Valuation-based market timing demonstrates strong potential to improve risk-adjusted returns for conservative long-term investors. Such timing strategies based on the cyclically-adjusted price-earnings ratio provide comparable returns as a 100 percent stocks buy-and-hold strategy but with...

We study the performance of different investment and spending strategies for retirement. Investment strategies include wealth-focused glide paths that combine equities with short-term, high-quality fixed income. We also consider an income-focused glide path that combines a moderate equity...

Over the life-cycle, wealth holdings tend to be highest in the early part of retirement. The quality of financial decisions among older adults is therefore an important determinant of their financial security during the asset drawdown phase. This paper assesses how financial literacy shapes...

Using data from year-end 2007 through year-end 2016, this report analyzes data on traditional IRA investors drawn from The IRA Investor Database to gain insight into how traditional IRA investors fared during and after the financial crisis. After setting the scene in terms of financial...

This report analyzes data on a group of consistent Roth IRA investors — those holding accounts with the same financial services provider at the end of each year from 2007 through 2016 — drawn from The IRA Investor Database to gain insight into how Roth IRA investors fared during and after...

This report analyzes data on a group of consistent Roth IRA investors — those holding accounts with the same financial services provider at the end of each year from 2007 through 2014 — drawn from The IRA Investor Database to gain insight into how Roth IRA investors fared during and after...

Under standard assumptions, both individuals and the government are indifferent between traditional tax-deferred retirement accounts and “front-loaded” (Roth) accounts. When we add investment fees to this benchmark, individuals are still indifferent but the government is not. We estimate...

Shankar (2009) proposes a new investment strategy for retirees that bundles Treasury Inflation Protected Securities with a deferred annuity to guarantee real annual withdrawal rates of 5% or more with no risk of financial ruin. This strategy addresses three problems that retirees face: longevity...