Hedge

Income limits on Roth IRA conversions are set to go away in 2010. This opens-up an opportunity for many to benefit from the tax advantages associated with the Roth IRA. Conversion may also make sense as a hedge against the distinct possibility of tax increases and higher tax brackets for future retirees. That said, the Roth IRA also happens to be an enormously efficient vehicle if there is a bequest motive or desire to pass assets to heirs: "if you want to leave a legacy to your heirs, a Roth...

Some of the world's largest pension funds are decreasing the amount of funds dedicated to stocks. Included among the list of pension funds adjusting asset allocations are well known names such as The California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers), The California State Teachers' Retirement System (Calstrs), the Dutch government retirees fund, and the South Korean private sector employees fund. Painful and persistent equity losses over the past decade have prompted many of these large...