Archives: Portfolios

May 8, 2019
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PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES, TAXES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• How Much Retirement Savings Will You Need? Try 16.4 Times Your Final Salary ; Here’s how much workers across every generation have saved for retirement
• Will Social Security be around when I’m ready to retire? ; Opinion: How to find happiness when you’re afraid of what retirement will bring
• How Annuities Can Drain Seniors’ Savings ; The Flooring Approach: Creating A Baseline For Retirement Income ; Opinion: Sex and annuities: figuring out what’s fair
• Charitable Gifts From IRAs Shot Up by 74% in 2018
• SEC Chair Says Reg BI Aims to Lower Costs Caused by Uncertainty

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• Consumers want more online payment options for healthcare

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Artificial Intelligence Can Make Our Lives Easier, But It Can Also Go Awry
• Google set to launch privacy tools to limit online tracking: WSJ
• Forgers Are Forcing a $9 Trillion Business Into Digital Age ; Can Blockchain Technology Help Fight Fraud?
• Fintech Needs To Stop Tinkering At The Edges Of Big Data

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

• Market Momentum Continues to Move Average 401(k) Balance
• Plaintiffs in University of Pennsylvania 403(b) Suit Get Second Chance
• FINRA Fines AXA for Misrepresentations to 401(k) Plans About Bond Funds ; Ex-Worker Pushes $3.5M Deal To End Eaton Vance 401(k) Suit

PENSIONS

• As Public Pensions Pile on More Risk, Returns Fail to Keep Pace ; Fitch Ratings: Higher Risk Not Translating to Similar Returns for US Pensions
• You May Be On The Hook For Public Pensions If CalPERS Goes Down
• Gov. Bevin lacks votes for special session on pensions, lawmakers say
• Legislative panel looks at options to boost Georgia lawmakers’ pensions
• Statehouse Insider: Pension debt goes up again
• Moody’s: Graduated income tax can help credit rating if used for pensions
• Pa. lawmakers cling to pensions after pushing 401(k)-style plans
• Marin Voice: MMWD pensions illustrate larger problem taxpayers face
• Valuation and Reporting Requirements for Insolvent Multiemployer Plans Amended
• Second Puerto Rico debt restructuring struck with PREPA bondholders

INTERNATIONAL

• Greece unveils bill to help millions who owe tax and pension arrears
• Former Malaysia Prime Minister Backed Loan That Broke Pension Fund’s Rules
• NPS to Raise Proportion of Alternative Investments to 15%
• A look at the ‘big rock’ decisions for DC plan sponsors

MARKETS

• Trump’s New Tariff Threat Is Hitting the Stock Market Hard. Here’s What You Need to Know.
• Refinery margin tracker: US cracking margins supported by strong gasoline demand
• Infrastructure Bill Might Be a Bad Use of $2 Trillion
• Canada Consumer Confidence Slumps in April Amid Weak Economy
• Brexit? Danes Have Seen This Show, and It Doesn’t End Well
• China central bank to implement reserve requirement ratio cuts in three phases

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Harvard Piles Into Hedge Funds as New Chief Overhauls Endowment
• Private equity is still gunning for mom and pop investors ; Warren Buffett slams private equity over inflated returns, debt          
• $100000 Bitcoin Price Will Kill Every Other Cryptocurrency by 2021: Major Crypto Fund ; Cryptocurrency Theft Skyrocketed to $1.2 Billion in Q1
• Real Estate Industry Expecting to Moderate in the Coming Years: ULI Economist

May 6, 2019
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The Weekly Pulse Podcast for Sunday, May 5, 2019
In this episode: (1) Road trip: catching up with singer / songwriter Pentley Holmes, (2) lessons from the Milken Conference and the ‘Returnship’ for Working Mothers, (3) Netflix cancellations increase and Apple Earnings continue to grow, (4) Great economic numbers, but where are the holes?, (5) retirement data: we need more, or so says the GAO and (6) DOL Secretary Acosta hints at a new Fiduciary rule. Special guest this week is singer / songwriter Pentley Holmes.

