The Actuarial Standards Board (ASB) is responsible for setting standards for actuarial practice in the United States and they accomplish that objective through the development of Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOPs). One such standard, ASOP No. 4 addresses "measuring pension...

Most participants in the US pension industry know that the credit rating downgrade trend has been occurring for quite some time, but they may not necessarily appreciate the magnitude. The US bond market has shifted heavily toward BBB from AA...

According to the Department of Labor, the median wage in the US in 2002 was $38,655 (adjusted for inflation). In 2019, the median wage had "rocketed" all the way to $39,101! Amazingly, we have ONLY seen inflation adjusted wages grow...

As a young man growing up in Palisades Park, NJ, I loved the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, and one of my absolute favorite songs was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (released in January 1970). Much to the chagrin of my...

At the end of 1999, the average US public pension plan had a funded ratio >100%. Yes, just a couple of short decades ago the average public pension plan was overfunded thanks to great equity returns during most of the...

Remember when Alan Greenspan uttered this famous phrase? He spoke these two words at an American Enterprise Institute event in the 1990s. It was a reference to the stock market’s valuation during the Dot-Com go-go era. It was interpreted as...

The US Federal Reserve has just released a report stating that inflation is running "hotter" than expected. That probably won't come as a surprise to anyone buying nearly anything today. So, what happens to your fixed-income portfolio should we get...

It is common in our pension industry to fit every product/strategy into an asset class box. I understand the thought process, but it doesn't work for ALM strategies, especially when discussing products that are designed to meet a client's specific...

We've reported previously on the results of the Natixis Global Retirement Study. 2021's results are out and the United States has fallen one spot to #17. Not much to be proud about given that ranking. Sure, we are one place...

I suspect that most of us have no idea that today, September 10, 2021, is National 401(k) Day. This day is recognized every year on the Friday following Labor Day. The day is supposed to be an opportunity for retirement...