Stable Value: Is There Really a Problem?
Stable value has been in the news far more than the facts warrant, and not for the reason that deserves highlighting: stable value continues to deliver returns far superior to other options that qualify as a defined contribution plan’s “safe option.” Download the PDF
A 401(k) Defense Against Rising Rates
Stable value accounts can be a smart option for the most conservative slice of a 401(k) portfolio, especially in the current interest-rate environment. Check out the article here
Guaranteed Insurance Accounts – Frequently Asked Questions
Because of the significant allocation of assets to guaranteed insurance accounts and the scant amount of publicly available information, the SVIA has released the following FAQ to shed some light on this segment. This FAQ is limited to an overview of guaranteed insurance accounts and focuses primarily on ‘spread-based’ general account insurance products. Download the […]
EBRI’s 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey: Perceived Savings Needs Outpace Reality for Many
Americans’ confidence in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement remains low— which may reflect a growing awareness of the savings realities ahead, according to the 23rd annual Retirement Confidence Survey. Download the PDF
Negotiating Risk for Stable Value Options
Dwight Asset Management has recently released a paper on stable value risk management which details five aspects of stable value risk and considerations on how they can be effectively managed. Download the PDF
Stable Value and the Small-Plan Market
Stable value funds continue to play an important role in smaller defined contribution plans, and industry insiders suggest there’s little reason to believe that won’t continue to be the case going forward. Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs is among the segment’s champions. When it decided to acquire stable value money manager Dwight Asset Management earlier this year, says David Solomon, head of defined […]
The Impact of Managed Accounts on Stable Value Funds
Stable value funds have long appealed to participants in defined contribution plans, and currently account for about 14 percent of the total assets held in those plans. Now, however, some participants are delegating responsibility for choosing their investments to outside advisors via so-called “managed accounts” programs. While it’s not clear how that might impact allocations to stable value funds over the long term, early […]
Retirement Readiness: A Global Challenge
The U.S. isn’t alone in facing a retirement readiness challenge. European countries are staring at many of the same problems: an aging population marked by a tidal wave of Baby Boomers in or approaching retirement, and fewer workers coming along behind them to support old-age entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare in the US. The citizenry in those countries are […]
Meeting the Challenges of a Low Interest-Rate Environment
When it comes to interest-rate risk, the focus for the stable value industry has always been on rates rising steeply or suddenly, which would be a major change from today’s sustained low rate world. The issue for stable value is whether retirement plan participants would flee the asset class in favor of money market funds, where returns to investors tend to immediately follow in […]