TOP SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS 

• LinkedIn at the Milken Institute Global Conference
• The Best Cities to Work Without a Bachelor’s Degree
• Companies Help Women Return to Work

PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES, TAXES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• The most-Googled personal finance questions reveal so much about our money anxieties
• This may be why Americans are so bad at saving for retirement ; What to do in your 20s and 30s to be set in your 60s and 70s
• How Much Cash Should You Hold in Retirement? ; Can this couple ‘melt down’ their $4.9-million retirement savings in a tax-wise way?
• Can Annuities Help Grow Your Retirement Nest Egg? ; FINRA Arbitration Panel Awards A Record $3M Egg-Farming Family In Annuity Case ; ‘We were just conned,’ client says of advisor’s alleged $8M Ponzi scheme
• New apps are teaching children how to manage their money ; Is cryptocurrency the answer to financial inclusion issues?
• Mortgage rates pull back on weak inflation data ; 3 challenges facing first-time homebuyers this spring
• How to Use ETFs to Tap into Global Opportunities
• Higher Ed Leaders Aim to Restore the Public’s Trust

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• After unusually strong March, healthcare hiring dips in April
• ‘Medicare For All’ Isn’t The Only Way To Get To Universal Coverage
• Medical Costs Slam a Minority of Seniors; Even with health insurance, people are literally sacrificing food to pay for healthcare
• AG: Michigan consumers’ personal info exposed in health-care data breach

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Increasing data breaches show titanic losses ; Credit Union Sues Fintech Giant Fiserv Over Security Claims
• Campaigns grapple with how to manage cybersecurity in 2020
• Tech Superstars Should Pay a High Price for Keeping Secrets ; What Amazon knows about you
• Facebook Is Finding Problems With Artificial Intelligence Too ; Investors focused on Facebook’s better monetization, not privacy: Internet analyst

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

• IRS expands tax-status determination letter program for retirement plans
• Small Businesses’ Interest in Open MEPs Centers on Fund Options, Cost
• DOL Secretary Says Fiduciary Collaboration with SEC Is Ongoing ; FINRA Fines AXA Advisors Over 401(k) Misrepresentations
• T. Rowe Price Agrees to Class Status in 401(k) Fee Suit ; Pa. Law Firm’s Suit Over Looted 401(k) Moves Forward
• Court Reinstates Claim Penn Mismanaged Pension Fund

PENSIONS

• Kentucky lawmakers briefed on governor’s pension measure ; After Veto, Bevin Crafts New Pension ‘Relief’ Bill ; Bevin’s latest pension proposal faces criticism for high costs to the state
• Accusations, mistrust roil New Mexico pension fund
• Despite committee inaction, tolls and pension cost-sharing proposals remain alive
• California’s pension debt is harming teachers and students now—and it’s going to get worse
• State worker, teacher pension buyouts have mixed results
• Fix New York state’s overtime and pension abuses                
• Competing studies to look at Oklahoma state retirees’ pensions
• Majority of Rhode Island’s Locally Run Municipal Pensions Flunk Financial Test
• Oklahoma House Asks for Review on 4% Cost-of-Living Adjustment for State Retirees
• South Dakota Gears Up Emergency Plan
• City of SLO’s $90000 average pension tops in the county

INTERNATIONAL

• UK charities facing ‘double whammy’ as pension deficits climb
• Canadian DB plans post positive returns in first quarter: report
• Norway Pension Fund Honcho Questions ESG Mandates ; Norway’s sovereign wealth fund returns 9.1% in first quarter
• Stagecoach ‘asked to take on £1.6bn pensions risk’                

MARKETS

• Jobs surge in April, unemployment rate drops to 49-year low ; Productivity soars 3.6% in first quarter, drives fastest yearly gain since 2010 ; How much lower would the stock market be without corporate buybacks?
• America’s robust economy Fears of recession have faded; The longest bull market in history can’t shake the skeptics
• $5 gas? California gas prices soar as national average approaches $3
• Oil markets face three possible scenarios in Venezuela ; Oil Extends Loss as Rising US Inventories Counter Supply Risks
• UK economy to slow near-term as Brexit preparations halted ; Bank of England holds interest rate at 0.75%, upgrades growth forecast

