A digest of timely information and insight about finance, investing, and retirement.

Institutional investors see worst calendar year performance since Great Recession | PlanSponsor
Institutional plan sponsors lost ground in 2018, as fourth-quarter losses dragged down returns for the year, according to Northern Trust Universe data. The fourth quarter wiped out gains through the third quarter and resulted in the worst calendar year performance for plans included in the measurement since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Retirement and the age gap dilemma | MarketWatch
Nearly two in 10 married couples in America have at least a six-year age spread between them, according to the Census Bureau. So there are millions of people looking for a logical way to balance their age differences with retirement decisions. The simple answer to age-gap retirement planning is that there is no simple answer. Everyone’s life journey and retirement plans are different. That said, retirement—particularly for age-gap couples—requires forethought aplenty.

Can the KonMari Method help you declutter your retirement? | Forbes
Best-selling author, Netflix star, and professional organizer Marie Kondo has sparked a movement to declutter your home with a powerful style and simple approach. All of which centers around one basic question: “Does this bring you joy?” Moreover, can a simple question about “joy” be applied to the concept of retirement?

Willyour kids be able to retire? | US News
Parents worry that their children will have it worse than they do when it comes time for them to retire. Many millennials areburdened with student debt, suffer from lagging wage growth, probably do not benefit from a company retirement plan and can look forward to rising health care costs. But is the future really so bleak for your children? Millennials have approached work a little differently, and they may do retirement their own way as well.

Americanswant government to play a larger role in retirement planning | P&I Online
Americans of all political stripes are worried about retirement security and want government to play a bigger role, according to a research report published in February by the National Institute on Retirement Security at its Washington policy conference. “Retirement Insecurity 2019: Americans’ Views of the Retirement Crisis,” is based on 1,250 online interviews conducted by Greenwald & Associates in January. Asked if there is a retirement crisis, 80 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of Independents agreed.

Suspected elder abuse claims quadrupled in 4 years – here’s what to know and how to protect your loved ones | Money
Older Americans are at risk for losing more money than ever, thanks to a rise in financial exploitation targeting the elderly. Financial scams and other crimes singling out older Americans quadrupled from 2013 to 2017 and involved more than $6 billion in fraud, according to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). To avoid being taken advantage of by a family member or a stranger, the CFPB recommends some basic steps to protect yourself or a loved one, such as securing private financial documents and not allowing caregivers to pay bills or use a potential victim’s credit card.