Smart Beta or Strategic Beta?
Morningstar has put together the following matrix to help clarify the above, that we find very useful in our model portfolio construction:
Advisors Improve 401(k) Plan Satisfaction of Small Business Owners
Survey shows small business owners that work with a financial advisor are more satisfied with their 401(k) Plan. A recently published survey of employers regarding their 401(k) Plan offered several insights into the impact that 401(k) Plans have for employers that have between 25 and 250 employees. In summary: Plan Sponsors that work with a […]
Dividend Investing
The era of ZIRP, easy money and financial repression has forced many savers/retirees to look elsewhere for yield/income. This has forced many investors to look at dividend paying stocks to capture a more predictable source of income and as a hedge against market gyrations. With the “graying” of America, it is not surprising that increasingly […]
Retirement Remains Americans’ Top Financial Worry
Is this a surprise? As per a recent Gallup survey, a majority of Americans, 59%, are worried about not having enough money for retirement, surpassing eight other financial matters. A majority of Americans have reported being “very” or “moderately” worried about retirement savings every year since 2001, illustrating that saving for retirement disquiets Americans in both […]
Best Practices in 401(k) and 403(b) plan design
A leading-edge 401(k) or 403(b) plan should consider the following plan design features: Immediate eligibility to make employee deferral contributions with a one-year wait period to receive employer matching contributions; Automatic enrollment at an employee deferral contribution rate of between 3% and 6% and automatic employee deferral escalation of 1% each year up to a maximum 10% […]
Chinese Yuan 12 month Forward
Official data released on Tuesday showed China’s foreign exchange reserves jumping by $129 billion in the first quarter, to an all-time high of $3.95 trillion. The Chinese build reserves by intervening to weaken the Yuan against the US dollar. US Treasury officials responded by verbally reprimanding the Chinese about free market forces, although they […]
Employers Ramping Up Retirement Plan Features, Advisory Services
Employers are enhancing their retirement plans and increasing access to professional investment advice in an attempt to bolster employee retirement readiness. A new study by Aon Hewitt, which polled more than 400 plan sponsors serving 10 million plan participants, revealed a number of initiatives being taken to strengthen employee ability to achieve greater financial security […]
What are the Fiduciary Rules?
Every plan must have a fiduciary(s) responsible for the operation of the plan. A fiduciary can be identified as a person or as an office, such as a company’s board of directors. Many plans have several fiduciaries, each being responsible for a different aspect of the plan’s management. Fiduciaries can be held liable if they […]
Volatility 101: The basics of options trading
Options can be a wonderful tool to help an investor with portfolio hedging, to create extra income, even to speculate on a market trend. But before you can trade options on the stock price of Apple or Tesla, you have to understand the basics of volatility. To do that, we’re going to break down volatility […]
Americans Continue to Face Saving Challenges, Survey Finds
According to a survey released last month by America Saves and the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), just 35% of Americans feel they are making good or excellent progress in saving money. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say they’re making fair or no progress. However, nearly 7 out of 10 (68%) say they are spending less than […]
