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Essays on Retirement Plans and Fund Commonalities Within Mutual Fund Families

Essays on Retirement Plans and Fund Commonalities Within Mutual Fund Families PDF Author: Youngkyun Park
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
This dissertation studies underfunding in defined benefit (DB) pension plans and firms' contribution behavior, 401(k) plan participant investments in lifecycle funds under plan sponsors' initiative, and fund commonalities within mutual fund families. Responding to the recent decline in DB pension funding, firms have increased pension contributions to their underfunded plans. In the first essay I empirically examine firms' contribution behavior to underfunded DB plans and funding choice for pension contributions. I find that firms reveal different sensitivities of pension contributions to underfunding across aggregate funding levels. Furthermore, at a lower funding level firms have the greater sensitivity of pension contributions to underfunding and significantly utilize the tax deductibility of pension contributions. As for a funding choice to fund pension deficits, firms use debt financing at a low funding level, but utilize internal funding by decreasing capital expenditures at a lower funding level. Firms that use the debt financing are likely to have investment-grade credit ratings or high debt leverage, while firms that use the internal funding are likely to be high-levered ones. Recently lifecycle funds have rapidly grown in self-directed retirement plans. Despite the increasing popularity among plan sponsors and participants, there are few empirical studies on lifecycle funds. In the second essay, I examine the recent lifecycle fund adoption behavior of 401(k) plan participants from 2004 to 2006. I find that the likelihood of participants changing an investment strategy to adopt lifecycle funds is not significantly affected by participant demographic characteristics, but by participant account and plan design features. This study extends our understanding of 401(k) plan participants' investment behavior by finding (1) that the substitution of lifecycle funds for balanced funds, as well as the designation of lifecycle funds as a plan default, strongly affect participants' investments in lifecycle funds and (2) that balanced fund holdings of participants are negatively associated with their lifecycle fund investments. Mutual funds account for a significant portion of household financial assets and retirement assets. An understanding of characteristics of mutual funds is crucial to fund investors--especially those whose retirement nest eggs are in mutual funds. In the final essay, I examine the impacts of fund commonalities within mutual fund families on fund characteristics in terms of return residual correlations and fund operating expenses. As fund commonalities within a fund family, I focus on common stock holdings and common management of funds. I find that common stock holdings and an existence of a common manager of funds are positively related to return residual correlations, but negatively related to fund operating expenses. This finding suggests that when investors select low-cost equity funds within a family, they should be aware that there exists an investment risk that the fund commonalities that lower fund operating expenses may additionally increase return correlations of the funds.

Essays on Retirement Plans and Fund Commonalities Within Mutual Fund Families

Essays on Retirement Plans and Fund Commonalities Within Mutual Fund Families PDF Author: Youngkyun Park
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
This dissertation studies underfunding in defined benefit (DB) pension plans and firms' contribution behavior, 401(k) plan participant investments in lifecycle funds under plan sponsors' initiative, and fund commonalities within mutual fund families. Responding to the recent decline in DB pension funding, firms have increased pension contributions to their underfunded plans. In the first essay I empirically examine firms' contribution behavior to underfunded DB plans and funding choice for pension contributions. I find that firms reveal different sensitivities of pension contributions to underfunding across aggregate funding levels. Furthermore, at a lower funding level firms have the greater sensitivity of pension contributions to underfunding and significantly utilize the tax deductibility of pension contributions. As for a funding choice to fund pension deficits, firms use debt financing at a low funding level, but utilize internal funding by decreasing capital expenditures at a lower funding level. Firms that use the debt financing are likely to have investment-grade credit ratings or high debt leverage, while firms that use the internal funding are likely to be high-levered ones. Recently lifecycle funds have rapidly grown in self-directed retirement plans. Despite the increasing popularity among plan sponsors and participants, there are few empirical studies on lifecycle funds. In the second essay, I examine the recent lifecycle fund adoption behavior of 401(k) plan participants from 2004 to 2006. I find that the likelihood of participants changing an investment strategy to adopt lifecycle funds is not significantly affected by participant demographic characteristics, but by participant account and plan design features. This study extends our understanding of 401(k) plan participants' investment behavior by finding (1) that the substitution of lifecycle funds for balanced funds, as well as the designation of lifecycle funds as a plan default, strongly affect participants' investments in lifecycle funds and (2) that balanced fund holdings of participants are negatively associated with their lifecycle fund investments. Mutual funds account for a significant portion of household financial assets and retirement assets. An understanding of characteristics of mutual funds is crucial to fund investors--especially those whose retirement nest eggs are in mutual funds. In the final essay, I examine the impacts of fund commonalities within mutual fund families on fund characteristics in terms of return residual correlations and fund operating expenses. As fund commonalities within a fund family, I focus on common stock holdings and common management of funds. I find that common stock holdings and an existence of a common manager of funds are positively related to return residual correlations, but negatively related to fund operating expenses. This finding suggests that when investors select low-cost equity funds within a family, they should be aware that there exists an investment risk that the fund commonalities that lower fund operating expenses may additionally increase return correlations of the funds.

