October 21, 2019 Investors Need Income, Not Excess Risk by Morgan Harting With government bonds providing too little income, investors need to diversify credit exposures and include other credit-like investments to achieve their income needs...but without reaching for yield or taking excess risk. Multi-asset portfolios can help. Later in the Cycle, Multi-Asset Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
October 16, 2019 Five Lessons Packaged Target-Date Solutions Can Learn from Customization by Jennifer DeLong, Andrew Stumacher As defined contribution (DC) plan sponsors know, the US Department of Labor recommends considering both packaged and custom target-date strategies when choosing a solution. As we see it, packaged solutions can learn a few things from fully customized target-date solutions, which are generally used by large and megasize plan sponsors. Asset Allocation, Multi-Asset, Target-Date Solutions Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
September 17, 2019 To Hedge or Not to Hedge? With Currency, It’s a Vital Question by Leon Zhu, Aditya Monappa With global markets growing more volatile, we’re often asked what we think are the most underappreciated risks that investors face today. One in particular stands out: currency risk—especially for non-US dollar–based investors. Currency, Multi-Asset Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
September 04, 2019 Does Your Target-Date Glide Path Suit Your Workforce? by Jennifer DeLong, Andrew Stumacher Plan sponsors evaluating packaged and custom target-date solutions should take a close look at the demographics of their plan participants and how they stack up against those of a “typical” plan. It’s critical information when making a glide-path decision. Multi-Asset, Target-Date Solutions Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
August 22, 2019 The Investor’s Survival Guide to a Long Life by Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Aditya Monappa Rejoice—people around the world are living longer! But pause the festivities—that means they need more retirement money. To ensure they don’t run out of cash, savers need to adjust their investment strategies as their needs change, both before and after retiring. Asset Allocation, Equities, Multi-Asset, Volatility Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
July 23, 2019 US Corporate Cash Is Down: Should Investors Worry? by Sharat Kotikalpudi, Caglasu Altunkopru The recent decline in US corporate cash hasn’t raised a lot of eyebrows, but it has caused one of our equity-quality indicators to flash a warning. Since equity quality is one of the signals with a strong track record of predicting market sell-offs, should investors be worried? Equities, Multi-Asset Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
July 08, 2019 Custom or Packaged? The Target-Date Choice Revisited by Jennifer DeLong, Andrew Stumacher Many plan sponsors wrestle with the decision of choosing—or changing—a target-date solution. Is a packaged product appropriate for plan participants, or are there advantages to using a custom solution? Or is there perhaps another choice? Business Owners, Multi-Asset, Target-Date Solutions Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
April 23, 2019 Misreading the Signs: Is Yield-Curve Inversion a False Alarm? by Sharat Kotikalpudi The US yield curve dipped into inverted territory recently. But that’s not necessarily a bad omen for equities. There are several important warning signals—and lately the yield curve’s slope is the only one flashing red. Multi-Asset, Rising Rates Likes 1 SHARE Bookmarks
April 02, 2019 Emerging Markets: Don’t Be Spooked by Bleak Headlines by Morgan Harting Signs of a recovery in emerging markets early this year have given way to worries about China’s economic slowdown and sluggish growth in Europe and Japan. But beyond the negative headlines we think many risks that weighed on the market last year have faded and the earnings outlook is relatively strong. Fixed Income, Multi-Asset Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
January 14, 2019 It’s Different This Time: Risk Is Up and Here to Stay by Daniel J. Loewy, Caglasu Altunkopru, Martin Atkin Investors are likely to remember 2018 as the end of the era of easy money, low volatility and steady margin expansion. Investing will be more challenging in 2019—and diversification will be more important than ever. Asset Allocation, Multi-Asset, Volatility Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
January 08, 2019 DC Plan Participants Voice Their Interest in Responsible Investing by Jennifer DeLong In our new survey, DC plan participants voice their interest in aligning their retirement investments with their ethics. But the Department of Labor has apparently put up some roadblocks that cause DC plan sponsors to hesitate. Multi-Asset, Responsible Investing/ESG, Target-Date Solutions Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks
January 03, 2019 Don’t Rely on Cheap Oil to Power Equity Markets by Sharat Kotikalpudi It’s taken for granted in financial circles that lower oil prices are a boon for stocks, as they fuel an economy-boosting cycle in which money saved at the pump ultimately flows to the market. But oil prices that are too low could be too much of a good thing. Multi-Asset, Volatility Likes 1 SHARE Bookmarks
October 25, 2018 Living the Retirement Dream? by Jennifer DeLong Retirement reality for many Americans may not be as grim as forecasters predict. Could it be better? Yes. But many retirees in our new survey see a glass that’s more than half full. Multi-Asset, Target-Date Solutions Likes 0 SHARE Bookmarks