allowed the federal government to shut down, and then when it came perilously close to allowing the U.S. to default on its debt. To Michael Barone, syndicated columnist and senior political analyst with […]
Potential Regulatory Changes Cloud Outlook at Front End of Yield Curve
The front end of the yield curve—home to conservative investments such as money market funds, short-term investment funds (STIFs), and even stable value—has been challenging for the past few years, not just for individual investors, but for institutions as well, including corporate sponsors of defined contribution plans. Corporations have record amounts of cash on their […]
Wells Fargo Economist Sees US Consumer Spending in Seventh Inning of Rebound
The U.S. still hasn’t recovered fully from the Great Recession of 2008-2009, but it’s getting closer. Jay Bryson, managing director and global economist for Wells Fargo, told participants at the 2013 SVIA Fall Forum that he foresees real U.S. gross domestic product growing by about 2.5 percent in 2014 and 2.75 percent in 2015. That […]
How United Technologies Revamped its 401(k) Plan
Plenty of employers offer 401(k) plans because it seems like a good idea. Maybe the competition does it. Maybe employees like them. Perhaps the boss wants one. United Technologies Corp., a global manufacturer that generated $57.7 billion in revenue in 2012, has bigger ambitions for its 401(k). As Kevin Hanney, the company’s director of defined […]
Paradigm Shift: Changing Demographics Bode Well for Stable Value
The stable value industry has benefitted from data showing that stable value funds historically have generated higher returns than their chief competitors, money market funds. It’s a good marketing pitch, and an especially potent one right now, as money market returns have hovered near zero percent for the past four years. But Michael Davis, head […]
Survey Offers Clues to Broader Adoption of Stable Value Funds
Stable value funds are a core component of the defined contribution plan marketplace. Addressing the 2013 SVIA Fall Forum, Robin Andrus, director of stable value marketing for Prudential Retirement, noted that stable value funds are offered by about half of all defined contribution plans, and represent about 20 percent of the total assets in those […]
Stable Times Volume 17 Issue 2
Download PDF The biannual publication of the Stable Value Investment Association that covers both industry concerns and association activities. Table of contents: Transforming Tomorrow: Awakening the Super Saver [PDF] Dodd Describes His Work on Signature Bill as Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity [PDF] Stable Value Seen Outperforming Other Fixed-Income Sectors in Rising Rate Environment [PDF] Stable Value: Challenges and Opportunities [PDF] The […]
