PRC Perspectives Blog

Preparing for retirement is a bit like competing in a marathon. It’s long and hard, and it requires a steady pace. It also requires information about the course ahead.

In 1975, when the U.S. Department of Labor issued a rule defining who is an investment advisor under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Vietnam War had just ended,  Steve Jobs was tinkering around his dad’s garage, and Angelina Jolie was barely in diapers.

Thinking about taking a loan from your 401(k) plan? Think again. It’s no secret that many Americans were hit hard and are still struggling to recover from the financial crisis. Even those who weren’t laid off or downsized during the recent recession may think of their 401(k) accounts as piggy banks instead of the retirement plans that they are.

Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the first of two cases that may change the retirement landscape for millions of Americans: Hollingsworth v. Perry (the second case, U.S. v Windsor, will be heard on Wednesday). What do these cases, both dealing with same-sex marriage, have to do with retirement security, you wonder?