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• The Future of Alternative Investments
• How a Ponzi scheme snagged $14M from Michigan investors
• A 382% Quarter: Hedge Funds Clean Up In Chinese Rally ; Hedge fund co-investments becoming more popular with investors – survey
• SEC Plan to Limit Fund-of-Fund Redemptions Gets Heat From Fund Industry
• Former Private Equity Execs Charged With Fraud
• Fidelity Research Finds Increasing Institutional Interest in Cryptocurrency ; Facebook Building Cryptocurrency-Based Payments System ; China considers phasing out cryptocurrency mining, following similar proposal in 2011 ; The SEC must solve its cryptocurrency custody conundrum; Australia Tax Office Tries To Track Down Cryptocurrency-Tax Evaders
• What Family Offices Need To Understand About Real Estate Opportunities
• VC Firms Polish Their Own Brands to Chase the Next Consumer Hit

May 1, 2019
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PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES, TAXES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• Paycheck-To-Paycheck-ism, Undersaving, The Retirement Crisis – Whose Fault Is It, Anyway?
• How to be retirement ready: Here is a checklist to determine your readiness
• Baby Boomers’ Retirement Crisis Will Be Worse Than the ’08 Subprime Crisis
• Retirement account withdrawal mistakes that land clients in Tax Court ; Higher Gas Prices and Smaller Tax Refunds Could Squeeze Consumers
• Answers to some of your most fundamental requirement questions
• Here’s how much Americans make based on what time they show up for work ; 10 Jobs That Still Offer Traditional Pensions

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• Market At New Highs, But Healthcare And Biotechs Feel The Heat
• How a data-driven approach to security helps a small healthcare team embrace automation

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Credit Card Compromise Up 212% as Hackers Eye Financial Sector
• FBI building relationships with private sector to improve cybersecurity responses
• Fintech firm Fiserv sued over alleged security lapses and pervasive bugs
• Does AI-Flavored Feedback Require a Human Touch?
• Venture capital funding in fintech slumps in first quarter

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

• What AI reveals about 401(k) participants’ knowledge gaps
• US congress Moves ahead with retirement Legislation – What does this mean to you ; Thaler pushing retirement income idea      
• Why 401(k) advisers should stress-test client portfolios
• TSP Modernization Act Offers Way to Avoid Roth Tax Trap
• Vanderbilt 403(b) Decision Marks Emerging Data Issues for Fiduciaries
• Cigna Slams Workers’ Sanctions Bid Over Benefit Calculations ; Ruling in ERISA Case Lets Adviser Partly off the Hook

PENSIONS

• Chicago Symphony Ends Its Longest Strike With Pension Change
• Defined benefit funding rises even as returns turn negative
• Joe Biden Kicks Off Campaign with Union Facing Pension Cuts Driven by Obama-Era Law ; Federal Lending to Insolvent Pension Plans Is Code for Bailout
• RI’s Locally Administered Pensions Face $2.5B In Unfunded Liability
• Kentucky Appeals Court dismisses pension fund’s hedge fund lawsuit
• Shoring up teacher pension system could cost Georgia big money
• Audit Finds Illinois Police, Firefighter Pensions Lack Proper Oversight

INTERNATIONAL

• Poland’s latest pension reform is good for the government, bad for savers
• Brazil govt to insist on pension reform savings of 1.2 tln reais
• Managers step up to help reconstruct Notre Dame
• UK Issues Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Conversion Guidance

MARKETS

• Corporate economists see slower US growth ahead ; US Conference Board Consumer Confidence: Warranted optimism
• Consumer spending jumps in March while core inflation moderates ; Slowing inflation may lead Fed to cut interest rates ; Lower interest rate means extra money for public school bonds in Ohio County
• Fewer managers seeing oil as a good investment — survey ; Britain Is Brimming With Natural Gas
• Brexit has trapped UK in no-man’s land, warns top economist

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Private Equity Investing in Japan
• Don’t Expect Central Banks To Give Up Control Anytime Soon ; $325 Million Bitcoin-Accepting Real Estate Project in Dubai Pauses Operations ; Cryptocurrency giants in $850m fraud allegations
• More New Construction Needed

