In the News • January 1, 2016
“Last month, President Obama inaugurated yet another way to encourage Americans to save for retirement. In the new myRA accounts, workers can save up to $15,000 in a low-fee investment plan that, like a government savings bond, guarantees the principal. The accounts are a small step toward helping households save, but they are not an […]
In the News • November 10, 2015
“From the time you earned your first paycheck, you likely heard the same advice over and over: Start putting away for retirement—now! And it is sage advice to consider, especially when you look at the stats: The median nest-egg balance for American households last year was a mere $2,500, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. Data […]
In the News • November 10, 2015
“The idea of retiring early doesn’t hold allure for everyone — especially, perhaps, when you’re a real-life special agent for the federal government. Ninja, a 30-year-old Seattle native who blogs under this alias at PunchDebtInTheFace.com, already has a solid work-life balance. Plus, sitting at home is a pretty boring, low-adrenaline alternative to doing top-secret investigative work. […]
In the News • October 21, 2015
“Two thirds of advisors say that a key goal for pre-retirement and retiree clients is income distribution planning—but that doesn’t mean they’re suggesting annuities as a way to achieve that goal. That’s according to a survey conducted by Saybrus Partners, Inc., which found that while 65 percent of advisors identified “retirement income distribution planning” as the chief […]
In the News • October 19, 2015
“This week, America is celebrating National Save for Retirement Week, established by Congress to raise public awareness about the importance of putting money aside for our golden years. For decades, traditional pensions, or defined benefit plans, have been the retirement savings tool of choice for employers in the public and private sector, and they continue […]
In the News • October 5, 2015
“A secure retirement seems like a distant dream for too many Wisconsinites. Social Security alone isn’t enough to retire on – the average benefit for most Wisconsinites is about $1,300 a month. Across the country, millions of people are at risk of running out of savings after they retire. The nation is facing a vast […]
In the News • September 19, 2015
“Teacher pensions are in trouble. The latest figures show that states and districts are half a trillion dollars behind in their commitments to fully fund the retirement benefits they promised teachers. That’s a huge sum affecting some 3.5 million current educators. But not all pension payouts are equal. In fact, just 20 percent of teachers […]
In the News • September 17, 2015
“The retirement security problems facing so many Americans are much more acute among minority groups. Income disparity is an important cause, but recent research also shows that some of the gap could be due to differences in investing patterns. A growing number of advocates feel that having more African-Americans involved in financial planning could help. “We’re […]
In the News • September 9, 2015
“The 2008 financial crisis hurt retirement savings, but we found public defined benefit pensions in red states and blue states that survived the market’s free-fall in reasonable shape. Surprisingly, one of those well-funded plans is the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. What distinguishes financially sound pensions from others? It’s simple: mandated, adequate contributions. “Adequate” means contributions from both employees […]