How the Federal Reserve’s Actions and Low Interest Rates Impact Public and Private Retirement Savings

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The extended period of low interest rates we’re in is not only creating challenges for public pension systems across the nation, but it is also negatively impacting people who are relying on their own savings to fund their retirements.

A common strategy for generating retirement income is to invest savings from an individual retirement account (IRA) or 401(k) into income-producing assets such as corporate bonds. But interest rates on corporate bonds have been falling in recent decades, reaching multi-decade lows in 2020.

Author(s): Marc Joffe

Publication Date: 20 January 2021

Publication Site: Reason