In selecting an investment product for a plan lineup, we believe plan fiduciaries must balance considerations such as participants» needs, tradeoffs between expected returns and risks, and objectives
of the stable value investment option.
Not exact matches
Hence, Bitcoin should be seen as a high - risk
investment like a technology stock, not as a
stable store
of value.
The
investment objective
of State Street Institutional Treasury Money Market Fund is to seek a high level
of current income consistent with preserving principal and liquidity and the maintenance
of a
stable $ 1.00 per share net asset
value («NAV»).
Stable value funds typically are offered within a bank collective
investment trust (CIT) structure wherein the CIT is managed on behalf
of multiple DC plans that are pooled together.
Stable value funds, which are available only within DC plans, invest in a diversified portfolio
of high - quality, short and intermediate term fixed income securities through the use
of investment contracts.
However, upon completion
of this due diligence, sponsors may find that
stable value funds offer them an attractive combination
of characteristics including principal protection, superior
investment returns, and relatively low volatility.
So, while the
value of the
investments in a
stable value fund can fluctuate on a daily basis, a participant is guaranteed to transact at «book
value» by virtue
of the fund's insurance purchase.
However, they are generally equally or more secure when compared to
stable value funds as their underlying
investments are in large part made up
of U.S. government securities.
Plan sponsors choosing which low - risk
investment option to include in their lineup would benefit from a holistic comparison
of money market funds and
stable value funds.
In terms
of growth,
stable value funds have clearly outperformed money market funds, so much so that we believe they are the more attractive low - risk
investment option when viewed holistically.
Within the realm
of stable value, traditional guaranteed
investment contracts (GICs) have frequently been misunderstood and little used — despite their attractive characteristics.
Because bonds are a safer
investment, you shouldn't see too much volatility in terms
of the
value of your account; it'll be relatively
stable.
Under my way
of doing things, let there be
stable net asset
values, freedom in
investment guidelines, but the possibility
of credit events.
A healthy dollop
of investment - grade fixed income that isn't overly sensitive to interest rates helps produce reliable income and keeps portfolio
values stable.
She had a 401 (k) at her company, but kept all
of her
investments in the «
Stable Value» fund because she didn't want to lose any money.
Knowing your team won't make the deadline, you decide to change your 401k
investments out
of company stock and into the
stable value fund so that your portfolio won't suffer if Wall Street doesn't like the news.
The bonds, being a more
stable investment, allow you to earn a bit
of money on your
investment while safeguarding you against rapid swings in
value.
For all participants, 44.0 percent
of the total plan balance is invested in equity funds, 19.1 percent in employer stock, 15.1 percent in guaranteed
investment contracts (GICs), 7.8 percent in balanced funds, 6.8 percent in bond funds, 5.4 percent in money funds, 0.8 percent in other
stable value funds, and 1.0 percent in other or unidentified
investments.
The consolidated litigation alleges that the defendants managed the plaintiffs»
investments imprudently in violation
of its fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by causing its
stable value funds to invest heavily in the Intermediate Bond Fund (IBF) and the Intermediate Public Bond Fund (IPBF).
Our fund lineup incorporates diversification
of ideas, strategies, and asset classes, including equity, fixed income, target - date, target - risk, and
stable value investment options.
If I were managing assets for a pension fund, I would assemble a
stable of new - ish
value managers, and that would be 70 %
of my portfolio, with 30 %
investment grade bonds.
Specifically, 53 percent
of plan balances are invested in equity funds, 19 per - cent in company stock, 10 percent in guaranteed
investment contracts (GICs), 7 percent in balanced funds, 5 percent in bond funds, 4 percent in money funds, and 1 percent in other
stable value funds.
PFM announced an agreement to acquire the assets
of Fiduciary Capital Management (FCM) that will allow PFM's asset management business to expand its services to include «
stable value»
investments to qualified retirement plans such as 401 (k) and 457 plans.
We have identified four possible
stable value investment products and will discuss their key considerations: drivers
of returns, ongoing risks, product termination / partial withdrawals, default implications, and other considerations.
While the
investment objectives
of these products are essentially the same — preserving capital, generating relatively attractive
stable returns while trending rates, and providing liquidity for benefit payments1 to participants at book
value — there are nuances to each product type and additional features that should be investigated.
The first bone
of contention the plaintiffs have is that the company offered the «microscopically low - yielding» Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund, rather than a
stable value fund that would have provided better returns while preserving capital and liquidity without any greater increase in risk compared to money market
investments.
The major insurance companies
of that period were deeply at fault in this as well, largely driven by the need to issue 5 - year Guaranteed
Investment Contracts [GICs] to rapidly growing
stable value funds
of defined contribution plans.
Just be aware here, because if you can't get a feel for the underlying economics
of your
stable value fund, you should probably seek another
investment in the present environment.
The MCTWI provides in a more
stable estimate
of the
value of stock market
investments by adjusting for changes in valuation.
«Let there be
stable net asset
values, freedom in
investment guidelines, but the possibility
of credit events,» Merkel writes.
Generally, within the
investment world, the higher the rate
of return, the less
stable the fund
value is expected to be.
The
investment manager for the
stable value fund invests in a portfolio
of intermediate term bonds with an average duration
of approximately three to four years that will provide a significantly higher interest rate, or yield, than for example the short - term (average 60 days or less) securities typically held by a money market fund.
Faced with a substantial decline in the MIP's market
value, and with resulting pressure from the wrap providers — which were exposed to liability in the event
of significant MIP fund withdrawals — Fidelity responded by adopting an unduly conservative
investment strategy that was contrary to the purposes
of stable value fund investing, agreeing to allow the wrap providers to charge excessive fees, and charging excessive fees for its own account.
A recently filed lawsuit accuses Fidelity Management Trust Company
of engaging in imprudent
investment strategies for the Fidelity Group Employee Benefit Plan Managed Income Portfolio Commingled Pool (MIP), a
stable value fund offered as an
investment option in some 401 (k) plans for which Fidelity was trustee.
The second principal feature
of a
stable value fund is a «wrap contract» issued by an insurance company or other financial institution that provides a guaranty that investors will receive the «book
value»
of their account, the
value of their initial
investments plus interest accrued at certain intervals
of time that reflects the performance
of the underlying bond fund.
Since a mutual fund's net asset
value (NAV) is based on the total
value of its entire portfolio, less expenses, and since the
value of any stock
investment is not affected by a split, the
value of a mutual fund remains
stable when a stock in its portfolio splits.
Brighthouse provides a guarantee to the
Stable Value Plus College Savings Plan to protect the principal
investment and provide a minimum rate
of return with earnings that could be greater than the minimum rate
of return.
The cash
value accumulation segment is a
stable investment because there is a long history
of life insurance
investments providing a fairly
stable return which is advantageous in unstable economic times.