Asset Allocation

Simply put, asset allocation involves spreading your money across different types of investments or “asset classes “. It’s how you divvy up your portfolio--whether you choose, cash, bonds or stocks or some other combination of asset categories. The idea is to figure out what is the right or “optimal” mix of asset classes to meet your investing objectives and risk tolerance. A key objective is to find investments that are not correlated. In other words, risk is theoretically reduced by having investments that don’t all move down at the same time to reduce risk. To keep your portfolio in ship-shape, you need to periodically revisit your asset allocation and rebalance your portfolio. In other words, buy and sell for the portfolio from time-to-time because various assets grow at different rates.

AARP Offers Tips on Retirement Spending and Annuities

AARP has published a tip sheet called Money Matters that offers advice on spending down one's assets in retirement. The tip sheet addresses a number of areas, including: When to claim Social Security . Asset Allocation. Annuities. Withdrawal rates. The role of one's home in retirement planning . For each topic, AARP offers a description of common or current practices, conventional wisdom and their general guidance. With respect to annuities, AARP notes that most people pay very little attention...
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MetLife Introduces Low Cost Variable Annuity

MetLife recently announced the launch of a simple, low cost variable annuity called Simple Solutions. The Simple Solutions variable annuity will be sold through banks and is intended to address retirees and near-retirees in the range of 60-80 years of age. Features and highlights include: A guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit of up to 6% of the initial investment if withdrawals begin after age 76, 5% between 65 and 75, and 4% if before age 65. Automatic annual increases of the GLWB if the...
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Retirement Income Product Innovation a Possibility in Wake of Financial Crisis

The financial crisis may have one unintended consequence that would prove beneficial for millions of retirees. There is a renewed focus among providers of retirement income products in the wake of the financial crisis. The crisis has provided an opportunity for the remaining life and annuity insurers and asset managers to rethink their product offerings. The result could be a wave of innovation that is focused on retirement income and asset decumulation rather than asset accumulation and...

The Death of Asset Allocation?

Risk mitigation through diversification across time and space are fundamental tenets of conventional financial theory. In other words, the idea is that stocks are safe in the long-run and risk or volatility can be reduced by owning assets in uncorrelated markets. The problem is that stocks are not necessarily “safe” over any time horizon and correlations between asset classes tend to increase dramatically during times of market distress such as the past year and a half. Target date...

The Business Week Cover Story on Retirement--Life-Cycle in Theory but Status Quo in Practice

Business Week just ran a timely cover story on the post-financial crisis retirement landscape.  Portions of the feature present a remarkable contradiction. While there is a clear endorsement of...

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