Category Archives: Products

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Target-Date Funds a passing fad? Problems and solutions to using TDFs as a 401(k) default or option

Posted on August 15, 2012

In a nutshell Since target date funds (TDFs) became available as a permissible default or an option for 401(k) accounts, their popularity has been exploding, with predictions that within a decade 50% of 401(k) funds will be in TDFs. But … Continue reading →

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Protecting the Downside, while Participating in the Upside

Posted on March 5, 2012
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Protecting the Downside, while Participating in the Upside   A couple of months ago in “Lifecycle investing” I, superficially touched, upon Zvi Bodie’s view that diversification is not the only way to reduce investment/market risk. In fact, according to him, it … Continue reading →

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Structured Products III – Create Your Own Enhanced Index Product

Posted on March 5, 2012
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Structured Products III – Create Your Own Enhanced Index Product In Structured Product II- Good or Bad? It Depends on Your “View” we discussed how to compare products with different performance characteristics, by using your “view” of the probability of … Continue reading →

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Structured Products II- Good or Bad? It Depends on Your “View”.

Posted on March 5, 2012
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Structured Products II- Good or Bad? It Depends on Your “View”. An earlier blog provided an overview of Structured Products . As a specific structured product application consider an enhanced index product with six year maturity whose payback is 1.45x … Continue reading →

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GMWB II- Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit II

Posted on March 5, 2012
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GMWB II- Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit II This is a follow-up to the GMWB I blog of a few weeks ago, where I also described the characteristics of typical GMWB products. Here I will compare various decumulation options with the … Continue reading →

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GMWB I – Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (Preliminary)

Posted on March 5, 2012
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GMWB I – Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (Preliminary)   I have received questions about Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) products from a number of individuals. So this is the first of a couple of in-depth blogs on the subject. (Follow-up … Continue reading →

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There are risks, but I’ll stay with ETFs for my money: ETF concerns- Has anything changed?

Posted on March 5, 2012

There are risks, but I’ll stay with ETFs for my money: ETF concerns- Has anything changed? In a nutshell Yes there are risks everywhere, but I am sticking with ETFs so long as they are used as they were intended … Continue reading →

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Are “target-date” funds or age-independent “fixed-asset allocation” right for you?

Posted on March 2, 2012

Are “target-date” funds or age-independent “fixed-asset allocation” right for you? In “Target-date funds I”  and “Target-date funds II”  I discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages of target-date funds and some simple methods for doing a low-cost implementation. In my … Continue reading →

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Target-Date Funds II

Posted on March 2, 2012
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Target-Date Funds II A few weeks ago in my Target-Date Funds (also called Lifecycle Funds) blog, I outlined some of the advantages and potential problems with them. I promised to look at a simple model that you may choose to … Continue reading →

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Target-Date Funds I

Posted on March 2, 2012

Target-Date Funds Target-Date funds have a lot to offer. They are supposed to be a “single decision” fund and completely maintenance free. Once you selected your target retirement date, then just choose the Target-Date fund closest to that date and … Continue reading →

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