April 26, 2019                                                                         
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PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES, TAXES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• Are Americans overly confident about retirement?
• Half of parents financially helping their adult children say it’s putting retirement savings at risk
• Partial annuitization generates spending power better than investment-only portfolios: study
• America Scores an Average ‘C’ Grade For Financial Literacy Month
• Rising tides, intense storms and floods wake-up call for homeowners, homebuyers
• Trump tax reform didn’t spark philanthropic apocalypse as predicted
• FINRA censures Voya over mutual fund sales ; LPL settles barred rep case as compliance expenses top $30M
• Less Estate Tax Planning May Be Better for Longer-Living Rich
• $768M Powerball Winner ‘Pretty Much Felt Lucky,’ Shuns Annuity Option

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• Consolidation, consumerism ranked as top trends in healthcare based on new survey
• In 10 Years, Half Of Middle-Income Elders Won’t Be Able To Afford Housing, Medical Care
• ‘Historic Step’ Toward Healthcare Justice as First-Ever Medicare for All Hearing Set for Next Week
• When will machines replace doctors?
• Healthcare Labor Unions Flex Their Muscles
• Hedge Funds Were Aggressive Buyers During Health-Care Sell-Off

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Amazon employees listening to your Alexa chats can see where you live
• Identity Theft and Financial Fraud in the Digital Age
• UK’s First-Ever Data Breach Class Action Suit Could Expand Breach Liability
• Stamps.com And Its Real Value

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

• For DC plans, change can be good
• Insurance lobby plans blitz to get retirement bills through Congress quickly
• It’s Not Just Millennials and Women Interested in ESG Investing
• City National liable for self-dealing in 401(k) plan – 9th Circuit ; Safeway Settles Twin 401(k) Would-be Class Suits Ahead of Trial
• Gavel to Gavel: New 401(k) plan design could help repay student loans

PENSIONS

• Dignity Health church plan challenge headed to settlement
• Case Study Shows How to Improve Public DB Investment Allocation Process
• Striking CSO musicians push to restart negotiations      
• Poor pensions take dignity from former pro football players
• California’s 6-Figure Pension Club Has Doubled in Size Since 2012
• New KRS actuarial assumptions shared with pension board
• Brazil Plan to Overhaul Pension System Passes First Legislative Test
• Pritzker defends plan that includes pension holiday
• Texas House votes to advance bill to shore up teacher pension fund
• Lamont, municipal leaders talk teacher pensions
• Do away with the red tape that blocks retirees from their pensions
• Kentucky Left to Try, Try Again on Pension Overhaul
• Public unions must adopt a 401(k)-style pension system

INTERNATIONAL

• As DC pension plans come of age, enrolment is key
• City of Calgary fat pensions in crosshairs

MARKETS

• The stock market is back at new highs, but champagne corks aren’t popping on trading desks
• Investors sent net $3.99 bln into US stock mutual funds, ETFs last week -ICI
• A US-China Pact Would Boost Commodities ; World’s Central Banks Want More Gold
• Oil Falls On Rising Crude Inventories ; Gas hits $3 a gallon: A look at gasoline prices throughout Lancaster County
• Harvard Activists Call for Fossil Fuel Divestment
• UK’s May under fire as Parliament returns from Brexit break

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Private Equity Has an Achilles’ Heel
• Bitcoin Accounts for 95% of Cryptocurrency Crime, Says Analyst ; New York Makes First Money Laundering Conviction Involving Cryptocurrency
• Setting The Record Straight Requires REITs To Spend Money
• Smart Beta Slows Down

April 8, 2019                                                                                     
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The Weekly Pulse Podcast for Sunday, April 7, 2019
In this episode: (1) Perceptions about auto enrollment in the government sector, (2) New Retirement Legislation: Congress passes the SECURE ACT and a minimum guaranteed retirement?, (3) A case of offering products that no-one wants? Google and Walmart working together on a shopping assistant., (4) Giving College a Try at Age 40, (5) Getting what you want from your credit card issuer and ever-growing healthcare expenses and (6) An Update (and some life lessons) on the Financial Freedom Book tour. Special guest this week: Rivka Liss-Levinson, Ph.D., Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

TOP SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS 

• LinkedIns Top Companies
• Gen Z Enters the Economy
• Giving College a Try at Age 40

PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• How to save for the future when it’s uncertain; Are Millennials ‘Financially Fragile?’
• Who Will Still Feed Them When They’re 64? ; Retirees Need Emergency Funds Too
• You Pay for Netflix and Spotify Monthly. What About Financial Planning?
• Financial advisors manage client concerns ; Why Advisors Could Lose Out on Trillions of Dollars Changing Hands
• Many retirees face conundrum: Lump sum or annuity? ; It’s A Fixed Annuity World And Distributors Are Just Living In It
• Fintech firms are battling for your savings with high yields
• Kentucky must work to improve financial literacy ; Time for the ABCs of financial literacy
• Maryland fiduciary standard proposal rejected in committee
• Wedding season is here! But how much should you spend to attend?

