September 2023
25Sep

U.S. retirement assets continue increasing

U.S. retirement assets totaled $36.71 trillion at the end of the second quarter, according to data published recently by the Investment Company Institute. That marked the third straight quarterly increase after dropping to $32.81 trillion in September 2022. At the end of 2021, retirement assets were $39.73 trillion. Defined contribution assets totaled $10.23 trillion, up from the recent nadir of $8.96 trillion at the end of 2022's third quarter. The bulk, more than 70%, was placed in 401(k) plans. Defined benefit assets...

September 25, 2023
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22Sep

The Future of Global Retirement

By Andrew Evans & Will Wynne Smart is a world-leading retirement technology provider. Our mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world. Launched in 2015, our technology platform – Keystone – serves the needs of retirement savers globally, and we are now active on four continents. Keystone is specifically designed to help governments and financial services organisations to serve their citizens' and customers' retirement saving and spending needs. Smart’s team of engineers, researchers and user...

September 22, 2023
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22Sep

2023 BlackRock Read on Retirement

By Black Rock If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that burnout is real. Three years on, it turns out it’s not just a workplace side effect. BlackRock’s 2023 Read on Retirement™️ survey reveals that financial burnout is on the rise – and one for employers to watch. Today, only about half of workplace savers feel on track to retire with the lifestyle they want – a double-digit drop compared to last year and a worrisome trend since 2021. Encouragingly, though, this drop in...

September 22, 2023
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22Sep

2023 Retirement Plan Landscape Report

By MorningStar  Millions of Americans rely on the U.S. retirement system to save and invest for their futures. Similarly, the system depends on new employers offering retirement plans to replace plan closures. Expanding access to employer-sponsored retirement plans is essential to ensuring Americans are saving enough for the future, but it’s also necessary for the current system to address its weakness. In the second iteration of our annual report, we take a comprehensive look at the overall health of the...

September 22, 2023
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22Sep

Messaging on ESG strategies becoming critical, money managers say

Amid a continuing political backlash against the use of ESG in asset management — both as a term and as a part of the investment process itself — global money managers are taking action to fine-tune the language used in their messaging and engagement with clients and prospects. But it's not just in the U.S. where some money managers said they are thinking carefully about how they label their processes. Increased regulation in Europe has also put a spotlight on...

September 22, 2023
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21Sep

The Future of Retirement: Predictions and Trends

Traditionally, retirement has been viewed as a time for relaxing, enjoying the fruits of your labor, and taking a break from work. It is likely, however, that retirement will look very different in the future. Here, we will analyze some of the trends shaping retirement’s future. In addition, we will offer some predictions about the future of retirement. 1. The retirement savings gap is widening. Future retirees face a growing retirement savings gap as one of their biggest challenges. Based on Census...

September 21, 2023
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21Sep

US. Fed holds interest rates steady

Federal Reserve officials on Sept. 20 held interest rates steady and signaled one more rate increase this year as the central bank continues its quest to tamp down inflation without overcooling the economy. The Federal Open Market Committee left the federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5% following its two-day meeting. The committee in recent months has alternated between hikes and pauses — it approved a quarter-point increase at its last meeting in July but did...

September 21, 2023
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19Sep

US. Retirement plan derailed: 40% forced to stop working earlier than expected

However carefully you may plan for your retirement, the actual event might still catch you off guard. Financial advisers across the industry report that 40% of their retired clients were forced into retirement, according to a recent survey by Edward Jones. And 97% of the financial advisers surveyed agreed with the statement that retirement involved more surprises and challenges than their clients expected. The biggest financial shocks for retirees were cost-of-living increases (29%), having to provide financial assistance for family or...

September 19, 2023
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15Sep

U.S. falls to 20th in Natixis retirement security index; Norway retains top spot

The U.S. now ranks 20th globally for retirement security, according to Natixis Investment Managers' 2023 Global Retirement index, dropping two spots from last year, due to such factors as high inflation, steep public debt and a sharp decline in U.S. health scores. These factors offset improvements in employment and income inequality, lowering the U.S. on a relative basis in the 44-country index, said a Sept. 13 news release. Natixis IM created the index in collaboration with Core Data Research and focuses...

September 15, 2023
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15Sep

Mobile Apps Emerge as a Critical Tool for Retirement Plan Providers

Amid ongoing market volatility, it’s little wonder that plan participants are keeping a close eye on their retirement account balances, and they increasingly are doing so via mobile apps. As a result, mobile apps have taken center stage as critical tool for retirement investors, according to J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Retirement Plan Digital Experience Study released Sept. 14. And while improved market performance has helped lift overall satisfaction with retirement plan digital tools, for firms that want to differentiate and increase customer...

September 15, 2023
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