Credit Risk

An " in-plan annuity " refers to an annuity option that exists within a 401k plan. The notion of an annuity-based retirement income option within a 401k plan is a relatively new concept. Advocates of in-plan annuities--which include key members of the Treasury Department and Congress--believe that partial annuitization is important for the retirement security of the millions of Americans whose access to stable sources of pension income is largely limited to Social Security . There are, however...

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the range of issues that bond or fixed income investors face in the current environment. The issue is critical for most retirees and near-retirees as they would typically migrate towards the income producing and low volatility aspects of bonds with a portion of their assets. The current environment is tricky, however, since the future path of interest rates and inflation is so uncertain. Some of the key risks that fixed income investors currently...

Brett Arends writes a personal finance column for the Wall Street Journal. He is one of the more interesting and popular personal finance writers in the industry. Although a subscription is required to read the Wall Street Journal, Arends' column (among other Journal features) is highly recommended. For the past two weeks, Arends has written columns that focus on annuities. The columns can be accessed by clicking here and here . Both articles are highly recommended. Topics addressed include:...