Government intervention has always resided in the nether world of Sisyphean dilemmas. On one hand the intervention itself is almost certainly going to do more harm than good. The problems addressed by government are too large, systemic, and chaotic to allow some policy wonk’s solution any reasonable chance of success. On the other hand, without […]
A while ago, 401(k) fees were all the rage in the media. Big articles were written, big legislation was produced, and the big fees themselves were supposed to become a little more transparent. Apparently the companies providing the 401(k) plans were making BOATLOADS of money off of the fees, and (surprise!) they weren’t exactly being […]
Recently, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics was given to three professors for “their empirical analysis of asset prices”. Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen, and Robert Shiller were awarded the prize for their groundwork in determining that stock prices are hard to predict in the short time, easier in the long term, and have already […]
The Millenial Shuffle? Forbes is reporting that Millenials (those of us who are really 30 and under) are seriously deficient in their retirement saving. The reasons proffered include disinterest in standard retirement plans due to recent market volatility, huge student loan debt, and general youthfulness (i.e. “Retirement? Isn’t that something that you worry about when […]
Obviously the Stock Market is the eventual end point for most workers’ investments, retirement or otherwise. Your financial advisor is going to tell you that, historically speaking, it’s the most stable thing out there. Consequently, it’s where s/he’s going to place your bets. If you’re investing via a company 401(k) then you’re limited to a […]
A recent survey from State Street Global Advisors draws a conclusion that seems inevitable in the contemporary market. Investors want a monthly retirement income, in addition to whatever they may get from Social Security. That seems like an obvious desire as that is indeed the whole point of retirement saving: having money to live on […]
The positive implications of technology are so ubiquitous that the general public has become inured to the constant proclamations of breakthroughs, game changers, and world shifting inventions. In the realm of medicine, it’s taken for granted that new treatments will be discovered, life spans will be extended, and diseases will slowly but surely fall to […]
Local Government Cuts Pension Plans Trying to avoid possible bankruptcy, the city of Detroit continues to outline major budgetary cuts and cost saving maneuvers. Amongst the more noticeable of these cuts is a massive reduction in pension benefits. These would include reducing existing pension checks, as well as eliminating pensions completely for those who have […]
