djaworski

6/4/2015 - How Good Is Your 401(k) Plan? (Morningstar)

As Morningstar’s Scott Cooley discussed in this article, the introduction of “nudge” features like automatic enrollment and auto-escalation (participants put more into their 401(k)s when they get raises) and the uptake of professional management mean that many 401(k) investors are able to save more and invest better than they would have even a decade ago. I’m… Read more 6/4/2015 - How Good Is Your 401(k) Plan? (Morningstar)

6/3/2015 - New retirement age is not 65, not 80, not 95: It's higher (CNBC)

One hundred years ago, the average lifespan was about 42. That’s now doubled. People are living longer and trying to stretch their income to make ends meet and stay ahead of inflation, but that’s not the inflection point financial advisors are really concerned about—that’s just the everyday blocking and tackling on behalf of client portfolios.… Read more 6/3/2015 - New retirement age is not 65, not 80, not 95: It's higher (CNBC)

6/3/2015 - SEC Warns of Advisors Duping Investors With Fake Credentials (Think Advisor)

The Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors Wednesday to perform a thorough background check on potential advisors’ credentials as it brought two enforcement actions against advisors for falsifying and exaggerating theirs.The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an Investor Alert Wednesday warning investors not to “trust someone with your investment money just because he or… Read more 6/3/2015 - SEC Warns of Advisors Duping Investors With Fake Credentials (Think Advisor)

6/2/2015 - Many Americans Clueless on How to Spend Retirement Savings (Think Advisor)

Despite two decades of advice from the retirement industry about how to accumulate a magic number in retirement savings, many working Americans will never reach that goal, according to Pentegra Retirement Services. This means the industry must shift focus to educating workers about how to maximize what they will manage to save. A new poll… Read more 6/2/2015 - Many Americans Clueless on How to Spend Retirement Savings (Think Advisor)

6/1/2015 - Here’s the Unsettling Truth About the Retirement Crisis (Time)

It’s much harder to save for retirement when you have a low-wage job with no employer-sponsored savings plan, such as a 401(k). Retirement account ownership is heavily concentrated among higher-income households. That’s the key reason Obama created the MyRA plan, which is designed to make retirement savings accounts more accessible to lower-income workers and those just starting out.… Read more 6/1/2015 - Here’s the Unsettling Truth About the Retirement Crisis (Time)

5/31/2015 - A Better Way to Tap Your Retirement Savings (The Wall Street Journal)

Dynamic withdrawal strategies have attracted attention as financial advisers have sought to refine and move beyond the so-called 4% rule. Widely used since now-retired financial planner Bill Bengen published groundbreaking research on safe withdrawal rates in 1994, the 4% rule calls for retirees to spend no more than 4% from their portfolios in the first year of… Read more 5/31/2015 - A Better Way to Tap Your Retirement Savings (The Wall Street Journal)

5/30/2015 - Should you delay Social Security payout? (USA Today)

Social Security is the central thread running through America’s social safety net. The program that supports older Americans, disabled workers and their families paid about$823 billion in 2013, according to the most recent Social Security Board of Trustees report. That was more than one-fifth of all federal spending that year, covering 58 million recipients. For decades,… Read more 5/30/2015 - Should you delay Social Security payout? (USA Today)

5/29/2015 - Help clients before they become the family bank (Investment News)

A recent national study by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave found that roughly six in 10 people (62%) age 50 and over are providing financial support to family members. The amount of support can be substantial — averaging $15,000 over five years. But among clients with assets over $5 million, the average level of support climbs to… Read more 5/29/2015 - Help clients before they become the family bank (Investment News)

5/28/2015 - Health savings accounts gain acceptance as retirement tool (Market Watch)

At the end of 2014, U.S. health savings accounts (HSAs) held $24.2 billion across nearly 14 million accounts, versus $19.3 billion across nearly 11 million accounts in 2013, according to Devenir, a Minneapolis-based provider of HSA investment products. Underlying this rapid growth is the increased adoption by employers of high-deductible health insurance plans, which shift… Read more 5/28/2015 - Health savings accounts gain acceptance as retirement tool (Market Watch)

5/27/2015 - The issue is net returns, not the nature of the fund (Market Watch)

Research conducted by economists at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College and other institutions have concluded that the high fees associated with investing in 401(k)s and IRAs seriously erode balances at retirement. Paying an additional 100 basis points reduces these balances by more than 20 percent. Read the full article in MarketWatch.