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• 1 in 4 Americans refuse medical care because they can’t afford it       
• What’s next for association health plans after federal judge’s ruling? ; Democrats, Republicans agree on legislation targeting drug prices
• Health Benefit Employee Cost-Sharing Can Bring Unexpected Consequences
• Doctor: Why Medical Costs Keep Going Up ; Retirees Ration or Forgo Dental Care
• Health care appointee announces plan to cancel controversial rate changes for autism care providers
• Health care’s huge cybersecurity problem ; Amazon Alexa launches its first HIPAA-compliant medical skills
• Four Ways Smart Companies are Rethinking Well-being at Work — and You Should Too

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Best Decade For Fintech Is Here
• AI explained: Everything you need to know about our robot overlords
• Georgia Tech reveals data breach, 1.3 million records exposed
• Why is it so hard for us to pay attention to cybersecurity? ; The Race For Data And The Cybersecurity Challenges This Creates
• Google and Apple haven’t answered how they’ll ‘monetize’ video game services for developers ;Amazon puts a dent in Google’s ad dominance
• Australian lawmakers require internet companies to curb livestreamed violence
• Lyft Is Luring Investors, Just Not the Kind It Wants

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

• Coons and Klobuchar pitch retirement savings mandate plan
• Employees think they’re on track for retirement. Here’s where they’re wrong
• House Committee Passes Bill to Overhaul Retirement Plans ;What the SECURE Act means for annuities in 401k(s) ; New solutions are desperately needed to prepare millions of Americans for retirement
• Tailoring Plan Designs to Reflect Shorter Employee Tenure ; DC Plan Participants Share Incentives for Saving More
• Chevron DC participants petition Supreme Court to rule on fiduciary breach standards

PENSIONS

• New return reality of public pensions
• Illinois justices back pension for 1-day substitute teacher
• Kentucky lawmakers approve pension relief bill for ‘quasi’ agencies
• Former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski Files Two 2020 Ballot Initiatives to Tackle Public Pension Costs ; $2 billion schools investment requires pension reforms
• State-run pension system not the answer
• House wants to study converting state employee retirement plan to ‘defined contribution’
• Colorado Outlines Pension And Annuity Subtraction Rules
• Inquiry launched into Omaha school district pension fund
• Pension woes persist as mayor pulls bill to sell water supply ; Keep the water system, fix Providence pensions
• MCA asks Fairfax to reform pensions, maintain schools, hire more police
• Detroit pension fund trustees rip raises for investment executives
• Red Bluff departments facing cuts under new budget

INTERNATIONAL

• UK minimum DC contributions rise again, providing lift for plan assets
• France wants to cap executive pensions, in dig at Airbus
• Brazil’s Pension Overhaul in Doubt After Minister’s Contentious Debut
• Less than half of UK workers aware of imminent pension hike details ; Ten million people face higher pension payments ; Million high earners in UK caught in tax trap
• Private Equity Keeps Ontario Teachers’ Strong in 2018

MARKETS

• The flat truth on the yield curve and recessions ; A Slowdown Is Inevitable. But a Recession?
• Central Bankers Are Hitting the Pause Button ; The ECB Proves Central Bankers Are Bad Capitalists
• US Payrolls Top Estimates With 196000 Rise as Wages Cool ; What the Latest Jobs Report Means for Interest Rates
• Oil Prices Rise on Economic Data ; California Refinery Breakdowns Push Gas Toward $4 a Gallon
• Factor investing gets a reboot as ebbing demand bites at ETFs
• Equity Funds Post Their Strongest Quarterly Returns Since Q4 2010
• Risk Parity Beats the Endowment Model
• Pension, sovereign funds increase presence in buyouts
• Why Foreign Investors Are Showing Interest In China’s Bond Market
• Theresa May Asks EU for Brexit Extension Until June 30

