Interest rates

The insurance-related securities market has grown as pension and hedge funds seek diversified bets less tied to interest rate or stock market swings.

Indexes typically tracked by the funds are often excessively allocated to Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities.

The wealth in retirement accounts could shrink by that much due to annual defaults on 401(k) loans. The projected loss is about 2.7% of the $7.8 trillion in retirement accounts.

Stellar U.S. economic data, hawkish monetary expectations and strong commodity prices have pushed 10-year and 30-year Treasurys to breakout range.

The "Rule of 100" follows the rule-of-thumb of growing more conservative as investors grow older, but it also may be obsolete since it was developed when interest rates were higher.

Forget bond ladders. Laddering defined-maturity exchange traded funds may be a safer fixed-income strategy for clients.

When the financial clouds are gathering, your clients have preparations to make. Top of the list: reduce risk.

Mapping out their cash flow and identifying existing and potential problem areas are good places to start.

These funds emerged as investors sought yield amid an otherwise low-interest rate environment. As rates normalize, does this approach still have a purpose?

With stock selection pegged to 10-year Treasury sensitivity, can these ETFs work when short-term rates rise?