Can CalPERS Really Get A 7% Return From Stocks?

Can CalPERS Really Get A 7% Return From Stocks?

As reported in CIO magazine, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) terminated 14 out of 17 of its outside equity managers late last year and cut the allocation to outside management from over $33.6 billion to less than $6 billion. That represents a total of $181 billion in equity that will be managed in-house.…
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The Wrong Kind Of Expert

It’s January and my email inbox is once again flooded with capital market predictions for 2020. Looking back at the “expert” predictions for 2019 made last January, the majority as usual turned out to be wrong. Rather than sharing those predictions that were most egregious (which would be more fun than educational), I thought this…
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Is The Threat Of War A Good Time To Sell Stocks?

As a result of last week’s assassination of an Iranian general by the U.S. military, investors are understandably worried about the impact that a potential war with Iran could have on the stock market. One might assume that the uncertainty associated with war and its potential negative outcomes could have a devastating effect on stock…
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Did You Know That Medicare Is Means-Tested?

If you are a senior on Medicare you may have received a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA) stating that your Medicare payments will be higher next year due to an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). That’s because parts of Medicare insurance are means-tested. In other words the more you earn, the more…
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Understanding the New SECURE Act

Congress and President Trump just passed the bipartisan Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act as part of another spending bill needed to keep the federal government operating for a few more months. The SECURE Act represents one of the biggest changes to retirement planning since 2010, and although there are some negative…
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Are Boomers Taking On Too Much Investment Risk?

That’s what Fidelity Investments is implying in their recently-released Q3 2019 Retirement Analysis. They reported that almost 40% of 401(k) plans owned by workers born between 1946 and 1964 maintain an allocation to stocks that is higher than Fidelity’s recommended allocation for investors in those age groups. And almost one in twelve have all their…
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