How Retirees Should Approach Interest Rate Hikes

It’s difficult to predict whether or not interest rates will rise this year. If you’re retired and risk-averse, then you’re probably not living high on the hog from a savings standpoint. Did you know that the average savings yield in the first quarter of 2015 was a measly 0.09%? For someone in retirement, that won’t be enough income to live off of. Actually, for most retirees it wouldn’t even be enough to go out for a nice dinner once per year. According to Swiss Re (a Swiss insurance company), since 2008 approximately a half-trillion dollars has been lost in interest income due to low interest rates.

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How the Supreme Court marriage decision affects the insurance industry

The Supreme Court’s decision Friday to allow same-sex marriage nationwide will have some – though not much – impact on the insurance industry, experts are saying.

In a close 5-4 vote, the court ruled that states refusing to allow same-sex couples to wed are violating the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. As such, financial and health insurance considerations for same-sex couples have shifted, though commercial entities discriminating against such couples may not face heightened liability.

Employer-provided health insurance plans may see the smallest changes thanks to Friday’s ruling, according to industry representatives.

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