Fiduciary News

Are Target Date Funds a violation of one’s fiduciary duty? If you think about the origins of fiduciary duty (namely, how it evolved via trust law), we see a mandate requiring fiduciaries to only takes actions that are in the best interests of the individual beneficiaries. This year’s Tamar Frankel Prize Winner David Swensen has penned two books…[Read more]

How do we stop the BHB myth that claims asset allocation accounts for 93% of investment performance? – It’s been a while since major financial service providers have misquoted the infamous Brinson-Hood-Beebower research papers from the late 1980s/early 1990s. We still, however, see individual practitioners and even the some journalists repeating t…[Read more]

After decades of relying on “risk tolerance” questionnaires, how do you convince 401k plan sponsors and investors that they’re more dangerous than useful? What horror stories can you share? – As the attached link explains, since as early as 1999, it’s been widely known “risk tolerance” questionnaires are, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, misl…[Read more]

Are investors who fail to learn from history doomed to repeat it? – We hear millennials prefer to buy annuities than to save in a 401k or IRA and invest directly (and at a lesser cost) in the stock market. Well, this is bad news and good news. The bad news is that those that don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. How many baby b…[Read more]

Are investors who fail to learn from history doomed to repeat it? We hear millennials prefer to buy annuities than to save in a 401k or IRA and invest directly (and at a lesser cost) in the stock market. Well, this is bad news and good news. The bad news is that those that don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. How many baby b…[Read more]

After decades of relying on “risk tolerance” questionnaires, how do you convince 401k plan sponsors and investors that they’re more dangerous than useful? What horror stories can you share? As the attached link explains, since as early as 1999, it’s been widely known “risk tolerance” questionnaires are, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, misl…[Read more]

How do we stop the BHB myth that claims asset allocation accounts for 93% of investment performance? It’s been a while since major financial service providers have misquoted the infamous Brinson-Hood-Beebower research papers from the late 1980s/early 1990s. We still, however, see individual practitioners and even the some journalists repeating t…[Read more]

Why do you think Target Risk Funds contain less fiduciary liability concerns for 401k plan sponsors than Target Date Funds? Target Date Funds have exploded in terms of popularity. It’s not that they’re proven in any sense of the word. In fact, the economic crash of 2008/2009 exposed their true nature and the potential liability they pose. The…[Read more]

Cross Trading Can Harm Investment Performance. Here’s an article that explains it. Were you aware of it and the implications?
[bpfb_link url=’http://fiduciarynews.com/2014/04/new-401k-plan-sponsor-fiduciary-worry-study-reveals-previously-unpublicized-conflict-of-interest-can-harm-mutual-fund-performance/’ title=’
New 401k Plan Sponsor F…[Read more]