June 3, 2019
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PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES, TAXES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• Young adults are told to save for retirement as soon as possible. But is this the best advice? ; Crisis coming on elder care finance
• A Financial Checklist for Your Newly Minted High School Graduate ; Interest rates for federal students loans going down
• Retirement Planning In The Two Economies World: One Out Of Three Isn’t Good
• The robo-advice market is growing, but changing ; Banking Automation & Roboadvisors market scrutinized in new research
• 1Q Delivers Sluggish Growth For Life Insurance New Premium

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• Hospitals Accused Of Paying Doctors Large Kickbacks In Quest For Patients
• A Colorado plan to dramatically lower health insurance prices for some now awaits federal approval ; Surprise! Demand for healthcare is rising at the VA ; 250000 CalPERS members at risk of ‘surprise’ medical bills
• 20% of hospitals meet maternity care performance measures
• Social Component Important to Physical Wellness Programs
• Health Plan Deductibles Triple in 10 Years ; Employees Need to Plan for Greater Health Costs in Retirement

TECH, MEDIA & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Wall Street’s sheriff opens investigation of First American data breach
• What advisors get wrong about tech
• Is it Safe to Transition to Electronic Debit and Credit Cards?
• Tech investors are buying the dip, even as trade concerns unsettle the overall stock market
• Why high tech firms like Google go heavy on contract workers
• US Justice Department prepares antitrust investigation of Google – sources

401k, 403b, 457b, NONQUALIFIED, STATE-RUN PLANS & LITIGATION

• Is Roth participation in DC plans being suppressed by record keepers? ; Wow, Did We Get a Lot of Questions About the Roth 401(k)
• SECURE Act: Key Changes for Plan Sponsors and Employers ; SECURE Act will give Main Street workers needed security;  SECURE’s real purpose is not aimed at retirement but at annuity sales
• Jump in Hardship Withdrawals Tied to Bipartisan Budget Act
• Senators Booker, Young Reintroduce Federal Retirement Commission Act ; Federal employees soon will have more options to withdraw money from their retirement accounts
• Money Managers’ Own Plans Have Higher Balances, More Choices
• Supreme Court to consider taking on 2 retirement cases ; Supreme Court declines to review ruling dismissing Chevron fiduciary case ; 403(b) Participants Denied Second Attempt to Sue Georgetown University

PENSIONS

• $5.2 Trillion Of Government Pension Debt Threatens To Overwhelm State Budgets, Taxpayers
• Bill Modestly Cutting Oregon Public Employee Pensions Narrowly Passes House After Initial Failure ; We can’t fix PERS until we agree on its goal
• Bond Titan Spurns Illinois Rally Over ‘Pension Beasts’
• After tight vote, governor to get pension reform bill
• Clock Is Ticking For Bevin To Call Special Session On Pensions
• Legal Protections for State Pension and Retiree Health Benefits
• Pension watchdogs warn Prop B reforms could be scuttled
• Battling pension requirements, city of Henderson eyes tax hikes
• Wells Fargo Settles Derivatives Lawsuit with Pensions for $320 Million
• A new front in battle over gig workers
• Nashville union musicians put on notice: Pensions could soon be slashed
• Puerto Rico board asks for investigation of delinquent DC transfers
• Thousands of Philadelphia area Acme workers at risk of losing their pensions

INTERNATIONAL

• FTSE 350 dividends trump pensions 14 times
• Pension reform talks may restart, minister stresses need for progress
• Airport workers set date for strike over pensions
• FCA regulations deter 69% from providing DB advice
• Few pension fund managers publicly disclose ESG voting rules

MARKETS

• Growth picked up in first quarter of 2019, but April showed signs of slowdown  ; US Inflation Picks Up the Most in 15 Months ; US Consumer Sentiment Pares Earlier Gains From May
• Clarida says low inflation, global risks could get Fed to cut interest rates
• Trump administration lifts summer restrictions on higher-ethanol gasoline ; US oil heads for worst May since 2012 and worst monthly decline since November
• Pending home sales unexpectedly slip in April, marking 16 straight months of annual declines
• ICI: MMFs Up 6th Week; Monthly Trends Shows Treasuries Lower in April ; Will ETFs Ever Replace Mutual Funds?
• Europe leads the $31tn charge on sustainable investing
• Brexit nerves set pound on track for biggest monthly drop in a year ; UK consumer sentiment jumps to eight-month high in May
• Trump slaps tariffs against all imports from Mexico, rattling investors

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Hedge funds recorded fourth positive month in of the year in April ; Hedge funds lower performance fees, volatility; New Jersey Votes to Slash Hedge Fund Allocation — Again ; China-Focused Hedge Funds Post Big Gains Despite Trade Tensions  
• Venture, PE Investors Warn of Tough `New Normal’ With Trade War
• Listed Private Equity Firms Are More Aggressive, Data Show
• Cryptocurrency Firms Renew Push to Break Free From SEC Rules ; G-20 Progressing on Registry for Cryptocurrency Exchanges to Stop Money Laundering ;US Ivy League University Rolls Out Online Course in Blockchain and Cryptocurrency
• In The Future Of Real Estate, Nice Guys Will Finish First
• Assessing Investment Opportunities In The REIT Sector
• How New Wealth, Few Rules Fuel Family Office Boom