Young Research & Publishing Inc.

Investment Research Since 1978

Disclosure

  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Archives
    • The Final Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report
    • You’ve Read The Last Issue of Intelligence Report, Now What?
    • Dick Young’s Research Key: Anecdotal Evidence Gathering
    • Crisis at Vanguard
  • Investment Analysis
    • Bonds
    • Currencies and Gold
    • Dividend Investing
    • ETFs & Funds
    • Investment Strategy
    • Retirement Investing
    • Stocks
    • The Efficient Frontier
  • Investment Counsel
  • Dynamic Maximizers®
  • Retirement Compounders®
  • Free Email Signup

Can You Rely on Income Funds?

February 14, 2019 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

By ra2studio @ Shutterstock.com

Managed payout funds are certainly better for retirees than annuities, but can you rely on them in retirement? Funds promising steady income for retirees are subject to the same market swings as other funds. If your expectation is that you’ll always receive the same income stream, you should carefully reread the fund’s prospectus. They aren’t guaranteed. Barron’s reports:

Converting a pot of money into retirement income isn’t an easy task for many retirees—and it’s a tricky proposition even for fund firms.

Take the Vanguard Managed Payout fund (ticker: VPGDX), one of the largest of a type of investment option aimed at helping retirees with the income conundrum. Vanguard cut its payout to investors this year by 8% after the portfolio took a hit in last year’s selloff.

The $1.8 billion fund is structured to give investors regular monthly payouts that over time aim to keep pace with inflation. It targets an annual distribution rate of 4%—an effort to replicate a paycheck in retirement.

The actual payout is determined in January, based on the average performance of the portfolio over the prior three-year period. The payout for this year was based on performance over 2016, 2017 and 2018, which meant it included the fund’s 5.7% loss last year. That translated into an 8% lower payout this year than last, marking the biggest decline since Vanguard retooled the fund in 2014.

The fund discloses that payouts can vary. But Morningstar analyst Jeff Holt says expectations are everything—and that those accustomed to steady paychecks regardless of market gyrations could be disappointed when their payout is 8% lighter.

Read more here.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

You Might Also Like:

  • The Trouble with Balanced Mutual Funds and ETFs
  • Do ETFs Belong in Your Portfolio?
  • The Problem With Mutual Funds Today
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jeremy Jones, CFA
Jeremy Jones, CFA, CFP® is the Director of Research at Young Research & Publishing Inc., and the Chief Investment Officer at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. was ranked #10 in CNBC's 2019 Financial Advisor Top 100. Jeremy is also a contributing editor of youngresearch.com.
Latest posts by Jeremy Jones, CFA (see all)
  • Jim Simons’s Renaissance Technologies vs. Internet Forum Traders - January 15, 2021
  • Biden Plans to Spend Trillions More on COVID-19 Stimulus - January 14, 2021
  • Overtaken By Nvidia, Intel Fires Bob Swan - January 13, 2021

Search Young Research

Most Popular

  • Do You Remember When NASDAQ Dropped by 82%?
  • Vanguard Wellesley (VWINX) vs. Wellington (VWELX): Which Fund is Best?
  • Gavekal Chairman: Renewables Bubble is "Stupidest" Ever
  • Don’t Be on Their Radar, Get Out of Debt Now
  • Democrats Eager to Get Back to Protecting the Rich by Ending SALT Deduction Cap
  • Stocks: Are You Sticking Your Neck Out Too Far?
  • The Power of a Compound Interest Table
  • H2O, Skiing, Hiding A$$ET$, Bitcoin, Ammo & More
  • There's Always a Way Forward for Americans Like YOU
  • Overtaken By Nvidia, Intel Fires Bob Swan

Don’t Miss

Default Risk Among the Many Concerns with Annuities

Risk and Reward: An Efficient Frontier

How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth

Could this Be the Vanguard GNMA Winning Edge?

Cryptocosm and Life After Google

Warning: Avoid Mutual Fund Year End Distributions

Is Gold a Good Long-term Investment?

How to Invest in Gold

Vanguard Wellington (VWELX): The Original Balanced Fund

What is the Best Gold ETF for Investing and Trading?

Procter & Gamble (PG) Stock: The Only True Dividend King

The Dividend King of the North

You’ll Love This if You’re Dreaming of an Active Retirement Life

RSS The Latest at Richardcyoung.com

  • Insurrection Was the Furthest Thing from Trump’s Mind
  • Who Are Those Urging Violence?
  • An Alert for Warm Weather, Wine Loving Mavens.
  • Key West’s Number One Restaurant: The Thirsty Mermaid
  • VIDEO: Henry U.S. Survival AR-7
  • Cancel Culture, the Great Purge, Double Standards
  • How Are You Doing on a Local Level?
  • We Support Censure of Flake, McCain and Ducey
  • Zinc: The Gatekeeper of Immune Surveillance.
  • Love at First Shot: Daria Bruno Featured on NRA Show

About Us

  • About Young Research
  • Archives
  • Contributors

Our Partners

  • Richard C. Young & Co.
  • Richardcyoung.com

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2021 | Terms & Conditions

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.