Insight
Clients Ask:
What do rising inflation and interest rates mean for fixed income investments and the economy?Are we seeing mixed signals? Highland Responds Our Highland clients have wanted to know how rising inflation and interest rate hikes impact fixed income investments and the broader economic picture. Are we seeing mixed signals? Possibly. And there may have been…
Read MoreThe Power of the PENsion: Understanding the Costs
What’s the cost of providing a defined benefit pension plan? Beyond employer contributions, when determining costs, we consider custody, asset management, and consulting fees. These fees vary depending on the management of the plan and whether it is active or passive. Active management employs professionals who actively buy and sell investments on behalf of the…
Read MoreIt’s a Long Road. (But Look How Far You’ve Come.)
Don’t Let Emotional Biases Cloud Your Financial Outlook The S&P 500 has declined 12.8% so far in 2022 (through May 2022). That’s hard to stomach, but with a shift in perspective we can see that maybe it isn’t as bad as it feels. Humans are prone to a multitude of emotional biases and cognitive errors,…
Read MoreThe Power of the PENsion: Pension Contributions – Pay Now or Pay Later?
Every day we are required to make decisions on doing something now or later. Do we purchase airline tickets now or wait for prices fall? Should we start dieting now or wait until after the holidays? With either option, you assume risk: the risk that airline prices go up and the risk that you are…
Read More2022 Inflation and Investments
There’s no dodging inflation. But investors can hedge against it. If you drive a truck or SUV, no one needs to tell you that inflation has risen to uncomfortable heights—heights not seen in 40 years. A tank of regular gasoline that cost an SUV driver $114 last year, as we enter the summer vacation season,…
Read MoreThe Power of the PENsion: A New Series from Highland Consulting Associates
Pensions are retirement plans that are offered to individuals by private employers or government entities. These defined benefit plans invest in funds on behalf of individual account holders for guaranteed payment (in lump-sum or in payment streams) at retirement. The plans originated as early as 1875 with the first plan offered by the American Express…
Read MoreHughes v. Northwestern: What Plan Sponsors Can Learn from the Supreme Court Ruling
We Don’t Talk About…
ESG Investment Rules for ERISA Plans
While the Department of Labor rules keep changing, plan sponsors and fiduciaries should be familiar with this investment approach and what these rule changes could mean for retirement plans. As investor interest in sustainable investments has been increasing over the last decade, the trend has attracted heightened interest and action from regulatory and legislative bodies…
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