Tag Archives: risk

I just finished watching a new documentary on 401(k) plans. It was intended to be an exposé of sorts. The program combined criticisms of the U.S. retirement system and financial services industry with sinister music for added drama. After I …

One of the most intriguing retirement studies issued in 2012 was by economists James Poterba of MIT, Steven Venti of Dartmouth, and David Wise of Harvard.* Their study looked at wealth holdings among Americans in their late 60s. And one …

If you first learned how to think about saving and investing as I did, from a passbook savings account, bond funds can seem like a world turned upside down. I was reminded of this a few days ago when an …

On December 16, 2008, the Federal Reserve cut its target for the shortest-term interest rate to nearly 0%. The Fed’s bold policy action was one of many aggressive steps taken to stabilize global financial markets and a U.S. economy that …

Along with about 50 million others, I’m a product of Generation X. I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut, spent my weekends at the roller-skating rink, and grew up watching Madonna on MTV (back when she was more controversial and they …

Many of my fellow bloggers have written about the recent turmoil in the markets. Rather than add my two cents to what has already been very well articulated, I’d like to take a different angle.

Have you noticed anything different …

I have to admit, I can’t live without my smart phone. The ability to be constantly connected to my friends, take care of e-mails in between other tasks, or check the news from anywhere is an incredible convenience. It’s also …

In my January 5 post, I wrote about big developments shaping retirement in 2011. In this and an upcoming post, we’ll look at simple retirement planning tactics individual investors may want to consider.

1. Savings rates. There’s a …

I’ve mentioned in several previous posts that the anxiety about 401(k) balances has been largely overstated, in part because of the beneficial effects of ongoing contributions and diversified portfolios. This point has come across as Pollyanna-ish to some of you, …

Jeremy Siegel has a recent piece in the Financial Times that restates his view that stocks are the most appropriate investment for investors with a long horizon. I wonder how most of you look at this issue, especially after the …