Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Health of largest U.S. corporate pension plans showed no improvement in 2020

Mon, 04 January 2021  |  pensions retirement 

The funded status of the nation’s largest corporate pension plans started and finished 2020 at the same level as declining interest rates caused pension obligations to grow, offsetting gains from investments in equities and bonds. This is according to an analysis by Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company.

Willis Towers Watson examined pension plan data for 366 Fortune 1000 companies that sponsor U.S. defined benefit pension plans and have a December fiscal-year-end date. Results indicate that the aggregate pension funded status is estima... Read More

COVID-19 Impacting Short Term Retirement Planning

Mon, 04 January 2021  |  pandemic retirement consumer confidence 

A majority of today’s workers and retirees range from feeling cautious to pessimistic about the economic outlook for 2021, with nearly 75% concerned about how the global pandemic may impact their retirement savings, according to the latest Principal® Retirement Security Survey. The study gauged consumer concerns and actions around saving for retirement, financial plans, and reactions to COVID-19 and the accompanying market and economic impacts.

Consumers say health and financi... Read More

Millennials Most Likely to Make Financial Resolution for 2021

Fri, 01 January 2021  |  pandemic millennials 

This year, 65% of Americans are considering a financial resolution for 2021, which is down marginally from last year (67%), but still quite strong given the headwinds experienced by so many families. Younger generations appear to be more committed to actively improving their finances in the new year, with 78% of all Gen Z and Millennial respondents considering a financial resolution compared to 59% of all Gen X and Boomers.

According to Fidelity Invest... Read More

Lemonade Ends Year With Over One Million Active Customers

Thu, 31 December 2020  |  insurance fintech insurtech 

Lemonade, the insurance company powered by artificial intelligence and behavioral economics, announced it has more than one million customers. Lemonade hit this milestone about 1,500 days after its initial launch, some 15-45 years faster than industry leaders such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, and USAA. Lemonade previously reported a total of 941 thousand customers at the end of the third quarter of 2020.

Homeownership Increasingly Unaffordable in U.S.

Thu, 31 December 2020  |  housing 

Homeownership is increasingly unaffordable in the U.S. according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions. ATTOM's fourth-quarter 2020 U.S. Home Affordability Report, shows median home prices of single-family homes and condos in the fourth quarter of 2020 were less affordable than historical averages in 55 percent of counties with enough data to analyze, up from 43 percent a year ago and 33 percent three years ago. Yet rising wages and falling mortgage rates still helped keep median home prices close to affordable for average wage earners across the country.

The report determ... Read More

Mortgage Rates Remain Near Record Low Heading Into 2021

Thu, 31 December 2020  |  interest rates housing 

Mortgage rates remain near record lows heading into 2021 according to the latest results of Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 2.67 percent.

“All eyes have been on mortgage rates this year, especially the 30-year fixed-rate, which has dropped more than one percentage point over the last twelve months, driving housing market activity in 2020,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Heading into 2021 we expect rates to remain flat, potentially rising modestly off their record low, b... Read More