Fed’s Inflation Fight Will Likely Lead to Economic Pain in 2023
The Federal Reserve’s battle with inflation will likely inflict short-term pain on the U.S. economy, Jeff Grills, head of the emerging markets debt team at Aegon Asset Management, told participants at the 2022 SVIA Fall Forum in early October.
Retirement Realities: Why Retirement Plans Are Evolving into Retirement Programs
A little more than two years ago, The Washington Post reported on “the Great American Migration of 2020”—a reference to describe the millions of Americans who were moving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slumping Equity Markets Could Help Stable Value
If stocks continue to struggle, DC plan participants might seek less-risky investments The stable value asset gains in early 2020 began to evaporate in late 2020 and in 2021, but the big questions for a possible stable value comeback in 2022 depend on the stock market, the bond market, interest rates and competition from money […]
This Low-Risk 401(k) Investment is Guaranteed to Not Lose Your Money. Here’s When it May Make Sense to Use
For investors nearing retirement or already retired who need the certainty of cash but want to squeeze out a bit more yield, a certain investment in your 401(k) plan may fit the bill. It’s called a stable value fund (or something similar) and typically is available only through defined contribution plans such as a 401(k).
Fixing the ’40’ in Defined Contribution Plans
Gone are days when a 60/40 portfolio provides investors with adequate risk and returns. The historical baseline for what an investor considers a diversified portfolio is often referred to as the 60/40: 60 percent of an investor’s assets invested in equities and 40 percent in fixed income.
Solving the Retirement Puzzle for Non-Traditional Workers
A little more than two years ago, The Washington Post reported on “the Great American Migration of 2020”—a reference to describe the millions of Americans who were moving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Investment Can Protect Your Retirement Savings From Volatility
Stable value funds post high yields with relatively low risk, and your retirement plan could already be invested in this asset class. MetLife says that more than eight in 10 defined contribution plan sponsors offer stable value funds as an option to preserve capital, and retirement savers would do well to consider adding this asset class to the mix if it’s not already part of their portfolio.
The Role of Stable Value Funds as QDIAs or Otherwise
The final regulations on qualified default investment alternatives, published by the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration in 2007, addressed the savings previously defaulted into stable value funds, saying they are grandfathered under the protections of the QDIA regulation.
DOL Proposal Would Remove Barriers to ESG Investing in Retirement Plans
A proposed new rule from the U.S. Department of Labor should finally resolve any questions retirement plan fiduciaries have about incorporating environmental, social and governance factors into investment decisions made in those plans. Or maybe not. After all, the DOL’s position has already changed several times in the not-so-distant past.
