Nevin's Data "Points"

This week we’ll commemorate Independence Day – but with all of freedom’s lessons, there are certain things that plan committees (still) have in common with the Second Continental Congress. Certainly anyone who has ever found their grand idea shackled to the deliberations of a committee, or who has had to kowtow to the sensibilities of a recalcitrant compliance department, can empathize with the process that produced the Declaration of Independence we commemorate this week. Consider these similarities: Committee members should understand their obligations – and the risks. Those that gathered in Philadelphia that summer of 1776 came from all walks of life, but it seems fair to say that most had something to lose. True, many were merchants (some wealthy, including President of Congress John Hancock) already chafing under the tax burdens imposed by British rule, and perhaps they could see a day when their actions would (eventually) accrue to their economic be...

Whether you are a Game of Thrones aficionado – or haven’t watched a single episode – there are lessons to be learned nonetheless. Last week I recounted some fiduciary admonitions from the HBO series. Turns out there are words of wisdom for individual retirement savers as well. Check these out. “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” All the way back in Season 1, Cersei Lannister explained what has certainly been a theme for the series as a whole. That said, retirement isn’t a game of thrones, nor is it precisely a “win or die” scenario. We all die, eventually of course (no “wights” here), but there are those who “win,” at least if you consider those who have sufficient resources to fund retirement as “winning.” The non-partisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has previously  found  that current levels of Social Security benefits, coupled with at least 30 years of 401(k) savings eligibility,...