Retirement Watch Weekly
Do Recessions Increase Life Expectancy?
I always urge people to examine the data. Don’t adopt a theory that makes sense until you’ve examined the data and seen the theory stand up. There are many misconceptions about finance and investing that exist because people don’t examine the data. They accept a theory that makes sense, even when the data contradict it. […]
How to Age Well
Baby Boomers are the most depressed adult age group in the country, says an article in The Atlantic. The article focuses on women, but what it says applies to men, though it says women have more depression thanmen. Baby Boomers women shouldn’t be depressed, because they’ve been a special generation. Women, in particular, had more […]
Evaluating Your 401(k) Plan
Most people don’t know a lot about their 401(k) plans, which is odd, because that is the main retirement savings vehicle for most Americans. SmartMoney lists the key factors you need to review when evaluating your 401(k) plan. I don’t usually like SmartMoney’s “10 Things…” series, but this one makes a few good points among […]
The Neglected Part of Retirement Planning
Medical expenses and long-term care costs are the wild card in all retirement plans. Most people don’t plan well for them. Even those who use financial advisors arent’ doing a good job of planning for medical expenses, according to a new survey by Nationwide Financial. We discussed in Retirement Watch many times the importance of […]
The Shrinkage in Variable Annuities
Hartford Financial wants to get out of the annuity business. It wants out of the variable annuity business so badly that recently it offered to buy out the interests of current variable annuity holders. This is part of a trend among insurers to limit or withdraw from their annuity businesses. The problem for insurers is […]
Why Stocks Go Down
It doesn’t have much to do with the election or even fears of the fiscal cliff. Only a couple of things move stocks. They boil down to people either want to pay a higher multiple for earnings than they did yesterday, or they don’t. The fact is that earnings aren’t as robust as they were […]
Why Is Fidelity Liquidating Some Funds?
Fidelity is one of the biggest mutual fund firms. It seems to roll out a new fund regularly. It’s a behemoth. Yet, it’s closing three funds. Not closing them to investors, but shutting them down. There are lessons for investors in this news, and they are well-expressed here. Too often, a fad is created in […]
The Federal Reserve Chance of Recession Chart
A few days ago I linked to a chart from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis that attempts to forecast recessions. The post I linked to asserted that the chart now indicates we have a 100% chance of a recession based on how the chart today compares with past performance. But it turns out […]