Essays in Retirement Plans and Mutual Funds

Essays in Retirement Plans and Mutual Funds PDF Author: Sabuhi H. Sardarli
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 92

Book Description
The second part of the study focuses on efficiency tests on retirement plan menus. I illustrate how testing for efficiency in 401(k) plan offerings depends on the benchmarks used. I also show that, for specific benchmarks, spanning can be attained without optimization. However, based on return style analysis, I show that, relative to these benchmarks, performance can be significantly improved through optimization. My results are consistent with a recent study that suggests that smaller 401(k) menus are objectively more efficient and with a large literature that has noted participants' subjective propensity to prefer smaller options in decision making. Here I make a strong case for plan sponsors to recommend specific funds to help with plan efficiency. Plan participants can then adopt allocations with which they are comfortable. This approach contrasts with recent recommendations for default strategies and educational programs targeting participants who are viewed as the main source of plan inefficiency.

Dissertation Abstracts International

Dissertation Abstracts International PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 546

Book Description


Don't Go Broke in Retirement

Don't Go Broke in Retirement PDF Author: Steve Vernon
Publisher: Rest-Of-Life Communications
ISBN: 9780985384661
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description
Make Smart Choices with Your Social Security and Savings! Are you thinking about retiring soon, or have you recently retired? Don't Go Broke in Retirement, the latest in a series of acclaimed books by trusted retirement expert Steve Vernon, gets right to the point and shares an easy-to-follow, three-step plan that helps you answer these critical questions: Have you saved enough money to retire? When should you start your Social Security benefits? What's the best way to build lifetime income that's protected from financial crises? What living expenses should you reduce to make retirement more affordable? Based on the "Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy," the plan was developed from new research by the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Society of Actuaries. Learn why this strategy has garnered national attention and discover how the recent financial turmoil successfully stress-tested this plan, proving its effectiveness for managing retirement funds. Don't Go Broke in Retirement provides the information and tools you need to generate the most retirement income from your Social Security benefits and retirement savings, including: A simple, step-by-step checklist to help you put your plans into action Modifications to personalize the strategy for your goals and circumstances Access to bonus chapters to help you apply the strategies outlined in the book, including investing in retirement, navigating tax rules, and finding professional help with retirement funding strategies A list of helpful resources and research to learn more Don't worry about your retirement! Instead, develop solid financial strategies so you can confidently enjoy your retirement years.

Model Rules of Professional Conduct

Model Rules of Professional Conduct PDF Author: American Bar Association. House of Delegates
Publisher: American Bar Association
ISBN: 9781590318737
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

John Bogle on Investing

John Bogle on Investing PDF Author: John C. Bogle
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119088364
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 517

Book Description
Get fifty years of industry-defining expertise in a single volume John Bogle on Investing is a compilation of the best speeches ever delivered by one of the 20th century's towering financial giants. Individually, each of these speeches delivers a powerful lesson in investing; taken together, Bogle's lifelong themes ring loud and clear. His investing philosophy has remained more or less constant throughout his illustrious career, and this book lays it out so you can learn from the very best. You'll learn what makes a successful investment strategy, consider the productive economics of long-term investing, and how emotional investment in financial markets is often counterproductive enough to forfeit success. Bogle discusses the "fiscal drag" of investing, and shows you how to cut down on sales charges, management fees, turnover costs, and opportunity costs, as he unravels a lifetime's worth of expertise to give you deep insight into the mind of a master at work. John C. Bogle founded Vanguard in 1974, then in the space of a few years, introduced the index mutual fund, pioneered the no-load mutual fund, and redefined bond fund management. This book wraps up the essence of his half-century of knowledge to deepen your understanding and enhance your investment success. Learn why simple strategies are best Discover how emotions can ruin the best investment plan Examine the universality of indexing in the financial markets Minimize the costs — financial and otherwise — associated with investing John Bogle is still in there fighting, still pushing the industry onward and upward. Take this rare opportunity to have industry-shaping expertise at your fingertips with John Bogle on Investing.

