Wednesday, November 10th, 2021 A biweekly topical newsletter from PLANADVISER Funds in Focus Skilled retirement plan advisers know that a successful retirement strategy is about much more than investments. However, a well-crafted and efficiently priced investment menu is one of the foundations to a stable financial future—as is a steady hand at the wheel during turbulent periods in the markets. Collected below are some recent articles and research reports putting Funds in Focus. We hope you share some of what you read with a client or colleague. The Markets Considering Annuities As an Answer to Fixed Income in a Low Rate Environment Experts speaking during a webinar said annuities provide an alternative to bonds that reduces longevity and sequence-of-return risks. exclusives Is Bond Fund Misclassification a Serious Problem? PLANADVISER wades into the tricky and not uncontroversial topic of bond fund classification, or 'misclassification,' as it were. The Markets The Art of Comparing TDF and Balanced Fund Performance The outputs of a hypothetical model based on historical net asset values for balanced funds and target-date funds show just how complicated it can be to compare the relative merits of the two approaches to asset allocation. As it turns out, balanced funds, though less popular, might deserve another look. The Markets Passive Investing Has Performed Well, Even During COVID Crisis In 15 out of the 18 categories of domestic equity funds considered, S&P Dow Jones Indices finds the majority of actively managed funds underperformed their benchmarks during the year that ended June 30th. The Markets Market Watchers Focus on Inflation Some capital markets experts say the ‘transitory message’ on inflation from the U.S. Federal Reserve is beginning to overstay its welcome. The Markets J.P. Morgan: Doing Well and Doing Good Are Compatible Historically, investors tended to consider ESG factors either to increase risk-adjusted returns (doing well) or to achieve sustainable outcomes (doing good). A new analysis suggests there is no meaningful trade-off between the two when investing in public markets. The Markets Groceries and Gas Fuel Inflation Concerns Based on worries about inflation and Federal Reserve policy decisions, market watchers say it would be natural to see a market correction heading into the end of the year, though that fate is far from certain. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get PLANADVISER Spotlight directly in your mailbox!

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