MEDIA REVIEWS - March 24-31, 2010

Vern Hayden is surely right when he says that your subjective and qualitative services are less likely to be commoditized than the calculations and numbers side of things, and he offers us a model for deciding where to store your value as advisors. There are two very interesting academic contributions here as well: the first looks at target date funds from a new perspective, arguing that they provide undisclosed risks to their investors, and suggesting a model for measuring that risk and helping investors think through their choices. The other looks at a whole lot of options for taking Social Security benefits, and then does what few other Journal articles do: tells us, after a lot of analysis, what the best solution is, and how to add value when you advise clients.

Already my picks in the NCAA tournament are in trouble. Who knew that a Monarch (Old Dominion) would beat a Fighting Irish (Notre Dame) in a fair scuffle?