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Hedge Funds Just Posted Their Best Quarter Since 2009 ; Hedge Fund Beatings to Continue Until Morale Improves
• What bitcoin’s 20% price surge says about the state of cryptocurrency ; Bitcoin is a hedge against ‘new world’ of central bank policy, says fund manager
• Fannie’s decision to use real estate agents as appraisers is risky

April 5, 2019                                                                                         
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PERSONAL FINANCE, FINANCIAL WELLNESS, ANNUITIES & FINANCIAL LITERACY

• Who Will Still Feed Them After 64?
• Amazon, Netflix and now Schwab: The risks in subscription models
• Where bolt-on robo advisors fail banks and RIAs
• As fiduciary rule sunsets, certain annuities gain favor with boomers
• This Tax Season May Not Give Clues on Charitable Giving
• Blended family? Second marriage? 3 things you need to know
• The Fed Helps to Spread Financial Literacy to Many

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

• Lawmakers introduce protections for federal employee health benefits ahead of future shutdowns
• Why high rents are a health care problem
• Obamacare fight obscures America’s real health care crisis: Money ; Trump: Health Care Reform Will Probably Have To Wait Until After 2020 ; Ohio, Montana attorneys general join industry groups in urging appeals court to uphold ACA

TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Financial Mobile Apps Fail to Follow Proper Security Standards
• House Judiciary panel to grill Google and Facebook on hate speech
• AI Experts Question Amazon’s Facial-Recognition Technology           
• Data Security Remains Huge Issue For Financial Services
• Millions of Facebook Users’ Personal Info Was Posted Publicly On Amazon Servers

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

• Man Bites Dog! Congress Is Writing Retirement Legislation! ; Bipartisan Retirement Plan Bills Have a Shot at Passage
• Investors Sell US Stock Funds Despite Best Quarter Since 2009
• Court Orders Briefing in George Washington University ERISA Suit ; A Summary of Certain Recent Enforcement and Non-Enforcement Actions
• Pennsylvania’s state-run pension system is not the answer

PENSIONS

• Pew: Hawaii’s State Pension Ready to Withstand Recession
• US Justice Department gives notice of ‘preliminary inquiry’ into OPS’s pension system
• When Orchestras Strike: The Recent History of Orchestral Labor Strife
• Miners and retirees learn about legislation to save pensions
• US single premium pension buy-out sales exceeded $10.4bn at Q4: LIMRA

INTERNATIONAL

• IFRS 17: Forcing the pace to adapt and lead in the digital age
• Alberta contributes much more to Canada Pension Plan than its retirees take out: study
• Stock market rally after December plunge helps pension plans in Q1: reports
• Select committee gives pension industry low marks for transparency
• Pension Fund starts financing pensions and subsidies for April
• Pension Fund recorded MOP1.14 bln deficit from 2015 to 2018
• Indians most optimistic about retirement life, finds survey

MARKETS

• Private sector hiring falls to 18-month low, and manufacturing sheds jobs, ADP says ; CFOs believe economic slowdown coming to US – and soon
• Yield curve is no longer inverted: here’s why it could still be a problem
• Is An Asset Bubble Building In Commodities? ; Gold emerging from the shadows, but oil remains at shale’s mercy
• Why oil and gasoline prices are rising faster than analysts expected this year
• Investors Sell US Stock Funds Despite Best Quarter Since 2009 ; Big investors worry equities are nearing the peak
• White House taps SEC official Allison Lee for commissioner
• UK services sector shrinks as Brexit uncertainty hits orders

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS

• Alternative strategies earn their keep over six months of market extremes
• New hedge fund study shows funds placing premium on strong start ; The Coming ETF–Hedge Fund War
• Quants rethink factor investing as demand ebbs
• Major cryptocurrencies are soaring after bitcoin made its first big jump in months ; SEC Issues Historic First Letter Saying It Will Not Take Action Against A Cryptocurrency Business
• The Right REITs for Retirement ; The Wild Beasts of Chinese Real Estate Are Growing Up