June 2026
12Jun

LGBTQ+ Labor Market Outcomes

By Travis Campbell & Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers The emerging field of LGBTQ+ economics has convincingly demonstrated that LGBTQ+ individuals face distinct labor market disparities. This chapter provides an overview of their unfavorable labor market outcomes and then focuses on several specific issues for transgender workers. Previous studies show that gender-affirming care can improve mental health, whereas conversion therapy, which denies an individual's gender identity, damages mental health. An unexplored question is whether these mental health effects extend to...

June 12, 2026
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11Jun

A $600 Billion Experiment Kicks Off at the Biggest US Pension Fund

Stephen Gilmore’s 40-year tour of global finance has given him a front-row seat to the Russian debt crisis, the bailout of a financial giant and the rise of sovereign wealth funds. It’s also taken him to a war zone. As the International Monetary Fund’s representative in Tajikistan in the 1990s, Gilmore hunkered down in his office for three days as a militia advanced on the capital city of Dushanbe. Now he has what many consider the hardest job in investing....

June 11, 2026
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10Jun

US. How Saving More and Starting Early Can Significantly Improve Retirement Happiness

Many retirees regret not saving enough or starting sooner, since both can shape their financial security and happiness later. Even small amounts saved early can grow significantly over time, thanks to the power of compounding interest. With longer lifespans and fewer pensions, saving more now can give you more room to enjoy retirement—not just cover the basics.Retirement has changed due to longer life spans, shrinking pensions, and rising health care costs. What was once a quiet chapter in...

June 10, 2026
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09Jun

US. As retiree pensions shrank, Colorado PERA paid its staff millions of dollars in bonuses

In 2022, the Colorado state pension fund had its worst year since the Great Recession, losing $9.8 billion. The losses were so large, they set the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association’s finances back for years, digging a hole that the pension is only now starting to climb out of. But in the aftermath, PERA’s investment managers took home some of their largest bonuses ever. On average, PERA’s investment staff more than doubled their take-home pay, earning bonuses of $299,000 — the equivalent...

June 9, 2026
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09Jun

US. This is the most underrated retirement savings move you should know about, says the head of Citizens Wealth Management

Americans are becoming less sure about their ability to retire well. Indeed, workers’ confidence in having enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell 6 percentage points from 2025 to 61%, according to a 2026 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. For some, that might mean a trip to a financial adviser to solidify plans (you can find an adviser at CFP Board, NAPFA or through this free tool that matches you to fiduciary advisers, from our ad partner SmartAsset)....

June 9, 2026
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08Jun

Rising costs push US retirement target to $1.46 million

Survey shows retirement target jumps to $1.46 million A Northwestern Mutual survey found that Americans now believe they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably, a $200,000 increase from 2025 and matching the record high seen in 2024. The findings revealed that 46% do not expect to be financially prepared, while 48% think it’s likely they will outlive their savings. Persistent cost-of-living pressures, especially in housing, healthcare, and energy, are driving these higher expectations. Retirement comfort varies by wealth tier • Poor retirees often...

June 8, 2026
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04Jun

US. Are you financially fulfilled? If not, your retirement plans are in danger.

Only 16% of Americans say they're financially comfortable, a new poll found Current money stressors can have a damaging impact on future financial stability in retirement. Present-day financial stress can have long-lasting implications on a person's future retirement - putting millions of Americans with money worries at risk. Almost a third of U.S. adults experience "consistent financial stress," according to a new Edward Jones and Gallup Money and Meaning poll released this week. Those consistent financial stressors include "straining to meet obligations,...

June 4, 2026
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04Jun

US. The Typical Couple’s Cost of Retirement in Every State

A typical American couple needs about $1.16 million saved to retire comfortably—less per person than what a single retiree needs. The average retired couple spends about $84,000 a year, with Social Security covering less than $38,000 of that amount. The savings needed to fill the gap varies widely by state, from $800,000 in North Dakota to as much as $1.33 million in New Jersey and Hawaii. A typical American couple age 65 or older needs about $1.16 million saved to retire...

June 4, 2026
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02Jun

US. Company Pension Funds Stuffed With Bonds Ease Up on Debt Buying

A key source of demand for corporate bonds may be fading now that managers of company pension funds have more than enough money on hand to pay their retirees. Company-sponsored plans that had struggled in past years to keep up with their obligations in an era of low interest rates have gotten a boost from a decade of strong equity returns. Many plowed those gains into bonds in more recent years as yields rose. The trade allowed managers to lock...

June 2, 2026
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May 2026
29May

The Duty to Explain: Fiduciary Intelligibility Under ERISA

By Ian Edwards This Essay examines whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) contains an emerging principle of fiduciary intelligibility within its participant disclosure framework. ERISA requires Summary Plan Descriptions (“SPDs”) to be written in a manner “calculated to be understood by the average plan participant.” While modern pension disclosure has become increasingly sophisticated and financially technical, this Essay argues that administrative and financial disclosure are not necessarily equivalent to fiduciary intelligibility. The Essay does not propose a...

May 29, 2026
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