Rescuing Retirement

Rescuing Retirement PDF Author: Teresa Ghilarducci
Publisher: Columbia Business School Publi
ISBN: 9780231185646
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Book Description
In Rescuing Retirement, Teresa Ghilarducci and Tony James offer a comprehensive yet simple plan to help workers save for retirement, increase retirement savings by earning higher returns, and guarantee lifelong income for everyone. It offers a practical guide to the future of secure retirement.

Essays on Philosophy, Politics & Economics

Essays on Philosophy, Politics & Economics PDF Author: Gerald Gaus
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804774641
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 391

Book Description
This volume brings together distinguished philosophers with interdisciplinary expertise to show how the resources of philosophy can be employed in the tasks of evaluating economics and fostering policy debates. Contributors offer analyses of basic ideas in economics, such as the notion of efficiency, "economic man", incentives, self-interest, and utility maximization. They discuss key concepts in political theory such as desert, compensation, autonomy, equality, consent or fairness. The book then offers examples of how philosophical resources can be applied to specific, timely debates, such as discrimination, affirmative action, and ethical considerations in Social Security. These applications demonstrate how philosophy, politics, and economics can be fruitfully combined, while the more theoretical chapters clarify fundamental relationships across these related disciplines. Ultimately, the text guides students and scholars in expanding their perspectives as they approach the necessarily complex research questions of today and tomorrow.

Privatizing Social Security

Privatizing Social Security PDF Author: Martin Feldstein
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226241823
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 484

Book Description
This volume represents the most important work to date on one of the pressing policy issues of the moment: the privatization of social security. Although social security is facing enormous fiscal pressure in the face of an aging population, there has been relatively little published on the fundamentals of essential reform through privatization. Privatizing Social Security fills this void by studying the methods and problems involved in shifting from the current system to one based on mandatory saving in individual accounts. "Timely and important. . . . [Privatizing Social Security] presents a forceful case for a radical shift from the existing unfunded, pay-as-you-go single national program to a mandatory funded program with individual savings accounts. . . . An extensive analysis of how a privatized plan would work in the United States is supplemented with the experiences of five other countries that have privatized plans." —Library Journal "[A] high-powered collection of essays by top experts in the field."—Timothy Taylor, Public Interest

The Clash of the Cultures

The Clash of the Cultures PDF Author: John C. Bogle
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118238214
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 391

Book Description
Recommended Reading by Warren Buffet in his March 2013 Letter to Shareholders How speculation has come to dominate investment—a hard-hitting look from the creator of the first index fund. Over the course of his sixty-year career in the mutual fund industry, Vanguard Group founder John C. Bogle has witnessed a massive shift in the culture of the financial sector. The prudent, value-adding culture of long-term investment has been crowded out by an aggressive, value-destroying culture of short-term speculation. Mr. Bogle has not been merely an eye-witness to these changes, but one of the financial sector’s most active participants. In The Clash of the Cultures, he urges a return to the common sense principles of long-term investing. Provocative and refreshingly candid, this book discusses Mr. Bogle's views on the changing culture in the mutual fund industry, how speculation has invaded our national retirement system, the failure of our institutional money managers to effectively participate in corporate governance, and the need for a federal standard of fiduciary duty. Mr. Bogle recounts the history of the index mutual fund, how he created it, and how exchange-traded index funds have altered its original concept of long-term investing. He also presents a first-hand history of Wellington Fund, a real-world case study on the success of investment and the failure of speculation. The book concludes with ten simple rules that will help investors meet their financial goals. Here, he presents a common sense strategy that "may not be the best strategy ever devised. But the number of strategies that are worse is infinite." The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation completes the trilogy of best-selling books, beginning with Bogle on Investing: The First 50 Years (2001) and Don't Count on It! (2011)