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
MetLife’s 2013 Stable Value Study
MetLife has recently released their 2013 Stable Value Study, a study of Defined Contribution plan sponsors and stable value fund providers that gauges perceptions of, and insights into, the current stable value product landscape. Check out the study here
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 […]
New Reporting Requirements Provide Insight into Stable Value Fees
Stable value funds that are managed as individual accounts for a single retirement savings plan have the lowest expense ratios in the stable value marketplace, a new survey from the SVIA confirms. Under new Department of Labor (DOL) regulations, defined contribution plans this year began reporting to their plan participants detailed information about the costs of the investment options in their plans. The […]